Isaac Amend is an identical twin, older brother, and transgender man based in the Washington DC metropolitan area. He has written poetry, opinion columns, creative nonfiction, and reporting for Connection Newspapers, the Yale Daily News, the Yale Literary Magazine, Streetlight Magazine, and the Washington Blade. Isaac was featured in National Geographic’s “Gender Revolution” documentary hosted by Katie Couric. He believes that Toni Morrison is the greatest author to ever exist. He also is a big believer and fan of the visual arts (he believes that the visual arts are just as important as the written word). His portfolio is available below:
Education: Isaac received a BA in Political Science from Yale University in 2017. He wrote his senior thesis under adviser Charles Hill and studied creative writing under Michael Cunningham, Cynthia Zarin, and Anne Fadiman.
Opinion Columns:
Yale Daily News columns available here. (Isaac still writes for his college paper – after all this time!)
Washington Blade columns available here.
Poetry:
“The Amstel”, Streetlight Magazine, October 2022
Creative Nonfiction:
“Being Isabel”, Washington Blade, June 2021
“Tinkering with Madness”, Yale Daily News, October 2024
Books:
“When the Sky Was a Canvas to Make Fun Of” (poetry)
“Lost in the Desert” (poetry)
Reporting:
Isaac was a journalist for Connection Newspapers in 2010 and from 2013 to 2014. His articles for Connection are available in their archive.
Press:
“Local poet publishes second work”, Gazette Leader
Talks:
“Gender in Flux: Living an Unconventional Life as a Trans Man”, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, April 2024
Hobbies/Volunteering:
Isaac sits on the board of the LGBT Democrats of Virginia. He also founded the Fairfax, Virginia chess club. In his free time, he enjoys going to art auctions, engaging in prison reform, touring art museums in the nation’s capital, and watches countless spy movies. Isaac absolutely adores art museums and is a big fan of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston along with the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He is also inordinately grateful for Smithsonian museums being free in DC. He believes that visual arts (paintings, sculptures, NFTs) are just as important, if not sometimes more important, than the written word.