Thiago Akbal is interested in literature representing minority groups in society. He studies literature.

Stacy Allen is majoring in theatre and minoring in creative writing at Alabama State University. She has been writing since she was thirteen. She also loves to dance Ballet/Modern. Her hobby is drawing in her free time.

Ladeja Anthony-Crum currently attends Alabama State University where she is an English major with a minor in writing. She is from Montgomery, Alabama. In her spare time, she works on her personal book or goes on walks with her cat Moe. She does not have any previous publications.

Jasmine Aseme, a Biochemistry major at Southern Connecticut State University, loves reading, blogging and traveling and has developed a love for writing.

Kyla Carter is from Milford, Connecticut, and is currently a freshman studying professional writing at Bay Path University in Massachusetts. They enjoying reading, ice skating, and spending time with their dog.

Kristi Collins is a psychology major at Bay Path University. She is a single mother of four children and is a part-time ski instructor in Vermont. She loves to write short stories based on her own memories. This is her first publication.

Michael Di Iorio is a second-year journalism student from Sydney, New South Wales. He loves actively participating in debating activities and is obsessed with writing poetry, which he has been doing since 2009. He is currently working on a year-long poem-a-day challenge. This is his first publication.

Frances Donington attends Emerson College in Boston. She is pursuing her BFA in Writing, Literature and Publishing with a concentration in nonfiction writing. Frances is originally from Red Bank, New Jersey. She has been published in print for nonfiction, poetry, and photography at The Underground, Sun&Sandstone and East Coast Ink. Her work has also been published online at Noise Medium. Frances works at a WGBH, Boston’s local NPR and PBS stations, and attends story slams regularly.

Taylor Echols is a student at Alabama State University.

Christine Gillis, a senior child psychology major at Bay Path University, is from Millis, Massachusetts. She participates in Habitat for Humanity and is a Student Ambassador and a Resident Assistant. This is her first publication.

Ryan Koenig, a senior apparel design and fashion merchandising major at San Francisco State University, is from Cypress, California. He is a mixed-media artist residing in San Francisco and works in capturing the intersectionalities and ideas that are non-existent or difficult to depict. He has two forthcoming art publications in the Sutro Review and The William & Mary Review.

Alexis Lavoie, a sophomore liberal studies major at Bay Path University, is from Ludlow, Massachusetts. She loves watching movies, singing, and doing community service. She has been creating works of art before she could even speak.

Uma Menon is a freshman at Winter Park High School. She enjoys writing and began writing poetry at the age of three. Uma has won several local competitions and made finals in national poetry competitions. Uma is a two-time spelling bee champion and orator. She is an avid debater, championing several Lincoln Douglas Debate Tournaments, and was the only novice to qualify for nationals. Uma has also participated in National Novel Writing Month and National Poetry Writing Month and written several short stories.

Ashley Morrill, an elementary education major at Curry College, is from Plymouth, Massachusetts. Although her audience was previously only a private journal, she has found a newfound interest in sharing her poetry and a hope to share her voice with whomever is willing to listen.

Tasbeeh Muhamed, from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, is a junior biochemistry major at Stockton University and President of the Muslim Student Association. She enjoys writing novels and doing scientific research. She has contributed to two articles for the Huffington Post: “Our Three Brothers and More” and “An Open Letter to Islamophobic Sexists.”

Aubrey Owens, a sophomore English major at Northern Michigan University, is from Marquette, Michigan. She participates in various clubs, including the on-campus LGBT club and NMU’s Creative Writers Club. She has been writing various forms of creative writing since elementary school. This is one of her first publications.

Itzel A. Perez, an anthropology sophomore at Truckee Meadows Community College, is from Reno, Nevada; likes to write poetry; and paints in her free time.

Alyssa Russell, a senior English and American Studies double major at Wheaton College, is from Hudson, Massachusetts. She enjoys reading Freud and feminist theory and will be attending graduate school next year in the UK at University of Sussex. Her poetry has been published by Rushlight Literary Magazine and in a chapbook, Sex & Death, by Chipped Tooth Press.

Corinne Shuford is an English Writing major in her last year at Mississippi College. Fingers crossed, she intends to venture into the field of book publishing. Born and bred in Birmingham, Alabama, Corinne is an avid reader and writer who deeply enjoys mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Gina Stratos lives in Northern Nevada and, at the time of submission, was completing her undergraduate studies at Truckee Meadows Community College. Her work appears or is forthcoming in The Meadow, Rabid Oak, and Door Is a Jar. She is currently working on her first collection of poetry.

Terin Weinberg is a New Jersey native, currently double-majoring in environmental studies and English at Salisbury University. She is the managing editor of Salisbury’s literary journal The Scarab and has poems published in Barely South Review and The Scarab. Terin also has a poem forthcoming in Red Earth Review.

Nina Wilson, a senior at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, studies history and creative writing. She has been published at The Pearl, The Coe Review and FishFood Magazine.