Firefly with Project Write Now

Carmen Balentine is the Associate Director of Individual Giving at Two River Theater, where he has been part of the organization since 2012. What began as a job has grown into a meaningful career at a place he considers truly magical. He enjoys building relationships with patrons and helping connect people to the transformative power of live theater. Outside of the theater, Carmen is an actor whose most recent role was Troy Maxson in Fences at Playhouse 22. He also co-leads the Metuchen Milers running club and serves on the Metuchen Arts Council. When he’s not on stage or on the trails, you’ll likely find him spinning vinyl records—especially Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Sade, or The Bee Gees. Whether it’s through theater, running, music, or community events, he loves creating opportunities for people to connect and enjoy life.

Jenny Morelli is a high school English teacher of twenty years who lives with her husband, cat, and very active imagination. She’s inspired by everything she sees and loves to spin the most mundane things into fantastical tales. She is a prolific reader and writer of poems, memoirs, short stories, and young adult novels, including the one she finished and the two others in the works. Jenny has a BA in secondary education and a Master’s in educational administration from Kean University. In Jenny’s free time, you’ll either find her sipping Chai tea and reading a variety of books near her husband and cat, feeding her backyard squirrel, or deep in thought getting in touch and learning more about her many characters.

Melida Rodas is founder and creative director of JCPOFEST—The Jersey City Poetry Festival, where poetry, activism, and environmental justice converge. Jersey City’s inaugural Poet (2013) and Poet Laureate (2024–2026), she creates multidisciplinary works blending poetry with projection mapping, light design, and visual storytelling. Her writing explores migration, labor, and the Latin and Caribbean diaspora, with publications by Oxford University Press, Pearson, The Feminist Press, and The Sun.An advocate for eco-literacy and climate justice, Melida’s work has been featured at NJPAC, the Color & Light Festival, Poets House, Playwright Horizons, and The New York City Poetry Festival. She has performed her original poetry with the New Jersey Symphony. Most recently, she served as producer, stage designer, and projection artist for the development of the Monsters, Inc. The Musical pilot for Disney and Pixar.