Name: Sarah Kennedy
Position: Faculty Advisor
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Favorite Book: My favorite book is usually the one I am reading right now. If a book doesn’t engage me right away, I go on to the next one!
Name: Gwen Elverson
Position: Editor-in-Chief
Pronouns: They/She/He
Favorite Book: The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer is my favorite book since I read it in the 5th grade. It discusses labor and the question of eternal life. It’s very fascinating, though it’s been a while since I picked it up.
Name: Addison Eubank
Position: Senior Website and Social Media Coordinator
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Favorite Book: My favorite book is a YA historical fiction novel by Sharon M. Draper. Copper Sun allows you to embark on the journey of a daughter in Africa that gets captured and brought to America to be a slave for a rich white family. History has always been one of my favorite subjects (outside of English obviously!), so the accuracy, especially in the little details, that Draper is able to incorporate throughout this novel is absolutely riveting.
Name: Abby Ramey
Position: Junior Editor
Pronouns: She/They
Favorite Book – My favorite book of all time has got to be either The Female of the Species by Lionel Shriver or We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson. I have an affinity for young adult novels, which is what both of these books are classified as. Both novels capture what it’s like to be young and confused (albeit in very different ways) and they explore themes like mental illness, responsibility, and the possibility of alien life while creating a bond between the reader and the characters within. I also really love the blend between day-to-day life and the surreal that can be found in these books.
Name: Aviyana Green
Position: Junior Editor
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Favorite Book: My favorite book is called Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. The book is about a man and his experience of being in a concentration camp during WWII. He speaks about how him having a purpose in life motivated him to survive. This is my favorite book because I was going through a very tough time and had to stay in the hospital, and when I read this book there was a quote that gave me motivation to get better. It stated that “those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.”
Name: Rachel Webb
Position: Junior Editor
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Favorite Book: My favorite book is Green Rider by Kristen Britain because I love the characters written in that book. It’s a book that I can always go back to when I’m in a slump.
Name: Ophelia Wright
Position: Senior Poetry/Photography Editor
Pronouns: She/They
Favorite Book: My favorite book is Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I’ve always loved coming-of-age stories, so my best friend suggested I read it, and I connected with Charlie early on since I related to his introversion. Following alongside Charlie as he goes through his freshman year of high school, all through letters he wrote, and never really knowing what was going to happen next or if Charlie had left something out/dramatized it kept me pretty invested. It’s a good cult classic for anyone who wants to read something that tackles topics like queerness, loss, and mental illness.
Name: Nina Copeland
Position: Senior Fiction/Nonfiction Editor
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Favorite Book: My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I really appreciate the examinations of revenge, morality, and forgiveness in the novel, as well as the interwovenness of the plot that gets more and more convoluted throughout. It certainly has some heft with most versions containing over 1,000 pages, but the read is well worth the muscle strain!
Name: Asude Ertaş
Position: Junior Editor
Pronouns: They/Them
Favorite Book: My favorite book is Madonna in a Fur Coat – it’s a pretty old Turkish novel, but I think they translated it to English a few years ago too. I like it because the way it’s written feels familiar, like at home. Plus it doesn’t have a perfect ending. The imperfection of it makes it feel real and better. I also love a few of the short sayings it has in it, they all describe an aspect of life and love perfectly.
Name: JaNique Jackson
Position: Senior Poetry Editor
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Favorite Book: My favorite book series (because I could never just choose one book) is the Percy Jackson series. I used to hate reading as a kid, but this was the first series that made me appreciate books so it’s become my comfort series.