Authors

The talented photographers and writers behind Down in the County.

Andrea Bruce

Andrea Bruce is a photographer, educator, artist and writer whose work focuses on ideas of democracy and the aftermath of war. She is also the publisher and creator of the hyper-local, visual-first publication Down in the County serving Pamlico County, NC, where she grew up.

Quamori Miller

Hello everyone! My name is Quamori Miller aka Chop, and I’m a Junior at Pamlico County High School. I started my journey with photojournalism under Andrea Bruce as part of the YNTO Snapshot program, which sparked my passion for photography and writing . Since then, I’ve continued covering community events and launched my own photography business, Chop’s Photography, during my freshman year of high school. Throughout high school, I’ve built on my skills by earning an Adobe Photoshop certification, interning with local newspapers, and taking on several leadership roles. I currently serve as Chief Photographer for North Carolina’s Youth and Government (YAG) program and as the 2025–2026 State Reporter for SkillsUSA North Carolina. Both roles allow me to mentor others and help expand opportunities for students across the state.

Abigail Pittman

Abigail Pittman is a photographer and journalist from North Carolina. She graduated from UNC Chapel-Hill with a degree in journalism, then moved to South Carolina to work as the staff photographer for a small, family-owned newspaper. Pittman manages the social media pages for Down in the County.

Eleazar Yisrael

My name is Eleazar or "El" for short and I recently graduated UNC Chapel Hill in December. I'm from a small town in eastern North Carolina named Farmville and I'm passionate about journalism that serves rural and southern communities. Growing up as a Black American, the only stories I saw involving people who look like me, were those of others committing crime. I now strive to tell ALL stories, but especially those that have been historically left out of the picture.

Lara Manetta

Lara Manetta is a writer covering local government, civic issues, and community news. She writes reported articles and features, with work appearing in Business Insider, EatingWell, and other national and regional outlets. She has also worked extensively as a ghostwriter and is the author of two books for middle grade readers and a cookbook about living and cooking without refrigeration. Manetta lives aboard her sailboat and makes Oriental, North Carolina her home port.

Allison DeWeese

Writer and photographer. Focusing on the stories and people of Eastern North Carolina.

Ehren Rolle

High school student and aspiring journalist, hoping to share the stories of my home county.

Eileen Daniel-Denmark

Eileen Daniel-Denmark writes. As a former biopharmaceutical clinical trial leader across a broad spectrum of disease, she came to realize that the art of communication, including the written word, was the most powerful tool she could use to align far-flung colleagues struggling to integrate hard science and business with real human patients. After some gap years traveling, renovating a house in Oriental and reading actual books, Eileen spends most of her free time walking her husband, feeding her dog and writing, always attending to the human aspects of every story.