Meet a Board Member: Laura Duarte-Hazan
Yellow Arrow Publishing would like to introduce Laura Duarte-Hazan, a board member. Laura is a librarian with the Enoch Pratt Free Library, where she moderates the weekly Light Street Writers Exchange. This read and critique group is a core program for the Light Street Branch of the Pratt for over 10 years. In addition to supporting the writing community, Hazan has her own fiction and nonfiction published in Strongly Worded Women, Northern Virginia Magazine, and Sex and Violins. She was chair of the Washington Writer Conference for three years and a writer-in-residence for the Highlandtown Arts District in Baltimore, where she resides.
Laura says, “As one of the first Yellow Arrow writers-in-residence, I’m excited to return to help Yellow Arrow grow and succeed. My main priorities are linking Yellow Arrow to the Enoch Pratt Free Library so we can partner on readings and events and working with Kerry Graham on the Yellow Arrow Collective.”
Tell us a little something about yourself:
I’m a librarian with the Enoch Pratt Free Library, where I moderate the weekly Light Street Writers Exchange. I’m formerly the Conference Chair for the Washington Writers Conference. I completed my first novel, Little Boxes, at Arizona State University’s Piper Writing Center. In addition to having my work published, I have one award-winning poem. I’ve been to all 50 states and have fallen in eight of them.
What do you love most about Baltimore?
Charm City. The Land of Pleasant Living. The City that Reads. All the assorted monikers for Baltimore are true in some way. This city is charming and quirky with its distinct neighborhoods. I find it pleasant to live here. I love going on my rooftop deck and looking across the harbor at Fort McHenry. Where else can you live next to both a city icon (I live next to Natty Boh) and a historic locale? As a librarian for the City of Baltimore, I see daily that this city does read—all ages, all genres.
How did you get involved with Yellow Arrow?
My first experience with Yellow Arrow may have been before Yellow Arrow was Yellow Arrow. I attended a reading during a Highlandtown Friday Night Artwalk in a basement pottery studio. There, Gwen and others read. Afterward I inquired about doing a reading in the future and was embraced. A few months later I found myself doing a reading in the same basement pottery studio. A couple of years after that I applied and was selected as part of the first cohort of Yellow Arrow writers-in-residence. I’m excited to return as a member of the board.
What are you working on currently?
I’m currently applying to MFA low-residency programs and polishing my first novel.
What genre do you write the most and why?
I mostly write long fiction, romcom to be specific. Not hockey romance!
Can you recall an early memory that might have sparked your love of writing/reading?
When I was a kid there was a television show called Lou Grant that my sister and I loved to watch. It was a newsroom show, a big city newspaper. I loved the activity of a busy newsroom, and that’s when I fell in love with becoming a writer. Ironically, I have never been a journalist!
What book is on the top of your to-be-read pile?
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and The Natural by Bernard Malamud.
Who has inspired and/or supported you most in your writing journey or in everyday life?
My husband Steve.
If you could have a workspace anywhere, where would it be and why? What would it look like?
I like to be a little chilly so I can also be cozy. But I also love the beach. So . . . a beachfront cottage in the winter with a roaring fireplace, a cozy couch, and my sweet, fluffy dog.
What advice do you have for new writers or anyone starting a new adventure?
Don’t let fear keep you from experiencing something new. Life is filled with scary circumstances; embrace the ones that will help you grow.
What’s your vision for Yellow Arrow in 2026?
I want to see Yellow Arrow become a lasting light for the Baltimore female-identifying artist community.
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Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we LUMINATE a path for women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook and Instagram, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.