Our Team

The Rebecca Dykes Team has one member in Hong Kong (Jane), one on the Pacific Coast, one in Texas, one in the Midwest, and one on the East Coast. So…we meet on Zoom and then gather in person once a year for our retreat at Highlights. These are joyful sessions, as you can see.

Recently, we had the opportunity to be interviewed on the Cynsations blog by one of our 2024 retreat participants…click below to learn all about our work and our thoughts and feelings behind why we do what we do.

  • Jane Houng

    Founder

    Jane Houng (she/her) is the founder of Rebecca Dykes Writers and the mother of Rebecca Dykes. Originally from the UK, she is also a children’s book writer based in Hong Kong and holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. In addition to continuing Becky’s legacy of humanitarian work by supporting writers telling stories about trauma and violence against women and girls, she is the founder of Becky’s Button and Becky’s Bathhouse. Learn more about Jane and her work here.

  • Heather Demetrios

    Program Director

    Heather Demetrios (she/her) is the program director of Rebecca Dykes Writers. She also serves as faculty for our programs and supports the organization in communications and outreach. Heather is a YA author, holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is a certified meditation and mindfulness facilitator with a specialization in Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness. Her YA novel Bad Romance focuses on teen dating violence and she writes extensively about grief and PTSD. She is currently pursuing her clinical master’s in social work with a focus on trauma. Learn more about Heather and her work here.

  • Bethany Walker

    Mental Health Director

    Bethany Walker (she/her), is our retreat mental health provider and the Mental Health Director for Rebecca Dykes Writers. Bethany is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and award winning author. She writes in a variety of genres including flash fiction, picture books, and novels. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Author’s and Illustrators and is a Rebecca Dykes Writer founding member.

    Bethany’s work was recognized as a finalist for YA in the 2022 Kids’ Choice Kidlit Writing Contest and as Honorable Mention in the 2022 Picture Book Party. Most recently, her debut independently published picture book Lena & the Dragon was awarded the 2023 SCBWI Spark Honor Award.

    In addition to her writing, Bethany is passionate about working with children, teens and families as a therapist. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Traumatology.

    Bethany resides in Longview, TX with her daughter, Lillian, and cat, Charles. In her free time, she binges horror movies, tries new recipes (sometimes successfully), kayaks, and collects an absurd amount of books. Find out more about Bethany and her work at www.bethanywalkerauthor.com.

  • Yvonne Ventresca

    Communications Director

    Yvonne Ventresca (she/her) writes suspenseful novels and short stories for teen, tween, and adult readers. She is the award-winning author of Black Flowers, White Lies (Sky Pony Press, 2016), and Pandemic (Sky Pony Press, 2014). She’s had several short stories for kids and adults selected for anthologies, including “Justice for Jaynie” in The Second Black Beacon Book of Mystery (2023), “The Third Ghost” in Voyagers: The Third Ghost (2020), and “The Art of Remaining Bitter” in Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life (2017). She’s also written two nonfiction books: Avril Lavigne (Lucent Books, 2007) and Publishing (Lucent Books, 2005).

    Yvonne holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and mentors other writers through AWP and Mystery Writers of America.

    You can find Yvonne on social media at @YvonneVentresca, or visit her website, YvonneVentresca.com, where she features resources for writers and blogs about creative productivity.

  • Azra Rahim

    Community Relations Director

    Azra Rahim (she/her) has a background in science and research. Azra’s writing for children centers on lived experiences. Azra is a 2023 Muslim Storyteller Crash Course participant with the Highlights Foundation, and the first recipient of the Rebecca Dykes Writers scholarship.