HayU Blog

In this post, we are thrilled to feature a few of our Hayutin alumni! These students and educators are published authors. We hope you will join us in honoring these talented writers…

ELENA MONTES

Elena Montes (Amy Hayutin Contreras’ daughter!) is a Costa Rican-American poet, fiction writer, artist, and Wildwood School 2020 graduate originally from Los Angeles, California. She holds a BA in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, where she received the 2024 Andrea Klein Wilson Award for Poetry for two poems featured in her debut chapbook, Wishbones. Now, Elena lives in her adoptive city of New York with her partner and cat. When she’s not writing in her journal, she can be found cooking family-style meals for friends and sharing memories around the dinner table — an extension of her love for storytelling and connection.

Wishbones blends poetry, prose, and photography to explore Elena’s Costa Rican–American upbringing and the complexities of navigating two cultures, family separation, and a father’s struggle with alcoholism. Through an experimental, memoir-driven form, the work examines memory, identity, and the narratives we reconstruct to understand ourselves.  You can pre-order Wishboneshere and visit Elena’s website here.

LUCINE STEPHAN

Lucine Stephan is the author of The Grandiose Collection, a poetry and personal narrative anthology that explores the collective and individual interpretations of "grandiosity." She is currently a freshman at Kenyon College, where she plans to study English & Creative Writing. Lucine is a Kenyon Review Associate and is an editor of two student-affiliated literary magazines, Persimmons and Lacuna.

Previously, she attended the Archer School for Girls and served as the Editor-in-Chief for the literary magazine, Pillars of Salt. She received an honorable mention in the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing National Awards for flash fiction. Outside of writing, Lucine enjoys worldbuilding, reading poetry, and exploring historical narratives. 

You can order The Grandiose Collectionhere. 

NICK FULLER-GOOGINS

Nick Fuller Googins is the author of the novels, The Frequency of Living Things and The Great Transition. His short fiction and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Men’s Health, The Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. Nick graduated Cum Laude from Boston College with a B.A. in History and a Master's in Elementary Education. He later went on to pursue a Master's of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Rutgers University. He lives in Maine and works as an elementary school teacher. 

The Frequency of Living Things is a heartbreaking American epic about three sisters who unearth lifetimes of family tensions as they are forced to rescue one of their own from peril, testing the limits of sacrifice, sisterhood, and forgiveness. 

You can order The Frequency of Living Thingshere and visit Nick’s website here.

M. KEITH HARRIS

M. Keith Harris is a historian and high school history teacher in Los Angeles, California. He received his BA at the University of California at Los Angeles (summa cum laude) and his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia. He is the author of numerous articles, essays, and books on the American Civil War, the author of the Mastering High School series - a collection of guides for high school history students and teachers, and the creator of Keith Harris History. He is currently writing a book on Union monuments at Gettysburg. 

Mastering the Past is an indispensable book for high school students. From learning to effectively read, research, write and even discuss history in the classroom, it delves into the intricacies of the discipline. This concise book is packed with valuable lessons and thought-provoking insights, it empowers students to master the subject and develop a deeper understanding of the past.

You can order Mastering the Pasthere and visit Keith’s website and access his other writing here. 

BRIGETTE ALLEN

Brigette Allen is an environmental activist and an author. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Rice University, and went on to earn a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. Over the years, Brigette has held a range of positions in the fields of finance, language, and education. In addition to her newest book, the children’s book C Train, Brigette also co-authored Living Without Plastic. 

C Train, a NYC subway tale, follows the adventures of a beloved train and her passenger, Maya, who shares enchanting stories of marine life. As Maya pursues her dream of ocean engineering, C Train faces retirement in a rail yard. Discover their heartwarming reunion and new journey beyond the subway rails!

You can order C Train in English or Spanish here and listen to the music created with this book here. Brigette is available for school visits and can be reached here.

We are so proud of our alumni authors and hope you enjoy these great reads!

Your Team at Hayutin Education