Tova Greene, CREATIVE DIRECTOR & LEAD PRODUCER
Tova Greene (they/them) is a Brooklyn-based producer and poet-person. If you've been to a PSNY event, they probably produced it; as Programs Director of The Poetry Society of New York, Creative Director of The New York City Poetry Festival, and Editorial Director of Milk Press, they create immersive spaces that prioritize collaboration and artistic experimentation. They see producing as an act of radical reclamation: an exercise in reimagining what art can be when freed from capitalist exploitation and allowed to flourish in an environment of accessibility and care. Their events have garnered acclaim from outlets including The New York Times and Observer. Their debut collection, lilac on the damned's breath (Bottlecap Press, 2022), grapples with the cyclical nature of grief.
JACKIE BRAJE, MANAGING DIRECTOR
Jackie Braje (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based poet, a friend of poets, educator, and arts administrator. She currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Poetry Society of New York. With Stephanie Berger, she co-founded Milk Press—the publishing arm of PSNY— and serves as the editor-in-chief. Her work has been published or featured by Ugly Duckling Presse, Brooklyn Poets, Free People, the Minnesota Review, the Oakland Review, the Westchester Review, Stoneboat Literary Journal, Statorec, the Quarterless Review, the Nottingham Review, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere. She is the Allerton Park Fall ‘22 Artist-in-Residence, a 2022 collaborator and artist-in-residence with the 4heads initiative on Governors Island, and the recipient of a 2022 Himan Brown Award. She received her MFA in poetry from Brooklyn College, where she also taught as an adjunct English professor.
Stephanie Berger, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Stephanie Berger (she/her) is the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director, and a co-founder of The Poetry Society of New York. She is also a poet and performance artist. She is co-creator of The Poetry Brothel, The New York City Poetry Festival, & The Typewriter Project. She is the author of IN THE MADAME’S HAT BOX (Dancing Girl Press, 2011) & co-author with Carina Finn of THE GREY BIRD: THIRTEEN EMOJI POEMS IN TRANSLATION (Coconut Books, 2014). With Jackie Braje, she founded Milk Press, a publisher & nurturer of poetic collaborations. Her work is largely collaborative, interactive, & community-oriented; & it straddles the worlds of literature, immersive theatre, & public art. Stephanie earned a B.A. in Philosophy at the University of Southern California, received an M.F.A. in Poetry from the New School, & taught in the English Department at Pace University.
EMI BERGQUIST, SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Emi Bergquist (she/her) is a Brooklyn based poet, performer, and content creator. Emi has been a poet with the Poetry Society of New York since 2015. Her has work published in literary journals including What Rough Beast, Oxford Public Philosophy, Oroboro, Passengers Journal, For Women Who Roar, Noctua Review, In Parentheses, and others. When not reading or writing poetry, she prefers to spend most of her time at the park with her dog.
F.M PAPAZ, MARKETING ASSOCIATE
Fi (F.M Papaz) is a Greek-Australian poet who moved to New York for love and has loved staying to build a life here. Her chapbook Distance Makes the Heart Grow (Feb, 2024) is about conquering the 10,000 mile long-distance relationship that brought her here. Her poems have been published in literary magazines in the United States and Australia and she currently serves as the Managing Editor of PSNY's journal Milk Press. She takes joy in crafting typewriter poems that are timeless and pure, speaking to the heart of their addressee in a way that can be cherished for years to come. Find her @fmpapaz on social media or her website fmpapaz.com.
