Staff
Current Staff
Jonah Willihnganz, Director
Jonah has taught literature, writing, and critical theory at Stanford since 2002. He published fiction, essays, and literary criticism, and currently researches how narrative practices can help develop capacities such as presence, courage, empathy, and belonging. In 2014 he co-founded the LifeWorks Program for Integrative Learning in the Stanford School of Medicine, an experiential education program that helps students learn practices for developing insight and compassion about themselves, others, and the world. He holds a PhD in English from Brown University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Hollins University. He is currently trying to write three books at the same time. It’s slow going.
Megan Calfas, Senior Producer & Program Coordinator
Megan is a writer based in San Francisco. Her most recent play, Sleepover, was performed at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She co-directed two sold-out runs of the original show Crushing at the Dixon Place Theater in New York City in April 2023 and at the Bayfront Theater in San Francisco in February 2025. She has coached over 200 people on telling their true, personal stories live on stage and has, herself, performed stories for Back Pocket Media, First Person Story, and on PBS with Stories from the Stage. As a journalist, she has reported on the environment for the Los Angeles Times and investigated maternal mortality in Zanzibar. She is a senior producer and the program coordinator for the Stanford Storytelling Project.
Dawn J. Fraser, Senior Producer
Dawn J. Fraser is a storyteller, podcaster and nationally acclaimed communications coach based out of San Jose, CA. She’s the Founder/ CEO of Fraser’s Edge, Inc, which provides coaching and consulting services for businesses, thought leaders and creatives to develop their leadership potential through storytelling. Past clients have included Google, the Gates Foundation and Spotify, as well as many notable celebrities. Dawn serves as a Senior Producer at the Stanford Storytelling Project, a Lead Instructor with The Moth and was featured among some of the nation’s top change makers at TED@NYC. She loves being a twin, a Trinidadian, and touch-baseable at www.dawnjfraser.com
Melissa Dyrdahl, Senior Producer
Melissa was most recently a Stanford University DCI Fellow, where, thanks to Jonah Willihnganz, her love of storytelling was reignited. A strong believer in the benefits of intergenerational learning, Melissa enjoys mentoring students of all ages. In addition to practicing her story craft skills, Melissa runs a small organic farm and worries about who will be the next Masked Singer.
Ana De Almeida Amaral, Senior Producer
Ana De Almeida Amaral (she/her) is a bilingual journalist, audio producer, and storyteller from San Diego, California. She has long been passionate about using storytelling as a liberatory tool and a model for questioning power. Ana produced KQED’s first Latino culture podcast, Hyphenación, and has worked telling stories about the US-Mexico borderlands on Cruzando Líneas. As a journalist, Ana has reported on the oldest lesbian bar in San Francisco and on state violence in Chile. She is a graduate from Stanford and was named part of 2024’s AIR New Voices.
2025-2026 Student Producers
Hi! I’m Arun Chhetri and I’m a Junior and student athlete studying NeuroEngineering. Writing and reading stories has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, but I also love to cook and produce music. I’ve always loved exploring the intersection of science and storytelling and I hope to share some of that with everyone.
Madisyn Cunningham is a Sophomore studying English and Communications. She enjoys making content in a plethora of mediums – writing, filmmaking, and playwriting are a few – and is thrilled to have the opportunity to continue her new journey with podcasting. Here at Stanford, she also plays on the Women's Rugby team and writes/edits for The Daily.
Hi, I'm Anh-Thu Dang (but you can also call me A.T.)! I'm a current sophomore from a town no one has ever heard of that is "East of LA," and I'm double majoring in psychology and English. I got into storytelling and writing as a way to help me cope through a rough time, which sparked an interest in how stories can positively influence mental health. I'm currently a course assistant for the Story Pharmacy class and am always happy to chat about anything related to psychology or creative writing! Outside of SSP, I have a strong passion for coffee, matcha, and the color blue.
Alana Esposito is a junior studying Systems and Computational Engineering from Huntersville, North Carolina. She grew up loving stories as ways to connect with and better understand the world. You can find her wandering campus, trying a new recipe, reading, swimming, and learning something new (right now, metalworking!).
Jake Matlof is a Sophomore and English Student. His interests include creative storytelling, Medieval & Scandinavian literature, and the exploration of the human condition. Jake's love for narrative podcasting began with Malevolent, a horror podcast that he still maintains everyone should listen to. When he's not developing podcasts, you can find Jake at the gym, on the tennis court, with his nose in a book, or binging horror movies.
Alex Strong is a Design major and EPS masters student from Austin, Texas. He believes in curious methodical exploration of whatever is at hand. He loves craft, whether it is the blacksmithing he taught himself as a kid, developing photos in the darkroom, or producing audio stories. His desperate interests are united by deep love of creation, a delight in the bigger picture, and human power travel. Catch him running around campus, for a brief conversation that may go deep.
Kevin Wang is a Computer Science and Media Studies student at Stanford. Audio has always been a big part of Kevin's life, from playing the piano to having conversations with people, and is excited to bring these passions to the Stanford Storytelling Project. You can find him taking walks around campus, listening to This American Life, 99% Invisible, or Articles of Interest, or anything experimental that piques his mind.