About Paul

Writer • Performer • Director • Producer • Multimodal Artist

Paul Halley is a writer, performer, producer, and multimodal artist. He graduated from SUNY Potsdam in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in English and currently studies in the MFA program in Creative Writing at Manhattanville University.

 

Paul has written and directed two original one-act plays: "ANA" (2008, Elmwood Playhouse) and "Supergiant" (2009, Suffern High School). According to the student report from the June 2009 Ramapo Central School District Board of Education meeting, "Supergiant" holds the distinction of being Suffern High School's first-ever student-written play. Paul's poems and essays have been featured in Chameleon Literary-Arts Magazine (Suffern High School), North Country Literary Magazine (SUNY Potsdam), Blueline Literary Magazine (SUNY Potsdam), and Poems For A Wish, an anthology published in 2026 by Hudson Valley Arts Collective. While in college at SUNY Potsdam, Paul's short film "Where Should I Begin?" which was produced for Potsdam's Bicentennial Celebrations, was screened at the 2016 SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference.

 

Stage credits from his teenage years include "Seussical: The Musical" (Horton the Elephant) and "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" (Nick Bottom). In 2024, Paul performed in his first main stage production at Elmwood Playhouse, "Italian American Reconciliation" by John Patrick Shanley, as the lead role of Huey. In 2025, Paul performed the supporting role of Frank Lubey in Elmwood’s 400th production, "All My Sons" by Arthur Miller.

 

"TURN: A One-Man Audio Drama" is a work of spoken autobiographical fiction, the culmination of over eight years of creative development. "TURN" was originally workshopped at Elmwood Playhouse in August 2024, directed by Derek Tarson.

 

Educational & Professional Background

Education
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing, Manhattanville University
  • Purchase, NY | 2025-Present (current student)
  • GPA: 3.88
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English Writing, SUNY Potsdam
  • Potsdam, NY | 2013-2017
  • Graduated in 2017 | Degree conferred in 2018
  • Completed General and Advanced Honors Requirements

General & Advanced Honors Program | SUNY Potsdam (2016-2017)

  • Satisfied requirements for the General and Advanced Honors Programs, as reflected on final transcript.
  • General Honors Project: Original student film presented as part of SUNY Potsdam's Bicentennial Celebrations (2016).
  • Advanced Honors Project: Feature-length oral history film on the experiences of racial (in)equality of college students in Northern New York (2017).
Editorial, Content & Communications

Poetry Reader @ Inkwell Literary Magazine, Manhattanville University

  • Purchase, NY • Fall 2025 • Co-curricular
  • Reviewed, evaluated, and voted on approximately 30 poetry submissions, providing critical feedback to senior editors during the Fall '25 open reading period.

Web Content Editor @ Elmwood Playhouse

  • Nyack, NY | Feb 2023 to October 2025
  • Managed and updated all web content using WordPress and WPBakery, including composing new event pages and ensuring best practices for image optimization across the site.

Content Production Specialist @ Mellon Foundation

  • New York, NY | December 2022 to April 2023
  • Oversaw the manual content migration for a multi-million-dollar website overhaul for Mellon Foundation (mellon.org), designed and developed by Work & Co., by building out the site on Contentful CMS and ensuring content accuracy based on wireframes and developer guides.

Project Assistant, Web Team @ NYS Dept. of Labor

  • Albany, NY | November 2020 to February 2022
  • Contributed to the redesign of the public-facing website (dol.ny.gov) by overhauling two major web sections in Drupal CMS, composing new pages, and managing both digital assets and public web inquiries.
Teaching & Tutoring Writing

Academic Specialist, Pre-College Program • VISIONS-Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired

  • Purchase, NY • Summer 2025
  • Served as a full-time, temporary Academic Specialist for the VISIONS Pre-College Program, providing comprehensive academic writing support to over 20 students participating in the interdisciplinary Intro to College course. This involved observing and guiding students through the writing process—focusing on thesis writing, argument crafting, and citing sources—and drafting individualized feedback and revision recommendations.

 

Teacher Education Workshops
  • Child Abuse Identification and Reporting (Teachers College, Columbia University, Sept. 2024)
  • School Violence Prevention (Teachers College, Columbia University, Sept. 2024)
  • Dignity for All Students Act (Mercy University, Sept. 2024)