OUR TEAM
Our team is comprised of young writers who want to be inspired through the sharing of language, the beating of hearts. We believe in the value of technique, but also the raw power of originality and the expansive human imagination. Many of us have attended summer writing programs such as Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, Kenyon Young Writers’ Workshop and YWW at Simon’s Rock. Our editors and contributors have their work recognized by associations such as The National Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards, and have been published in numerous online/local magazines and newspapers. Beyond that, we are devotees of the written craft, which we hope to celebrate through our mission.
JOIN THE TEAM
JOIN THE TEAM
ISABELLA ZHU
Isabella (she/her) is a writer from Massachusetts who will likely make you ask her about all the places she’s moved to. She has attended the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio and Simon’s Rock YWW. Her writing is inspired by Anne Carson, Virginia Woolf, and most importantly, her own best friends. At home, you can find her sailing on the Charles River, watching Anne with an E in her room, or spamming the Empty Inkwell TikTok account. Her creative work is published/forthcoming in Persimmon Review, Cloudscent Journal, and Eunoia Review. Email her at isabellazhu17@gmail.com or contact her on instagram @isabellaazhu.
Editor-In-Chief & Co-founder
Prose Executive Editor & Co-founder
ACADIA PHILLIPS
Acadia (she/her) is an obsessive reader and rock climber from Chattanooga, TN. Her writing has been recognized by the Southern Lit Alliance and the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Her work can be found in Chinchilla Lit, Koru Magazine, and Beneath the Mask. She has attended YWW at Simon’s Rock and Kenyon Young Writers’ Workshop. Lately, she’s been channeling her creative energy into poetry, screenwriting, and dramatic monologues about her pink converse. You can often find Acadia volunteering at the art museum, painting wonky self portraits, or at a concert. She is thrilled to be working on this magazine with her best friends. You can contact her by email at acadiaphillips03@gmail.com.
Julia (she/her) is a reader and poet from New York. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Ocean Vuong, Victoria Chang, Tim O’Brien, and many others, her work can be found in JAKE, Eunoia Review, Blue Marble Review, and a few other corners of the internet. She has attended multiple young writers workshops, the most recent one being the Sewanee Young Writers Conference, and has also had her work recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards numerous times. When free, you can find her baking lemon scones, playing bass, spending time with her cat, or watching murder mysteries. Contact her at her email jglazebnik@yahoo.com, or her instagram @juliaglazebnik.
JULIA GLAZEBNIK
Poetry Executive Editor & Co-founder
Juna (she/her) is a poet from Davis, California. Her poetry received a National Gold Medal from the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers and she was selected as a semifinalist for the National Student Poets Program. An alumna of the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, she worships poets like Louise Glück, Allen Ginsberg, and Natalie Diaz. In her community, she serves as the editor-in-chief of her school’s literary and art magazine, Spoke, and works with elementary students at her local library to write their own stories and poems. Outside of writing, she plays the cello with the Sacramento Youth Symphony and makes elaborate fruit smoothies. You can email her at junabrothers@gmail.com.
JUNA BROTHERS
Managing & Poetry Editor
Nida (she/her) is a New Jersey and Philadelphia based writer who loves saying autumn instead of fall (the best season!), chai-flavored desserts, and antique shopping. She studies creative writing at Bryn Mawr and has work in/forthcoming in Maudlin House, Fish Barrel Review, and HaluHalo Journal, amongst others. She draws inspiration from artists such as Anne Sexton, Donna Tartt, Fiona Apple, and oh so many more. She’s attended many writing conferences/workshops, her favorite being YWW at Simon’s Rock. Her writing has been recognized numerous times by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Email her at nidamubaraki@gmail.com or find her on Twitter: @pennedbynida.
Senior Editor
NIDA MUBARAKI
GOONJA BASU
Goonja (she/they) is a Bay Area writer, primarily focused in screenwriting and a stream of consciousness into her Notes app. She has attended the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, as well as the UCLA Summer Intensive for screenwriting. She is currently serving as Arts & Entertainment Editor at her school newspaper, The Smoke Signal. Outside the English language, she spends her time draining her bank account at concerts, learning boygenius songs on her guitar, and English class-style analyzing books (Normal People) and shows (Succession) that are really not that deep. You can contact her at her Instagram: @goonjabasu, or email her at goonjabasu@gmail.com.
Screenwriting Editor
General Editor
NICO KHARAT
Nico Kharat (he/him) is a high-school sophomore from a dreary Chicagoland suburb, where he’s interested in studying astro science in college. He's a strong lover of anything art history, classical, and avant-garde. He’s influenced by authors such as Ocean Vuong, Donna Tartt, and John Green, as well as a plethora of other poets. His pieces consist of coming-of-age themes that deal with the unique teenage experience, as well as exploring relationships formed by the human bond. When he's not writing, you can find him public speaking, working on a new painting, or listening to Phoebe Bridgers and Kendrick Lamar in his room. His instagram handle is an4khrt, and you can shoot him an email at nco2kh@gmail.com.
L. GAUDES BURNETT
General Editor & Photographer
Leo Gaudes Burnett (she/they) is a fifteen-year-old poet, writer, and artist from New York City. As a lifelong believer in the influence of language, she explores themes of adolescence, art, and family in her writing. Through her work, she aims to instill in readers the same passion, attention, and spirit that the work of so many others has created in her. Alongside writing and editing, she is a staff photographer for the magazine and an avid reader. You can contact her by email at leogburnett@gmail.com.
NEDA RAVANDI
Neda (she/her) is a reader foremost and a writer second. She lives in Houston, Texas, but has roots in Iran, and is a ballet dancer on top of an obsessive thinker. Her work has been recognized by the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards, and she has attended the young writers programs at Bard College and Iowa University, as well as the literature and philosophy summer course at Yale University; she is also a recipient of the Fiction Attic Press Teen Voices Scholarship. Her current obsessions are existentialism, Tupac, Lisa Ono, horror-comedies, and acai bowls (a recent discovery!) Her favorite authors as of late are Donna Tartt, Emma Cline, Sally Rooney, and Valdimir Nabokov, and she is on the road to becoming a Film Bro. Contact her at nravandi@icloud.com, on Instagram at @neda__ravandi, or add her on Letterboxd at neda_r.
General Editor
MADDISON CLEAVER
Maddison Cleaver (she/her) is a 17 year old writer from the West Midlands whose work typically focuses on turbulent familial relationships. She’s inspired by writers and songwriters alike, but most aggressively obsesses over Richard Siken, Ocean Vuong, and Louise Glück. When she’s not writing, she’s reading depressing 80s fiction or listening to Slaughter Beach, Dog.
Poetry Editor
ALICE ROSENBERG
Alice (she/her) is a rising senior who lives in Manhattan. She’s loved poetry for as long as she can remember, and recently attended a workshop with the Kenyon Review. Her poetry and prose has been published in her school’s literary magazine, newspaper, and the zine she co-created. Outside of writing, she performs, stage manages, produces, and directs with her high school theater company.
Poetry Editor
MIA DIMINA
Mia (she/her) is a poet from Arlington, Virginia. She recently won a silver national medal from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. An alumna of UVA and Iowa young writer programs, she is entering her junior year of high school as an art and photo editor of her school’s literary magazine. You’ll find Mia spending her free time on her porch, curled up with a Donna Tartt novel or experimenting with various art mediums.
Poetry Editor
Emily (she/her) is a poet and artist from Memphis. Her writing appears in Rattle and Dialogist and has been recognized by the YoungArts Foundation, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, and Urban Word. When not writing she is drinking iced coffee, running, or replaying Phoebe Bridgers.
EMILY PICKERING
Poetry Editor
SADIE CHAPMAN
Sadie Chapman (she/her) is a 16 year old writer and artist from New Hampshire. She has a passion for creative expression and has shown that through her commitment to the arts. Along with poetry and photography published in The Empty Inkwell, she is also recipient of Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and recognition of english & art excellence in school. She enjoys navigating realms of creative writing and journalism, and a portion of her work focuses on elements from nature. When not writing, she can be found listening to John Coltrane and reading works of Joan Didion, Patti Smith, and Richard Siken. You can reach her at @111sadiee on instagram, or email at 111sadieec@gmail.com
Poetry Editor
EMILIE MENDOZA
Emilie Mendoza is a Panamanian writer. Her work has been recognized by Eunoia Review, Ice Lolly Review, and Synthesis Publications and she can be found on Twitter @emimendomp3.
Poetry Editor
MAYA ROSEN
Playwriting Editor
Maya Rosen is a 17-year-old playwright and artist from Holliston, Massachusetts. Her work in both art and writing has been recognized by the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards regionally and nationally. Her debut solo project, All Sales Final, was named a semi-finalist in The Bay Street Theater's Title Wave: New Works Festival 2023 in New York, making her one of the youngest playwrights to win this honor in its history. Additionally, Maya was named a finalist at The Growing Stage: Playwriting Festival for Young Writers in New Jersey. Maya is also a recent graduate of the Iowa Young Writers Workshop where she studied playwriting and developed new work.
TALLULAH STALLVIK
Tallulah (they/them) is a rising senior who attends boarding school outside of Boston, Massachusetts. They are a person very dedicated to the arts (in many capacities, including theater and visual arts, as well as writing). In recent years, experimental and free-form poetry has been their particular interest. Some of the writers who inspire them include Ocean Vuong, Emily Dickinson, and Audre Lorde, as well as many lyricists such as Lorde, Adrianne Lenker, and David Bowie.
Poetry Editor
ADDIE JUELFS
Poetry Editor
Addie (she/her) is an avid reader and writer from Costa Mesa, California. An alumna from the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, she focuses on poetry and draws inspiration from Ada Limón, Louise Glück, Anne Carson, and the one and only Taylor Swift. When not writing, she can be found playing waterpolo, collecting shells at the beach, or drinking an unhealthy amount of coffee. You can email her at addie.juelfs@gmail.com or find her on Instagram at @adelaidejuelfs.
SKYE PRESTON
Skye Preston (she/her) is a writer and musician from California. She loves writing poetry, fiction, and long letters to people who will never read them. She is attending a high school dedicated to the arts, where she studies creative writing. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, hiking with her dog, and rewatching Notting Hill for the hundredth time. She has been previously published in Ice Lolly Review, SF Youth Anthology, and Synchronized Chaos.
Poetry Editor
DINGZHONG DING
Dingzhong (he/him) is a writer from Shanghai, China. An alumnus of the Iowa Young Writers' Studio, he focuses on poetry and sometimes meddles in translation work. He is interested in second-language acquisition and East Asian diaspora culture. Though he rarely writes any, he serves as editor-in-chief for a local creative non-fiction journal, Living Chronicles.
Poetry Editor
ESME ISRAEL
Esme Israel is a rising senior from Brooklyn, NY. She recently attended a 2-week creative writing program at Kenyon College run by the Kenyon Review, and her poetry and prose has been published in her school’s literary magazine and newspaper and the Martha’s Vineyard Times. Her poetry has won the Scholastic Silver Key and she also won her high-school’s literature department award. Outside of writing, she reads (a lot), works as a costume designer for her high school’s theater company, eats yummy food and volunteers in the summer.
Poetry Editor
Prose Editor
Lucie (she/her) lives in San Diego, where she spends her days wishing it would rain and watching Ocean’s 11 way too many times. She writes middle grade and young adult fantasy (preferably with a good heist mixed in). Lucie received three Silver Keys and an Honorable Mention for her work in the 2023 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
LUCIE BABCOCK
MARIE STIER
Marie Stier (she/her) lives in Iowa City with her two dachshunds Frankie and Ellie. She writes short stories and creative nonfiction, as well as writing for her school's paper, West Side Story. She is Feature Editor for the publication, and has received national recognition for her journalism writing. She participated in the Iowa Young Writers' Studio and has recently rediscovered her love for writing in the Notes app. In her free time, you can find her stacking rocks, hammocking, or playing tennis. You can contact her at mnstier100@gmail.com or @mariestier_ on instagram.
Prose Editor
RORY FRASCH
Rory Frasch is a junior from Westchesters, New York. They enjoy writing character-focused fiction. They are an alumna of the young writers’ program at Simon’s Rock at Bard. When not writing, they can be found listening to Adrienne Lenker or reading books found in the bottom of thrift-store bins.
Prose Editor
CLAIRE BEELI
Claire is a writer and high school senior from Long Beach, California. When she isn’t writing or reading, she loves volunteering at her local library and chasing a dog bigger than she is at the beach. Find some of her work through clairebeeli.carrd.co. She hopes you have a great day.
Prose Editor
JOANNA DENG
Prose Editor
Joanna (she/they) is a Florida-based fiction and memoir writer with an odd love for loud fabric prints. Her work has been recognized nationally by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and she enjoys writing strange short stories told by unreliable narrators. She is an alumna of the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio and is constantly trying new things, whether in her writing or in real life. In her free time, you can find her taping bandaids on her feet before ballet class, trying suspicious drugstore eyeliners, or putting bacon into chocolate chip cookies. You can contact her at dengjoanna55@gmail.com or @joannaisawakee on Instagram.
A. V. NGUYEN
Prose Editor
A. V. Nguyen is a Bay Area native with a fairytale and folklore obsession that usually gets translated into long-winded fantasy novels. They are an avid reader and music listener, and a fan of Anne Rice and the macabre. Find their work at linktr.ee/vaporization