The Creative Minds Behind the Event
Eliza Reid is a bestselling writer, public speaker, gender equality advocate, and cofounder of the acclaimed Iceland Writers Retreat. She was born and raised in Canada but has lived in Iceland for more than 20 years.
Her first book, Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World, was an instant bestseller in Canada and Iceland, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Pick, and translated into numerous languages. Her first novel, an Iceland-set mystery called Death of a Diplomat (Death on the Island in the U.S.) will be published in spring 2025. She is at work on the second book in the series.
From 2016 to 2024 Eliza served in the unofficial role of First Lady while her husband was President of Iceland, during which time she served as patron of numerous organizations and was named a United Nations Special Ambassador for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals.
In the second grade, Erica used to climb the walnut tree in her front yard, settle into a somewhat comfortable crook, and read a book for hours on end. Since then, she’s found a way read and write both close to home and in and far-flung outposts around the world. She studied African literature in Ghana, won a poetry prize in Northern Ireland, wrote a travel article for a newspaper in Turkey, and co-founded the annual Iceland Writers Retreat in Reykjavik.
All the while, she built what is now a thirty-year career in publishing and media. Today, when she’s not talking about IWR, she runs the WonderLab Group, a book production company. Highlights of her publishing career include her roles as the VP, Editorial Director for Kids Books at National Geographic, Publishing Director at Discovery Communications, and Editor at Chronicle Books. She currently lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, two kids, and a beagle in a house full of traveler’s artifacts.
IWR Staff
Sue knew early that she’d follow her calling into the wild world of journalism. After completing a Fulbright fellowship in Korea, she spent a decade in newspapers, most of it at the Chicago Tribune, where she had the good fortune of being assigned as the copy editor of a series that went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. She has lived in seven countries (each her favorite) and counting and has co-founded and sold a granola company in Costa Rica. She fell in love with the IWR as a volunteer in 2018 and 2021, and when she’s not immersed in all things retreat, she’s working with nonprofits to visually communicate their marine and fisheries science research so that it leads to vital action.
Laurie Moy is a photographer, writer, and lover of all things culture.
She grew up on a cattle ranch in Texas then zig zagged around the United States with her husband and three children before settling in the Washington, DC, area.
Laurie has a background in radio broadcasting, and has a bachelor's degree in East Asian Studies from Boston University and a master's in International Media from American University. She was a United Nations Volunteer in Uganda, an experience that led her to run a small nonprofit organization that served families in Uganda affected by disability.
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Lisa Gail Shannen hails from Manchester, England, and loves creative writing and literature with a passion! Although she’s been fascinated with words from the age of seven (when all she wanted for Christmas was her very own dictionary), she didn’t fully appreciate the beauty of well-crafted text until she was introduced to Ibsen, Shakespeare, Chekov, and other great icons of literature, via her work with critically-acclaimed directors such as Terry Hands and Hilda Hellwig at the National Theatre.
Since then, she has studied for a BA in Language and Literature at the University of Iceland, taught English,
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Elizabeth Nunberg has been involved with IWR as a volunteer since its origins. A native of Minnesota with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications, she is very active within education in Iceland as co-founder of the International School of Iceland, founder and co-chair of the English Department at Hjallastefnan schools, and an English instructor. Elizabeth has written an alternative English curriculum for young learners in Icelandic public schools. She continues to cultivate her interest and talents in writing for children and parents.
Having lived in Iceland as an expat since 2000, Elizabeth enjoys her time being in nature, cooking, traveling, and playing with her family: Kristján, her spouse, three children, and Mark the Cat.