OUR PROGRAMS
ABOUT
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J Mark Price's Reading & Writing Workshop is a teaching studio in the West University neighborhood of Houston that serves K-12 students. At J Mark Price's Reading & Writing Workshop, we are committed to cultivating a joy and love for reading and writing in every student and to fostering a community of students, parents, and teachers where creativity and individuality thrive.
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Our teachers, J. Mark Price, Hoa Nhu Le, Star Han, Anna Meriano, Jen Dodd, and Amber Kennedy, with the support of Studio Director Ashley Bowman, provide one-on-one tutoring sessions and group workshops in all facets of reading and writing, with goals of improving skills, building self-confidence, and instilling a genuine passion for reading and writing in our students. Our work with each student is highly individualized, whether a student is publishing their own novel, working to improve reading comprehension, learning to write a highly effective essay, or practicing skills for the ISEE test.

"A magical place where a child's imagination and creativity reign."
-Brenda, mother of Rani
OUR STAFF
​Mark Price
Owner and Lead Teacher
jmarkpricereading@gmail.com
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Mark created his reading and writing workshop studio here in 2012, following a distinguished classroom-teaching career in both public and private schools, which included Teacher of the Year honors and a focus on helping his students connect meaningfully with and find joy in their reading and writing. Mark envisioned an inspiring studio learning environment in which the teaching of reading, writing, creative writing, all aspects of language arts and test preparation would be highly engaging and completely individualized to the academic needs and personality style of each student. Mark places great emphasis on helping his students find inspiration in their work and build confidence in themselves.
Ashley Bowman
Studio Director
jmarkpriceworkshop@gmail.com
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Ashley serves as our Studio Director, playing an integral role in communications with studio families, including scheduling, billing, and marketing, as well as coordinating special studio projects, such as taking our students to read to seniors
and to read to shelter animals.
Ashley is a University of Houston graduate and holds a B.S in Hotel and Restaurant Management. She has multiple years of experience in customer service and administration across varied industries. She currently lives in Pearland, Texas with her husband Matt, their son Eli, their daughter Marcy, and their dog Axel. When not chasing her kids around, Ashley can be found crocheting, reading, or catching a musical at the Hobby Center.
News in the Studio
2023 Scholastic Writing Award Winners:
HUGE congratulations to our school year and summer writers for achieving 65 Scholastic writing awards this year! We wish the very best of luck to all our Gold Key recipients, whose work will now go on to compete at the national level. We are so proud of all of our writers!!
CREATIVE COMMUNICATION'S "A CELEBRATION OF POETS"
Priya Parekh's poem, "Star Signals," and Zayna Wardak's poem, "Can You Fix," were selected for publication in Creative Communication's “A Celebration of Poets," an anthology that brings together some of the best student authors in the U.S. We are so proud of you both!
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Anna Meriano
Reading & Writing Teacher
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Anna Meriano is the author of the Love Sugar Magic series, the young adult novel This Is How We Fly, and its prequel, It Sounds Like This. She grew up in Houston, Texas, graduated from Rice University with a degree in English, and earned her MFA in creative writing with an emphasis in writing for children from the New School in New York. She has taught creative writing and high school English, and works as a writing teacher and tutor. Anna likes reading, knitting, and playing full-contact Quidditch.
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Hoa Nhu Le
Math Teacher
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Hoa Nhu Le holds a PhD in cell molecular biology and a Master's
degree in Neuroscience. Thanks to Nhu’s strong background in
math, she received a perfect score on the GRE test, Math
section (170/170). Nhu has many years of tutoring experience
and has taught a wide range of students, from middle school to
college-aged, including SAT preparation.
In addition to math, she teaches biology and chemistry, and
microbiology lab for undergraduate students at University of
Houston. With all the knowledge and experience she has
accumulated, Nhu looks forward to helping her students
achieve not only better results in school and standardized test
preparation, but also develop a real love for math and science.
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Jen Dodd
Reading & Writing Teacher
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Jen Dodd is in her 16th year teaching English and reading. She has taught grades 6, 7, 8, and 11 in ELA and written curriculum and assessment for grades 5-12. She currently teaches AP English Language and Composition for Byron Nelson High School in Trophy Club, TX. Before moving to the DFW area, Jen taught in Houston ISD as a Teach For America Corps Member and then worked for KIPP for five years as a teacher and two years as the Secondary ELA Content Specialist.
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She is currently a curriculum writer for Northwest Independent School District, and looks forward to her second summer as an Advanced Placement Reader for the College Board this summer, scoring AP Exams. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from Ohio Northern University and a Master of Arts in English from Ohio University. When she's not reading or teaching, she is an active runner and enjoys chasing her three sons.
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Amber Kennedy
Reading & Writing Teacher
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Amber Kennedy has been teaching for 15 years, most recently Pre-AP English II and Dual Credit Composition I and II. In previous years, she has also taught AP Language and Composition and worked with the College Board for two years as an AP Reader.
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Amber attended Howard Payne University where she received her BA in English. She taught for 13 years before deciding to pursue her MA in Curriculum and Instruction from Angelo State University. She was fortunate enough to find a degree program that allowed her to split her hours between Curriculum and Instruction and English, so she is now teaching Dual Credit Composition courses through her local community college. This program combined her love for designing lessons and instructional strategies with her English content knowledge.
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Outside of work, she enjoys running to clear her mind and watching her three children's soccer and basketball games. She also enjoys cooking and trying new restaurants with her husband. Their family loves animals and currently has 8 pets - 3 dogs, 1 guinea pig, 2 rabbits, 1 snake, and 1 pig!
Star Han
Reading & Writing Teacher
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Star graduated from Rice University with a B.A. in psychology and currently teaches all facets of reading, writing and English to our studio students. She has always been passionate about teaching and mentorship and has pursued these endeavors throughout her undergraduate years as an SAT tutor, college admissions advisor, and a volunteer with the Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees. Star also served as a mentor for the Young Owls Leadership Program, providing college admissions training and support to under-resourced HISD students. In her free time, Star likes to crochet, play Samulnori (traditional Korean percussion), and teach new tricks to her two cats! ​​
Kendall Doerr
Reading & Writing Teacher
Kendall grew up in Houston, TX, where she has studied creative writing at the studio with founder Mark Price from the 4th grade, beginning at age 9, and her 10-year studio writing journey has included multiple Gold and Silver Keys from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and publication through the iWrite writing competition as well as the studio’s 2020 anthology publication, Little Inked Birds. Kendall is currently a sophomore at the University of Iowa where she double majors in English/Creative Writing and Secondary Education and rows for
the University of Iowa Women's rowing team. In her free time, Kendall likes to read, spend time with friends and family, visit National Parks, and listen to music. She looks forward to inspiring her creative writing and English students!
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Zoe Nguyen
Reading & Writing Teacher
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For Zoe, a senior at Indiana University studying Information Systems and Business Analytics, double-enrolled in the Kelley School of Business and the Hutton Honors College on a Dean’s Scholarship, writing has served as a creative outlet and lifelong
passion. Zoe shares that her passion for writing began right here at J. Mark Price’s Reading and Writing Workshop, when she took her first creative writing camp at 11 years old, and her summers at the workshop sparked a love for storytelling that’s
stayed with her ever since. Along her writing journey, Zoe has earned Scholastic Gold Keys in short story writing, served as editor-in-chief of her high school newspaper, and has competed in writing competitions in college under faculty mentorship, earning recognition as a Myers Scholar. Zoe loves volunteering,
traveling, reading, trying new foods, and exploring new coffee shops in Houston (especially since she was once a barista at Slowpokes)!
Christopher Almendariz
Math & Science Teacher
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Hello! I am very excited to help young minds at the J. Mark Price Reading and Writing Workshop grow their skills and find inspiration in math and science! I graduated from Rice University with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, and I am currently in my final year of medical school at Baylor College of Medicine. In undergrad, I worked as a math tutor for K-12 students, and I served as a mentor for the Young Owls Leadership Program, providing academic advising for underserved high school students in HISD. Throughout medical school, I volunteered at Las Americas Newcomer School where I taught English to refugee school-aged children.
Outside of work I enjoy spending time at my local library,
making matcha lattes, and singing in the Pride Houston Chorus.
Lindsey Bainbridge
Senior Editor
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​Lindsey served as Communications Director for J. Mark Price’s Reading and Writing Workshop for seven years and currently holds the position of Senior Editor for our studio. Lindsey is a graduate of Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, with a degree in print journalism. She is a former managing editor of an international magazine and is an experienced copyeditor as well. She currently lives in Richmond, Texas, with her husband, Ernie, an elementary school Assistant Principal, and their two young sons.