I’ve known Elizabeth Jannuzzi for almost a decade as a friendly face in my neighborhood and an active member of my local community. She’s also a writer who takes on three roles: the Operations and Communications Manager of Project Write Now, the Program Manager of book inc, and soon, an author. After sitting down with her for an interview, it’s clear that her time with Project Write Now influences both the organization and her writing.
Jannuzzi started her journey taking memoir classes with PWN’s executive director, Jennifer Chauhan, before pursuing volunteer opportunities to build the adult programming of Project Write Now. She credits her progress in writing to her experiences within the program.
“I wouldn’t be writing now if it weren’t for Project Write Now,” Jannuzzi said. “The classes made me feel good about my writing, got me excited to do it and to try harder and push myself.”
In 2017, she took on a critical role in developing PWN’s Writers Institute for adults and creating newsletters for the writing community until she received an official position as the Operations and Communications Manager.
As one of three full-time employees, Jannuzzi focuses on organizing classes and finding how she can extend the organization’s reach to a wider audience. A day in her shoes might mean finding instructors for new courses, coming up with strategies to promote different programs, or writing articles and blog posts.
Anyone who reads the organization’s posts might already be familiar with Jannuzzi’s work, as she contributes to articles with the “Project Write Now” byline. Some posts, such as the “Captivated” collection, feature opinions she collects from other writers. As one of the first newsletter writers, Jannuzzi holds a tight connection to these articles and their service to the writing community.
“We try to put in content that’s not just promotional but also helpful to writers,” Jannuzzi stated. “So we’ll put in publishing prospects or articles that we’ve been reading about writing and helpful blogs. So I’m proud of that newsletter. I feel like it’s sort of my baby.”
In addition to her position in Project Write Now, Jannuzzi also serves as the Program Manager of the organization’s writing collective, book inc, where she works closely with the collective’s director Greg Phelan.
book inc holds year-long “incubation” courses where writers focus on crafting full-length novels and memoirs. Jannuzzi recently completed a memoir class in January and documented her experiences in a monthly column.
“It’s useful information for writers,” Jannuzzi described the columns. “But it also helps promote our program and helps promote the writer. We feel like it’s a win-win situation.”
book inc classes establish collaborative discussions over the messaging program, Slack. From there, writers from Oregon to Florida can find resources, give each other advice, and find support for their individual projects.
As an aspiring writer, it’s motivating to see someone I know pursue a writing career, especially one that promotes the local writing community. Seeing a familiar figure in this organization encourages me to continue my writing and take on new opportunities, such as an internship within Project Write Now. I’m grateful for people like Elizabeth Jannuzzi and nonprofit programs that work to help other writers, and I think she shares a similar sentiment.
“I wish I had this program when I was a teen because I feel like I did really enjoy writing, but I didn’t pursue it back then,” she said. “If I had found an organization like this, it could have changed my trajectory, or at least I could have committed to my writing and found my path so much earlier.”
Jannuzzi’s work is critical, as even though she didn’t have this resource, she’s providing it to others through her work at Project Write Now. I’m excited to see the impact she makes on the writing community in the future.