Issue 135 Contributors
Anna Drasko is a writer living in East Tennessee. Their work appears or is forthcoming in Thimble Literary Magazine, San Pedro River Review, Philadelphia Stories, fifth wheel press, and elsewhere. They hold degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Penn State. Find them on Instagram @annadrasko.
Melissa Joplin Higley is the author of the chapbooks First Father and We Shake & Seek. Her poems have appeared in Bellevue Literary Review, B_O_D_Y, Crab Orchard Review, the Hudson River Museum, The Penn Review, Whale Road Review, Writer’s Digest, and elsewhere. Melissa holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College, co-facilitates the Poetry Craft Collective, edits book reviews for Mom Egg Review, and serves as the Poet Laureate of Mamaroneck, NY. melissajoplinhigley.com.
Mary Beth Hines is the author of Winter at a Summer House (Kelsay, 2021). Her poems and short prose are widely published. Her poem “Fall” placed first in Naugatuck River Review’s 2025 contest. Other recent work appears in Hole in the Head (finalist for 2025 Charles Simic Prize), Presence, Solstice Literary Magazine, Whale Road Review, and elsewhere. Connect with her at Https://www.marybethhines.com.
Aeris Kairos writes ritual-symbolic lyric poetry shaped by bodily pressure, silence, compression, and formal restraint. The work favors non-narrative structures, repetition, and mythic residue without explanation, allowing image and sequence to carry consequence. Currently, Kairos is pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania, submits selectively, and can be reached via email at [aeiriskairos@gmail.com].
August Kingham is an MFA student at the University of Central Florida pursuing their degree in creative writing. He has been previously published in The Capsule: A Humanities Journal. They have been writing poetry for a little over five years, and fiction as far back as they could hold a pencil. He currently works as an assistant editor for The Florida Review. He can be found on Instagram @_augustblues.
Bryanna Licciardi is a college educator and writer who's lived in too many places to claim one home. She's the author of poetry chapbook Skin Splitting (Finishing Line Press, 2017) and full-length poetry collection Fish Love (Alternating Current Press, 2024). When not teaching English and Gender Studies, her favorite hobbies include cuddling cats and consuming anything horror. Find out more at bryannalicciardi.com or follow her on IG at @bryanna.poet.
Rita Maria Martinez is the daughter of Cuban immigrants. Her current poetry raises awareness about triumphs and challenges when navigating life with chronic migraine. Her Jane Eyre-inspired poetry collection—The Jane and Bertha in Me (KelsayBooks)—was a finalist for the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize. Martinez's poetry appears in publications like The Best American Poetry Blog, Ploughshares, Pleiades, Tupelo Quarterly, and SWWIM Every Day. Follow Rita on Instagram @rita.maria.martinez.poet or visit https://comeonhome.org/ritamartinez.
Jane Medved is the author of Wayfarers (Grid Books 2024), Deep Calls To Deep (New Rivers Press 2017) and the chapbook Olam, Shana, Nefesh. Her translation of Wherever We Float, That’s Home (by Maya Tevet Dayan) won the Malinda A. Markham Translation Prize (published by Saturnalia Books 2024) Recent work can be seen in Sheila-Na-Gig, Plume, Swwim, River Heron Review and Bending Genres. She alternates as poetry and cnf editor of The Ilanot Review. Visit her at janemedved.net.
Lauren Oertel is a writer, editor, and community organizer based in Austin, Texas. Her work has been published in The Ravens Perch, Steam Ticket, The Bluebird Word, The Sun Magazine, and more. She is the coauthor of the book Inside Out: A Texas Prisons Poetry Story, and her debut full-length poetry collection, Scars & Other Luxuries, is forthcoming with Finishing Line Press in November.
Rochelle Jewel Shapiro has published essays in the NYT (Lives) and many anthologies. Nominated twice for a Pushcart Prize and twice for Best of the Net, her poetry has appeared in The Iowa Review, Prism, Westview, Poet Lore, Rogue Agent, The Virginia Normal, Negative Capability, Rougarou, Evening Street Review, and more. Find out more at http://rochellejshapiro.com.
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