About the Center

YouthInkwell Writing Center Staff    

Jennifer Sarja, Founder and Director

Jennifer Sarja has been teaching writing in Southern California for more than nine years. A graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, Jennifer began her formal writing education at Middlebury College, famous for its Breadloaf School of Writing. Jennifer went on to earn a joint undergraduate degree in Writing and Medieval History at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. In 1996, Jennifer completed her Master's Degree in Writing at NYU and moved from New York to Los Angeles to await her film adaptation of Robert Cormier's The Bumblebee Flies Anyway, which starred Elijah Wood, Rachael Leigh Cook, and Janeane Garafalo.

Through her guidance, Jennifer's students have gone on to receive acceptance letters from some of the top schools in the country: Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Southern California, Boston University (7-year medical program), Duke University, University of Chicago, and Johns Hopkins University, where one of her students is now TRIPLE-majoring in Economics, Political Science, and International Relations.

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Emma Caywood, Instructor grades 3-8

Emma Caywood is very excited to be teaching at YouthInkwell. Emma grew up in Chicago where she attended Northwestern University and received degrees in Theater, Gender Studies, and Creative Writing for the Media. Her focus was on Storytelling, Theater for Youth, and Creative Drama. There, she held full productions of two of her original plays: Depending On... and Trying to Put the Atom Back Together. She also ran JTE's Storytellers for two years, selecting and training oral storytellers who performed at various community events. An actor and playwright by training, she has studied and worked at Steppenwolf Theater, Lookingglass Theater, Apple Tree Theater, and Piven Theater Workshop. Emma also helped found the Chicago Theater for Young Audiences.

Upon moving to Los Angeles, Emma became a script reader for numerous production companies, including Mandville Films and Red Hour Films, as well as for various screenwriting contests. She also became the Director of American Accolades Screenwriting Competition and later went on to serve as a Literary Manager at Torque Entertainment, managing the careers of several screenwriters. She has volunteered with Young Storytellers, helping 4th and 5th graders write their own short screenplays, Reading to Kids, Children of the Night, and various other youth and teen outreach programs. She also teaches Drama through Star Education. When she is not teaching, she is hiking with Violet, her black rescued Greyhound mix, listening to audio books, traveling, writing plays for youth, and cooking vegetarian and vegan food.

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Daniel Shorago, Private Instructor

LeAnne Bagnall, Assistant Marketing Director

LeAnne was born in Anaheim, CA and received her Bachelors Degree in English with a specialization in American Cultures and Global Contexts from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She now lives in Los Angeles. LeAnne is responsible for all web content and marketing of the writing studio.

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