Redbud Writer’s Guild

Leadership

Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

President & Chair of Retreat/Events Committee

Redbud member since 2019
President since 2022
Fresno, CA

Dorina is an award-winning author, speaker, mentor, and Bible teacher. She is passionate about helping diverse women discover God’s glory on life’s unexpected paths and flourish in their God-given callings.

Dorina has published more than 20 children’s books, Bible studies, poetry, and devotionals, including Redeemer, Breathing Through Grief, Walk Run Soar and Cora Cooks Pancit. She also hosts the Global Glory Chasers podcast. A remarried widow, Dorina lives in Central California with her hubby Shawn and three courageous daughters. She loves to chase God’s glory on local trails and go on foodie adventures with her friends and family.

Marie Chan

Vice President & Redbud Hyphen

Redbud member since 2022
Board member since 2026
Laguna Niguel, CA

Marie Chan shares stories that inspire love for all. Being the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants fueled her passion to write children’s books that amplify underrepresented voices, highlight hidden figures in Asian American history, and build cross-cultural awareness. Marie’s children’s book, Mamie Takes a Stand: The True Story of Mamie Tape, a Chinese American Girl’s Fight for School Rights, received a 2024 Eureka! Gold Award for Excellence in Children’s Nonfiction from the California Reading Association and was listed in the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature’s Best Books of 2024. Marie also writes about connecting deeply with Christ and community through life’s challenges. She leads a trauma-informed support group for adoptive and foster parents at her church. Marie lives in California with her husband and two children with a third in heaven. You can learn more about Marie at her website, mariechan.com and connect with her on Instagram @mariechanbooks.

Sara Fichtner

Treasurer & Finance Chair

Redbud Member since 2023
Board member since 2025
Indianapolis, IN

Sara Fichtner is a Hoosier-Filipina writer, reader, and nonprofit professional. She writes about culture, family, and faith, and curates a quarterly Substack, In the Mix with Sara, which includes writing and resources on connecting through culture.

Sara joined Redbud as part of the inaugural Women of Color mentoring cohort in 2022. She has 15+ years of fundraising/grant writing experience, and volunteers and advocates for causes that foster equity and understanding in her home state of Indiana. Sara and her Argentine husband have two sons and serve as short-term immigrant foster parents with Bethany Christian Services.

Sarah Talbert

Secretary & Membership Chair

Redbud Member since 2024
Board Member since 2025
Jensen Beach, FL

Sarah Talbert is a Christian historical fiction author who writes character-driven stories rooted in generational legacy, community, and faith lived over time. She is drawn to ordinary lives and overlooked seasons, believing dignity and purpose are not earned through productivity but revealed through being seen and known. Her work explores the bonds of family, both given and found, and the quiet ways truth can shape a life. Sarah writes to honor unseen stories and to remind readers that no life, in any season, is ever finished.

sarahtalbert.com

Kim Findlay

Communications Director & Board Member

Redbud Member since 2015
Board Member since 2025
MA

Kim Findlay is a wife, mom, stepmom, and Nana. A midwesterner living in the Boston area with her husband and stepkids, Kim is passionate about encouraging and building others up through her writing, teaching, and all things vintage.

Kim writes and speaks about the intersection of faith and hope, grief, and finding God’s goodness in disappointment and loss. She is the author of Breathing in Ashes, a memoir about the death of her youngest daughter in a fire that destroyed their home. She has written curricula for Big Idea, Inc., David C. Cook, several churches, and through her website. Her work has been published with Women in Leadership, Facets of Faith, In Touch Ministries, By Design Ministries, the Women’s Devotional Bible in The Message (2025), and others. Connect with her on Instagram @kimdotfindlay and at kimfindlay.com.

Diana Gruver

Community Life Director, Board Member & Community Life Chair

Redbud member since 2019
Board member since 2023
Greencastle, PA

Diana Gruver writes about discipleship and spiritual formation in the every day. Her passion is encouraging and nurturing disciples of Jesus, giving them a vision for how He speaks to every aspect of the story of their lives. Her work has been featured in Outreach Magazine, Missio Alliance, and Core Christianity. She is the author of Companions in the Darkness: Seven Saints who Struggled with Depression and Doubt. She can often be found singing in her Pennsylvania kitchen with her husband and ever-curious children. You can find more of her writing at dianagruver.com.

Darcy Wiley

Board Member & Spiritual Life Chair

Redbud member since 2019
Board member since 2022
Carmel, IN

Darcy is a writer and spiritual director nurturing prayerful conversation, spiritual resilience, and creative joy. She is co-writer of two books on cultural transformation and spiritual formation, one with the missiologist behind the 10/40 Window Movement and one with the pastor of a multicultural church near Atlanta. She has created resources for contemplative activists and spiritual retreat participants and contributed to a women’s devotional Bible.

Pairing insights from nature, art, music, and fresh readings of Scripture, her work empowers others to engage the realities of life in fellowship with a God who brings forth justice and cares for the “tender reed.” Like the peaceful, supportive space of a spiritual direction session, Darcy’s essays, poetry, devotionals, and books invite readers into the healing, beauty, and growth of a life attuned to God’s voice. You can find more of her writing at https://open.substack.com/pub/darcywiley

Dorena Williamson

Board Member & Diversity Chair

Redbud member since 2023
Board member since 2024
Franklin, TN

Dorena Williamson is the bestselling author of numerous children’s books, including ColorFull (an ECPA Bestseller), The Celebration Place, and Crowned With Glory.

She brings her passion for diversity to conferences, churches, and elementary through university-level students. Her writing has been featured in Christianity Today and Barna and she has joined the cast of the Slugs & Bugs show and the Wingfeather Saga. In 1995 Dorena and her husband planted a multiracial church in Nashville where she serves as Pastor of Belonging. She and her family make their home in Smyrna, TN.