Former Writers House Staff

Vivianne Salgado (Associate Director, 2014-2021; Graduate Assistant, 2004-2014) is a native of Chile, and studied fiction for four years with Pia Barros at Ergo Sum, one of the most prolific literary workshops during Pinochet’s dictatorship. Vivianne received an M.A. in Contemporary Latin American Literature from University of Maryland. She was a fiction instructor at The Writers’ House and led the Chile Education Abroad winter term course. She taught a Freshman Connection introduction to literature and critical theory, as well as a summer creative writing course for the Terp Young Scholars Program.

Johnna Schmidt (Director, 2005-2022) was with the Writers’ House since its inception in 2002, and became the Director in 2005.  Johnna got her start in writing through an interest in theater, and has performed original work across the U.S., mostly in San Francisco and New York City. She later pursued and received an MFA in Creative Writing: Fiction, at UMD. Her work has been published in Beltway Journal for the Arts, Little Patuxent Review, On the Issues Magazine, The Rush, and Like Water Burning.  Awards include the American Writer’s Program Intro to Journals Nomination in Fiction. Johnna taught incoming fiction students, as well as the culminating publication course for all Writers’ House students. 

Jacky Mueck (Student 2015-2017, Graduate Assistant 2019-2021, Associate Director 2021-2022, Interim Director 2022-2023) is an alumnus of the Writers’ House (class of 2017) and UMD. She received a Master's degree in English with a certificate in Digital Humanities from the University of Maryland in 2021. She also received two B.A.’s in the Spring of 2019 from UMD, one in English Language and Literature and another in Spanish Language, Literatures, and Cultures with minors in creative writing and classical mythology. She has a background in translation, poetry, fiction, scriptwriting, and genre work. While an undergraduate student, she was also a member of the Gymkana Troupe, where she still spends some of her free time. In addition to literature and writing, she enjoys pottery, gardening, games, and outdoor adventuring.