Lindsay Ellis

Director
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Lindsay Ellis studies written argumentation, memoirs of schooling, and classroom practice.  She loves not only the logic of arguments but also the use of writing for reflection and the attentiveness of poetry to the natural world. Lindsay has a Ph.D. in English and Education from the University of Michigan and an M.A. in Humanities from the University of Chicago.  She is Professor of English at Grand Valley State University where she directs the Lake Michigan Writing Project, which provides summer institutes on the teaching of writing for K-12 teachers.  Lindsay is also on the boards of the WILD Foundation and the Ellis Foundation, directing grants toward environmental sustainability and schooling.  She is passionate about using writing to help citizens to understand each other, to contextualize their needs within ecosystems of competing interests, and to collaboratively design solutions to meet global challenges. 

Kari Reynolds

Co-Director
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Kari Reynolds is a lifetime learner, engaged in continuously improving herself using her education, teaching experience, and professional development to aid both students and teachers. In doing so, she hopes to arm them with the tools needed to become impactful writers and citizens. Kari is a graduate of Grand Valley State University where she majored in English and minored in elementary education. She is a sixth-grade teacher at Rosewood Elementary in Jenison. She teaches all subjects and has co-taught classroom where general education and special education students learn side by side each day. She has taught summer institutes on the teaching of writing to K-12 teachers for the last sixteen years. Kari believes the written word is a very powerful tool. She has traditionally focused on producing memoir and professional articles. Her affinity for the art of writing has recently included some forays into writing historical fiction.

Kim Bolt

Co-Director for Media and Marketing
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Kim has been an educator for over 25 years, teaching every subject and age group from 8-year-olds to college students. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be an educator. In 2005, when she joined the Lake Michigan Writing Project, she found a home where she could reconnect with her love of writing and geek out with fellow educators who also identified as writers. Because she can never seem to get enough of school, she holds two master’s degrees: one in Secondary Education from Grand Valley State University, and one from Queens University (North Carolina) with a fiction emphasis. She is a member of the Michigan Reading Association (MRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the Lake Michigan Writing Project (LMWP), and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

Jennie Reed

Coordinator
235 Lake Huron Hall
(616) 331-3405
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