The Team
Isaiah and Marc have remained best friends ever since they met at the Berlin International Youth Theatre in 2011. They soon realised that they weren’t the only literature fans around, and this gave them the idea of ‘The Young Authors’, a place where anyone can share their content and get feedback from fellow writers such as themselves. This allows for encouragement and motivation to keep young writers actively writing, and also allows for constructive criticism to reach the writer in preparation for a final draft.
Current Team Members:
Marc Auf der Heyde: Co-Founder, President, Editor and IT Manager
Marc attended the John F. Kennedy International School in Berlin Germany, the same city where he went on to meet fellow Co-Founder, Isaiah Michalski. Marc has written one full length novel (unpublished), and is currently working on his second which he hopes to publish in the near future. In September 2018, Marc will begin studying Computer Science at the University of Glasgow, a subject he hopes to incorporate into his creative and literature-focused interests. Marc is currently (June 2022), the only active member of theyoungauthors.
Past Team Members:
Isaiah Michalski: Co-Founder (Currently inactive)
Isaiah goes to a specialist film school, Babelsberger Filmgymnasium, where he is currently in year 12. Isaiah discovered his love for literature through the stage and is a founding member of the Berlin International Youth Theatre. The company recently performed Isaiah’s first play entitled Into The Haystack and he hopes to one day work in the entertainment industry as a writer, director and actor.
Toby Gay: CSO (Currently inactive)
Toby has just left school in Cheltenham, UK. He is currently on a gap year and is planning to study English Literature and German at University, having grown up in Berlin. As he is interested in all forms of Literature, including Screenwriting and Oration, Toby hopes to see fellow writers explore as many mediums as possible.
Emma Defty: Outreach Manager (Currently inactive)
Emma also goes to the John F Kennedy international school in Berlin. She started devouring books as soon as she could read, and though the material may have changed over the years her love for literature remains a constant. Most recently her poems and short stories have been published in the school’s literary arts magazine. She hopes to inspire as many fellow writers as possible to lay aside fear of judgement and take pride in their work and ideas.
Tom Krawczyk: IT Manager (Currently inactive)
Tom is 17 years old and has always been fascinated by modern day media both as a programmer and as a user. As well as going to school Tom is also currently studying Computer Science at the university Koblenz-Landau. Isaiah met Tom at a national youth media project against prejudices where Isaiah introduced Tom to the website. Seeing the potential of the project Tom was quick to join the team.
Ben Dodds: Social Media (Currently inactive)
Ben is an Australian who has been living in Berlin his entire life. He attends the John F. Kennedy School and enjoys writing poetry, as well as short stories. His love for literature originates from the many books he read as a child and continues to read today. He hopes to help young authors around the world discard their inhibitions and share their work for others to enjoy.
Our Goals
With The Young Authors website, we are hoping to; host events with industry professionals, help passionate writers publish their work for free, both online and offline and create an international community of young writers.
