Co-founded in 2006 by Dr. Rosemarie Dombrowski, WOD has evolved from an ASU-centric journal to one that celebrates the creative energy of Phoenix’s arts and culture scene. Each year, a new team of student-editors joins her in capturing the talent and vibe of our beloved gritty city.
Rosemarie Dombrowski
Rosemarie Dombrowski is the inaugural Poet Laureate of Phoenix, AZ, the founding editor of rinky dink press, and the founding director of Revisionary Arts, a nonprofit that facilitates therapeutic poetry workshops for vulnerable populations, the medical community, and the community at large.
She’s published three collections of poetry and is the the recipient of a 2017 Arts Hero Award, a Women & Philanthropy grant, and a fellowship from the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics. In 2020, she received a Fellowship from the American Academy of Poets and was named one “The Great 48” by Phoenix Magazine.
She serves on the advisory board of the Narrative Medicine program at the University of Arizona Biomedical campus in Phoenix and teaches courses in literature, creative writing, and the medical humanities at Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix campus.
In addition to being a co-founding editor of Write On Downtown, she’s also the faculty editor of Grey Matter, the medical poetry journal of the University of Arizona Biomedical campus.
Savannah Rose Dagupion
Savannah Rose Dagupion is a Journalism and Mass Communication major and a student in ASU’s Barrett, the Honors College. She is Hawaiʻi’s 2021 Journalist of the Year as recognized by the Journalism Educators Association. Savannah is a reporter for State Press Magazine. In high school, she was the editor of the school newspaper, Ka Leo O Nā Koa, for which she was voted Most Valuable Staffer and won Best Illustration in her division at the Hawaiʻi Publishers Association High School Journalism Awards. At ASU, Savannah hopes to gain experience that will help her become an editor in print/digital journalism.
Rebekah James
Rebekah James is a Nonprofit Leadership and Management major within the Watts College and a student in Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University. She attended Blue Ridge High School, graduating in 2021 as Valedictorian with a 5.0 weighted GPA (4.0 unweighted). She also earned the Provide Opportunity award for tutoring ineligible players in the volleyball program and creating opportunities for the women in the program to serve their community. As student body president, she logged over 675 community service hours and spearheaded her high school’s first ever community service day. She is now an active member of the Next Generation Service Corps and earning a certificate in Special Events Management and Cross-Sector Leadership at ASU.
AJ Otero
AJ Otero is a writer, artist, musician, and student in the fields of Liberal Studies and Anthropology. They spend most of their time fulfilling their role as an editor and fellow working on Anna Maria Porter’s second volume of Artless Tales (1796) for the Juvenilia Press, in addition to Write On, Downtown. In their free time, AJ likes reading and writing ethnographic or fictional works, and has had their own work published on the Spellbinding Shelf blog. AJ also spends their time pursuing their longtime passion for performance piano, and continues to study music at ASU under the direction of Vladislav Kosminov.
David J. Ortiz-Leon
David J. Ortiz-Leon is a student in ASU’s Barrett, the Honors College, and is pursuing a degree in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at ASU West. While enrolled in community college, David began participating in several community outreach programs like Phoenix College’s Civic Action Group and Phi Theta Kappa. David’s time in these programs allowed him to earn Phoenix College’s URSA Major award for community leadership, as well as being selected as Phoenix College’s All-Arizona Scholar which awarded him a full ride to any in-state University. In his off time, David enjoys writing contemporary poetry as well as collecting vinyl records from artists like Stevie Wonder and Childish Gambino.
Write On, Downtown 