The Decameron Project

Our Team

Lucas Gimbel

Founder

Lucas Gimbel is a Junior at Manhattan’s Collegiate School. There, he writes avidly for the Collegiate Journal, and is a member of the school’s Symbol’s Task Force, a committee charged with examining how symbols from the school’s nearly four hundred year history fit with its current mission and values. He also regularly volunteers at the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. In the future, Lucas hopes to study the humanities –– with an eye to history and literature. His favorite novel is Lampedusa’s The Leopard, and he is reading Robert Caro’s Master of the Senate to pass the time during quarantine.

Contact: lucasgimbel@dcpteam.org

Freddie Coffey

Founder

Freddie Coffey is also a Junior at The Collegiate School. While now firmly a New Yorker, Freddie was born in the UK, and attended Eton College on an Oppidan scholarship until he emigrated at the start of his sophomore year. He is an editor for Collegiate’s Prufrock, the school’s literary magazine, where he both writes content and reviews the submissions of his peers. Freddie’s academic interests extend beyond the literary world into Science and Mathematics. His favorite book is Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, and he is currently reading In Our Time, a collection of Ernest Hemingway’s early short fiction.

Contact: freddiecoffey@dcpteam.org

Alexandre Farman-Farma

Director

Alexandre Farman-Farma, who is in the equivalent of his Junior year, is an Iranian high school student in the UK. He attends Eton College, where he won an Oppidan Scholarship in his second year. There, he is regularly involved with the Middle Eastern Society, and volunteers in several outreach programs with local schools. He hopes to study film and literature in future years. His favorite book is Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Currently Reading: The Emperor, Ryszard Kapuściński.

Contact: alexfarman-farma@dcpteam.org

Ward Cammack

Curator

Ward Cammack is a native of Nashville, Tennessee and a Senior at Episcopal High School, a boarding school in Alexandria, Virginia. At Episcopal, she is a member of the Honor Committee and a Head Tutor of the Writing Center, where she reviews and edits student’s writing assignments and is in charge of scheduling all appointments. She also writes and reviews pieces for the school’s literary publication, The Daemon. Ward will attend the University of St Andrews in Scotland in the fall, where she plans to study History, English, and French. Her favorite novel is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and she is currently reading State of Wonder by Ann Patchett.

Sawyer Cooper

Curator

Sawyer Cooper is a Senior at the Bronx High School of Science. There, he is the captain of the Varsity Cross Country and Track and Field teams. He plays piano outside of school and has also studied at the Mannes School for Music for 5 years. Sawyer will begin studying at Harvard University this fall, where he is considering a double concentration in Biology/Neuroscience on a Pre-med track, along with film. Sawyer is an avid creative writer and hopes to incorporate this passion into his future studies. His favorite book is A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah and he is currently reading James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time.

Angelina Zaphyria

Curator

Angelina Zaphyria is a Senior at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she focuses on Vocal Performance. On her own time, she is a paid writer for the online magazine Adolescent Content and has also published work on “Killer and A Sweet Thang.” She plans to study Advertising and Marketing Communications at the Fashion Institute of Technology in the upcoming fall semester and eventually pursue a career in creative direction. Her favorite book is Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. She is currently making her way through a plethora of screenplays, as she teaches herself to write for the screen.

Zahra Rock

Curator

Zahra Rock is a sophomore at the Spence School in New York City, where she is an active member of the African-American and Latina Alliance and the Film Club. In her free time, she enjoys competitive horseback riding and learning about social justice causes. She is an intern for the Angel Rock Project and has spent many years with them giving back in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the future, she hopes to study business and acting, but also hopes to take classes that help foster her love of literary analysis. Her favorite books are The Color of Water by James Mcbride, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

Ambassadors

Ilana Drake

Ilana Drake is a rising senior at the High School for Math, Science, and Engineering. Ilana is a Seed in Seeds of Peace, a Robin Hood Fellow, a Rising Voices Fellowship alumna, a mentee in Girls Write Now, and a fellow in YouthBridge-NY. Ilana served as a Young Leader of Manhattan, and her writing has been featured in Bright Lite, Highly Indy, The Forward, The Times of Israel, Jewish Women’s Archive, jGirls, Blue Marble Review, Fresh Ink for Teens, The Youth Voices Network & Day One “All of Love’s Vibes” zine, Girls Write Now blogs, Girls Write Now Anthologies (2019, 2020), and YouthBridge-NY blogs.