Contributors’ Notes

Maryam Khalifa Al Shehhi is an Emirati third-year student studying literature and creative writing and political science at NYU Abu Dhabi. She is a writer, performer, translator, and mostly human. Her main interests are in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, ethnographic research, translation studies, and post-colonial theory.

Cynthia Chen is a junior at NYU studying performance studies and creative writing. She writes towards strangeness and thinks the octopus is the most spiritual creature.

Cristina Coppa is a writer and a student of English and American literature as well as creative writing at NYU. Her work has appeared in The Guillotine, the English & Drama Review, Comic Book League at NYU, and the Greene Street Review.

Ella Kaplun studies English and creative writing at NYU, but enjoys taking photographs in her free time. She loves experimenting with various modes of expression, whether that be through text or visuals. Ella also enjoys trying new foods, excessively researching pop culture conspiracies, and writing for NYU Local.

Yoon Jin Kim (she/her) is a junior majoring in East Asian studies. She enjoys Webtoons, lofi, cat videos, and sweets. She is working on a journal of poems and illustrations—either to publish or keep for herself.

Tiffany Leong is from Chicago. She is a freshman at NYU Shanghai currently pursuing business and finance. Her latest source of inspiration is Watanabe’s Samurai Champloo.

Alison Long is a senior at CAS pursuing a major in international relations and a minor in creative writing. She is stuck with no employment prospects in the United States (how will her humanities major and very limited skill-set ever land her a work sponsorship?!). But she also fears adjusting back to living in her home country, since that would take away her legal access to Netflix. Instagram: @1nk_a

Gentle Ramirez is an Aquarius, Poet, and Healer. Gentle challenges the traditional thought and framework personally and professionally by rewriting the stories of their own origin despite the socioeconomic inequalities’ impact on their sense of self. They determine that they are who they are, despite subjugation and struggle, not because of it. Gentle uses African American Vernacular English as a source of inspiration, creation, and connection. Gentle is a 2020 Finalist for the Langston Hughes Community Poetry Reading Committee’s Prize, and a recipient of the Oluwatoyin Salua Freedom Fighters Grant (2020). Gentle is also a New Jersey Poetry Out Loud Finalist, and a 2019 Semifinalist at ACUI’s College Union Poetry Slam Invitational. Their work has been featured in Bryant Park Poetry, the Columbia Spectator, the Providence Journal, PoetNY, Washington Square News, and more.

Eka Savajol (he/him) is a screenwriter, playwright, and poet from Houston, Texas in his second year at NYU. His work has appeared in digital and print publications, songs written by friends, multimedia one-acts, and different kinds of festivals. He is grateful for his family, his friends, and radishes.

Natasha Segebre is a twenty-two-year-old photographer and artist based in Brooklyn. They recently graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a bachelor’s in photography and imaging and a minor in creative writing. They were born in Miami to a Colombian father and an American mother born in Brazil. Natasha’s work spans across documentary, landscape, and fine art photography, and they

strive to create art wherever they find themselves. Their work is primarily film, and they like to be hands on in the analog process, often using experimental techniques. When they’re not taking photographs, they’re making music, videos, and constantly pursuing new creative endeavors.

Lauren Stanzione is a freshman from Clinton, New Jersey, double majoring in English/creative writing and journalism. She is an aspiring writer and long walk, deep thought enthusiast. Her work has appeared in the Kelsey Review.

Samantha Stokes is a student at NYU who is still trying to figure out what she’s doing with her life, but knows that writing will be part of it. She focuses on prose, but also writes nonfiction cultural critique, film reviews, and poetry. She runs a radio show for WNYU exploring the underground electronic scene of the UK in the nineties.

Caleb Willett moved to Manhattan from coastal Massachusetts three years ago to study English at NYU. He currently lives in the East Village and passes time shooting pool, writing short poems, and exploring new walking routes through his neighborhood—whenever, of course, he is not studying.