About the Contributors:

Jannes Erasmus is a photographer/artist located in Big Bend, Swaziland, Southern Africa. He has had no prior publications, but his inspiration for his pieces comes from African nature and music.

Olivia Burgess is a student of English at King's College London but was raised and is residing in Surrey, England. Her poetry is her favourite method of communication, and she's devoted entirely to the stars, questions of the afterlife, and human connectivity. She's now been published in over 20 micro press avenues, but when she's not writing and submitting she's too busy cooking, reading, or working her way through the GTA franchise. She hopes you take care of yourself today.

Taylor M. Willson is an Illinois-based artist, camp counselor, and writer. They pen (mostly) true-to-life works in their own unique voice.

Kalli Amelya is a Somali-Cambodian artist based in Ottawa. Currently studying at the University of Ottawa for her BFA, she uses painting, photography, and drawing to explore themes of identity and the notion of bodily memory. She finds inspiration through the banalities of life and the subconscious. These are often expressed through a synthesis of abstraction and portraiture.

Irisa Teng is a young poet from Washington State who always loves a good physics metaphor. Their work appears or is forthcoming in Evanescent Magazine and has been recognized by the Reflections Art Program. From fiction to journalism to poetry, they can be found musing about the ever-expanding universe.

Asheley Nova Navarro (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a bilingual poet. Her debut poetry chapbook was published with Bottlecap Press, and her work is published or forthcoming in the Chilean Literary Journal Copihue Poetry, Revista Digital el Coloso, the Creative Zine, Eunoia Review, Revista Elipsis, and The Insurgence.

M.S. Blues is a multiracial, queer, and versatile writer. Her work revolves around the darker pieces of humanity that society tends to neglect. She has been published by The Trailblazer Review, Eber & Wein, Pa'lante!, Literal Impact, Teen Ink, Wingless Dreamer, Prismatica Magazine, The Insurgence Magazine, Pile Press, The Amazine, and Iceblink Literary Magazine. She currently resides in the Bay Area, California. Her Instagram handle is @m.s.blues_

Narayani, even at age 16, is a literary prodigy whose passion for literature, poems, and short stories transcends her age. Published as both an author and co-author with the nation's premier magazines, she effortlessly navigates the realms of imagination and reality. With a humble yet confident demeanor, Narayani paints vivid tapestries with her prose, leaving an indelible mark on the literary landscape. Her words, a dance of creativity and eloquence, invite readers into a world where expression knows no bounds. She serves as an inspiration, proving that age is no barrier to the boundless possibilities of storytelling.

Rizka is a poet, music lover, and reader from Malaysia whose poems are creatively inspired by 90s Hip-Hop, shaping his writing style, rhymes, and overall themes. Rizka's works can be found in upcoming issues of Echo Review, AsterLit Review, and The Empty Inkwell Review. Hobby-wise, favorites include writing, listening to music, and playing video games. You may contact Rizka through his Instagram @TheRizkaSann.

Jonathan is a 16-year-old Highschool student from Ventura County, California. He enjoys sketching, drawing, painting, and musical arts. For this piece, named “Bubble Girl”, he was inspired by the vibrant colors of exotic fish and the vibrancy of ocean life.

Ellianna is 14 years old and a high schooler, located in New York. She has a passion for art and literature. She plays piano and loves to play for family and friends. She has a love for reading as well as a love for anything student-made!

August Jenkins is a high schooler from Tennessee. Through his writing, he seeks to capture and vividly communicate his experiences of being transgender and autistic. Some of August’s biggest inspirations include Mariana Enriquez, Iain Reid, Ocean Vuong, Eva H.D., and Natalie Wynn. They are deeply passionate about social activism, politics, and all forms of art. His work has previously been published in the spring edition of the Alexandrian Review.

Grace Sinkins is an eighteen-year-old poet who loves the planet. Grace has been published in numerous magazines such as Contemporary Jo and Ice Blink Lit. You can find her on Instagram @gracexlizzie.

Katherine Zhao is a young artist and writer whose work has been recognized by various national and international publications and competitions. She has received accolades from the NCTE National Writing Award, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest, Wildlife Forever, and more. Her work has been published in the Blue Marble Review, the Dawn Review, TeenInk, Scribere, and more. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano, badminton, and watching Gilmore Girls.

Colbie Mahaffey is a sophomore at UC Berkeley. Originally from SoCal, Colbie is majoring in English with a minor in Creative Writing and aims to improve their writing skills at Berkeley. Colbie is passionate about queer lives and a lot of their work focuses on their queer experience.

Jordan Gilpin is a student and future English major from St. Louis, Missouri. When not writing, she can be found in the depths of her local library or her school’s theater memorizing monologues and sewing costumes. She is most inspired by classic literature and nature.

Erika, an 18-year-old native of the Philippines, is an incoming college student in the USA. While currently in a gap year, she has veered away from STEM fields and has fully engaged herself in artistic endeavors, including writing, painting, and graphic design. Because of this, she is contemplating whether to continue with her initial plan of pursuing a major in Mathematics.

Isha Mullapudi is a South Florida-based writer, addicted to Pinterest & the picturesque, her 0.7 black ink Muji pens, and Donna Tartt. She is the founder, primary manager, and editor-in-chief of her literary + art magazine, The Looking Glass Review. She has been published in the Petrichor Gazette, and the Journalist Review, and has work forthcoming in various other publications. Isha enjoys mythology, history, and stories, and lately has been loving filmmaking/cinematography; you can find her chattering about her dream to live in London, but also drowning in some consuming emotion. You can reach her through her email, ishamullapudi17@gmail.com, or her Instagram, @ishamullapudi.

August is an aspiring author and illustrator. His work has been published in *Celebrating Art* with high merit. They have written and self-published several zines which they sell locally. She is especially interested in comics and sequential art. He is endlessly inspired by the Midwestern and Appalachian culture he grew up in, as well as queer identity, religion, and the places those identities overlap. More of their work can be found through their Instagram, @ches_in_wonderland.

Kate Osakwe is a 14-year-old poet from Boston MA. She started poetry at the age of 9 and has been writing since. Kate was published in the book “To My Kin; Stories about Black Joy“ in 2020. Ever since then, Kate has moved on to writing more poetry. She now is working with Mass Poetry’s Spoken Word program as a slam poet.

Crystal Majette is a young Black-Puerto Rican amateur writer from the East Coast. Holding an Associate in Arts, she’s currently studying hard while earning her BA in Elementary Education. Having an outflow of creativity, she often channels it into her writing. On the pages of an empty spreadsheet, she creates characters with the purpose of telling their stories.

Arya (she/her), is a Nepali high school writer who lives in New York state and loves all things creative. Her inspirations come from her surroundings and imagination; especially from nature, which is what inspired this particular short story. Though she hasn’t published anything before, she aspires to be an editor and author in the near future.