Off Assignment

Though we seem so very literary (and we are!), OA is much more than a bunch of wordsmiths: We’re a masthead of frog catchers, once-DJs, sea voyagers, fierce competitors, and so much more! Introducing…things you didn’t know about the OA staff!

🏓 Logan (), our Writing Courses Manager, is a ping pong champion! She plays wherever and whenever she can—which, she admits, is quite often.

🐸 Aube (), our beloved Editor-in-Chief, is not only a seriously impressive long-distance walker, but has over three decades of experience catching frogs.

👟 Jane (), our ever-creative illustrator, describes themself as a "slow but steady runnner." Go Jane, go!

🎷 Editor-at-Large Carey (), out in Nairobi, is a saxophone player—who knew!

🎧 Stephen (), as well as being our multi-skilled Marketing Strategist, once moonlit as Miss Teen USA, a DJ who spun post-punk vinyl across Pittsburgh. Not only that—he met his wife through a Craigslist Missed Connections post after DJing an event!

🛳 Co-founder Colleen (.kinder) once sailed all around the world on a cruise ship (while working on it).

🌽 Anya (), Managing Editor, has a master’s degree in porn—yes, really. Pictured is her presenting at an academic conference, and no she will not be taking questions at this time 😉

🧘‍♀️ Isabel, when not in an OA Zoom room supporting our teachers and students, spends a ton of time upside-down. She’s taught aerial yoga for eight years, and hasn’t gotten dizzy yet!

🧶 Tusshara (.ns) is an earnest, beginner knitter. She's made a scarf, fingerless gloves, and a hat. She's working on a purple sweater vest, which will hopefully be ready for autumn.

Yes, our Slack has been ALIGHT with all the new things we just learned about each other (it was hard to narrow down each of us to just one tidbit) — so we hope you enjoy this wee glimpse as well.

There’s long been a healthy overlap between the writers we publish and the writers who teach with us. Rather than pretending those worlds don’t touch—essays over here, courses over there—we want to lean into that confluence.

So today, we’re delighted to share a small collection that lives right at that intersection: Ten essays by writers who’ve both guided our courses and written pieces that illuminate the world in ways only Off Assignment can. These essays provide a glimpse behind the curtain: the thinking, feeling, and lived attention that informs both how these writers teach and how they show up on the page. Browse and enjoy through the link in our bio.

As a middle-schooler, Naomi Gordon-Loebl () vehemently denied being q***r — but every morning, on the subway platform on their way to school, their eyes were constantly drawn to a q***r couple on the same commute. Something about them gave her peace, even inspiration. In remembering that couple now, Naomi considers the role of the "q***r elder," the notion of responsibility to those that come after you, and the messiness of true q***r life and love. Read this vulnerable and deeply romantic "Letter to a Stranger" through the link in our bio.