Artists In Residence

Mike Mancuso was born in the Mojave Desert, then spent the next 14 years of his life as a U.S. Marine Corps dependent. Since marrying his dream love, Debbie (Flory) Mancuso, in 1987, Mike and Debbie were blessed with two amazing children and three beautiful grandchildren.

Mike is an avid poet, singer/songwriter and vocalist. He has performed in multiple venues and churches in PA, VT, OH and Ft. Myers Beach, FL. His favorite venue, however, is the Church of the Mountain, where he has performed many times with the amazing Guitarist in Residence, Marty Wilson. For video recordings of past performances, visit the Church of the Mountain Facebook page. (ADD link to this spot.) Mike has been writing songs and singing them since 1999. He loves to hear people's stories, then create songs for them. He has written personalized songs for a variety of special occasions, including weddings.

A twin, Kelly Lewis is a graduate of East Stroudsburg Area High School, where he served as class president. He continued his education at Bloomsburg University, where he earned a degree in Finance, and served as the student government treasurer. Lewis earned a law degree and MBA (JD/MBA) from the Widener University School of Law. A former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and Monroe County Controller, Lewis is an attorney, author, business owner, entrepreneur, and registered sports agent. A twelfth generation resident of the Poconos, Lewis lives on Pocahontas Lake.

In 2004, Lewis was the executive producer for a widely acclaimed jazz album, “The Reasons for Christmas Project,” featuring famous Pocono musicians Phil Woods, Bob Dorough, John Coates, Jr., Eric Doney, and Bobby Syvarth. The album raised nearly $150,000 for Pocono Area Transitional Housing, Inc. (“PATH”). His controversial book, Rheingold: Born Fatima, helped launch www.mydaughtersteam.com.

Kylee Jensen was raised in the Poconos but now resides in Manhattan. She always had a thirst for traveling; as a young child, she had no fear of boarding a plane solo to distant lands to visit family. These adventures led Kylee to a rich education from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Attaining a BFA in Fine Arts/Painting in 2007 with a minor in Art History proved to be the right fit. She was a John Loy Honors Scholarship recipient and a Merit Scholar for four years, along with earning a place on the Dean’s List. She pursued her interest in Art Restoration at the famed Lorenzo de Medici, The Italian International Institute, in Florence, Italy. Here Kylee studied under Lorenzo Casamenti learning old techniques of the masters both in drawing and painting, so essential for restoration. It is evident that Kylee paints from the heart. Kylee’s paintings are available by commission which include portraits, murals and landscapes.

Marty Wilson has played guitar in several bands in the local area and on the road since the late 1970s. In addition to performing music in various venues in the Poconos and in the New York City area, he taught guitar at The Music Store in Stroudsburg for several years. He gave up music as a profession in 2000 to concentrate on his career as a professor at East Stroudsburg University. Since retiring from ESU, he has had the time to concentrate on improving his musicianship. He will be available to give guitar lessons on Saturday from 11 AM until 1 PM, October through May. Students need to bring a guitar and a blank musical composition book to the lessons. Lessons will be offered to students over the age of 10.

Thomas Mazur has a masters in music education from New Jersey City University and a bachelors in music from Rutgers. His professional experience includes “Carousel,” “The Tempest,” 12 Miles West Theater music director, and the pianist at the Princeton Ballet and NJ School of Ballet. He has over 60 composed works available on JW Pepper. In addition, Thomas is the District Arts Supervisor at Long Branch HS/MS, Roosevelt and Liberty MS, and North Plainfield Schools, and mentors students at the NJ City University.

I’m Angela Schwartz (aka Angela Theresa), a writer, poet, and mother. I’ve written for literary magazines, newspapers, and online publications. Most recently, I published my first collection of poems called We Are The Mothers. I’ve taught English and writing to students from kindergarten all the way through college. I love helping writers find and hone their voices, which is what my workshops will be focused on. My workshop for interested poets (at any stage of writing) is to find their voice in their work, how to write the most interesting and effective poetry, and to share their work with others.

Eleanor (Ellie) Leon has been a resident of the Poconos her entire life and has been drawing and painting from a young age. She has studied with Matthew Dillon and LisaPaulette, and is currently a Visual Arts Major at The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. Ellie enjoys working with acrylic and watercolor, focusing on landscapes and botanical studies. In her free time she can be found face painting at festivals, hiking local trails, haunting used book stores, and reading the classics.