The Creative Minds Behind the Event

First Lady Eliza Reid stands in front of a volcano in Iceland
Founding Director Eliza Reid
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.

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A woman with long hair and a smile.
Founding Director Erica Jacobs Green

Erica Jacobs Green has worked in book publishing for nearly twenty-five years. A graduate of UC Berkeley with a BA in English, she was most recently the Vice President, Editorial Director for Children’s Publishing at National Geographic. Highlights of Erica’s publishing career include positions as a children’s book editor at Chronicle Books, founder of Ever After Studios (a book production company), and Director of Publishing at Discovery Channel (Discovery Communications).
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IWR Staff

Sue Erbeck in photo in Paris is general manager of Iceland Writers Retreat
General Manager Sue Erbeck

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 longtime Iceland Writers Retreat participant and the new social media coordinator
Social Media Coordinator Laurie Moy

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 earned 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.

Now she works in public affairs to pay the bills and support her travel habit, but her real passion is documenting culture in all of its aspects—from food, to art, to the relationship with nature.
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A beautiful artistic woman smiling at the camera
Volunteer and Events Coordinator Lisa Gail Shannen

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, authored copy text for various publications, including the main written content for the SVEF-nominated VisitReykjavík website, in addition to writing a number of travel guides, such as the Official Reykjavik City Guide, the Frommer’s Guide to Iceland and Travel Iceland: the latter two publications were co-authored with Jane Appleton.
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ELIZABETH
Volunteer Coordinator Elizabeth Nunberg

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.