issue one.

Murray Hines is an aspiring writer, educator and connoisseur of the fine life currently completing his studies at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Through his work he hopes to make fun of everything and everyone and carry out his political project of finally getting Amy Adams that Oscar. In his free time he buys too many books, drinks too much wine and thinks deep thoughts.

Kailey Mgrdichian is a junior majoring in English and creative writing and secondary education. She likes to write novels, cuddle with her sweetly demonic cat, and generally bite off more than she can chew.

Benjamin Saloga is a sophomore, English/Creative writing major, and from Sugar Grove, Illinois. He’s also a member of the Army ROTC program here at the University of Iowa.

Leiz was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, coming to Iowa City to study English and Creative Writing. While writing continues to be her main passion, she balances it out with drawing and painting, as well as playing the sousaphone for the Hawkeye Marching Band. She hopes to write (and complete!) fiction novels, with short pieces on the sidelines.

Elsa Richardson-Bach is from a small town in Massachusetts. She ventured out to the University of Iowa for the writing program and enjoys how much nicer the drivers are out here. Her most used phrase is "How hard can it be?" which has led her to as much success as it has thrown her in the deep end. Luckily, she grew up on the coast and knows how to swim. She doesn't have a nemesis but thinks one would be neat. Applications are open.

Hannah Rose Showalter is from New Boston, Illinois and currently lives in Iowa City, Iowa. She is in her fourth year of college and will graduate (someday) with the goal of being a public librarian. When she's not writing about sad things, she can be found writing silly children's stories for her friends in exchange for tacos, and singing show tunes off-key.

Meg Mechelke is a second year student at the University of Iowa studying theatre arts and creative writing. She has previously been published in New Moon, Quarantine, and Foolish magazines.

Amanda Pendley is a queer twenty-one-year-old writer from Kansas City who is currently studying Creative Writing and Publishing at the University of Iowa. Her recent and forthcoming publications include Homology Lit, Vagabond City Lit, Savant Garde Literary Magazine, and The Shore. She often finds inspiration in Lorde songs, movement, and Harry Styles’ suit collection.

Ciara Flashman is a student at the University of Cape Town, majoring in English. Her passions lie in people and the arts (which are one in the same) for she believes they are the connections to the world.

Nicole Adams is a second-year student at the University of Iowa, majoring in English and Creative Writing along with the Publishing track. She began to explore writing creative non-fiction at the beginning of 2020 and fell in love with the genre.

Amanda Pendley is a queer twenty-one-year-old writer from Kansas City who is currently studying Creative Writing and Publishing at the University of Iowa. Her recent and forthcoming publications include Homology Lit, Vagabond City Lit, Savant Garde Literary Magazine, and The Shore. She often finds inspiration in Lorde songs, movement, and Harry Styles’ suit collection.

Originally from Los Angeles, Sydney (she/her) now lives and writes in San Francisco. In 2020, she was chosen as the poetry fellow for the Martha's Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing. Her work, nominated for Best of the Net 2020, has been published in Entropy, The Racket, and is forthcoming in Hobart and I-70 Review. She currently serves as a poetry editor for The San Franciscan Magazine and works as an educator to Bay Area Youth.

Grace Culbertson is a third-year Journalism and English and Creative Writing major at the University of Iowa. When she's not stress-cooking, she enjoys drinking ginger peach tea, taking "depression naps," and yelling at anti-maskers. Even though she's horrible as copy editing her own work, Grace is currently an "-ality" section editor for the UI literary magazine, sanct.

Kahill Perkins is an author and multi media artist in the Lawrence Kansas area, she is a queer bi racial radicalist with an obsession of all things lemon and femme. Author of a collection of poetry featured in her book Bite Back and an all around laugh. Watcher of period films, reader of dusty books, practitioner of old magic, just a girl.

Luna Phalen is a junior at West Liberty University where they are an editor for the university's literary magazine Ampersand. When they aren't stressing over classes and writing poems as a way to procrastinate, they can be found working in their college's library. They hope to eventually pursue a master's degree in library science and become a university librarian.

Alexandra is a South African writer, currently completing her MA in English Literature and Modernity at the University of Cape Town. Her present research focuses on contemporary romance and how romantic narratives shape and reshape ideas of love and desire. Alexandra is passionate about literature, dance, film, and the arts more broadly.
Alexandra believes that reading is a powerful tool for understanding and empathy. For her, literature’s beauty lies in its ability to paint a nuanced picture of the world. Alexandra currently lives in Johannesburg, where she spends most of her time drinking tea and avoiding her dissertation.

Natalie David is a second-year art major from North Carolina, focusing on graphic design. She hopes to combine her love of art and literature by working in design at a publishing house. When she isn’t creating, she is buying as many plants as her apartment can hold.

Linda McMullen is a wife, mother, diplomat, and homesick Wisconsinite. Her short stories and the occasional poem have appeared in over seventy literary magazines.

An author and a father, Kushal Poddar, edited a magazine - Words Surfacing, authored seven volumes including "The Circus Came To My Island", "A Place For Your Ghost Animals", "Eternity Restoration Project- Selected and New Poems" and "Herding My Thoughts To The Slaughterhouse-A Prequel." His works have been translated in ten languages.

Find and follow him at amazon.com/author/kushalpoddar_thepoet
Author Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/KushalTheWriter/
Twitter- https://twitter.com/Kushalpoe

Carmela Furio is a sophomore at the University of Iowa studying publishing and Italian. She enjoys campus birds and long rants on the beach. Recently she changed her name spelling; if you want to know why she suggests you seek her out

Amy Jannotti (she/her) is a pile of dust in a trenchcoat living & writing in Philadelphia, where she received her BFA in Creative Writing from the University of the Arts. Her work has been featured in Non.Plus Lit, Burning House Press, Charge Magazine, & elsewhere. She tweets @cursetheground