CONTRIBUTORS
Meet the talented writers, poets, and artists from this issue
Sophie Angela: I come from a line of educators and artists. When I decided to pursue a B.F.A in Art Education, it was more a matter of practicality than passion. I had dipped my toes into nearly every art making process, but still found the ins-and-outs of studio work to be an illusory practice. Now that I am in the field, I have had to learn whilst teaching. I’m now able to proudly call myself an artist in my own right. I am influenced stylistically from my background as a French-Canadian and American child born into the small French town of Colmar. My subject matter pushes beyond the decorative tradition of the art nouveau styles to subvert common narratives to redefine what is feminine. www.reduxstudios.org/kenish-harmon-sophie-angela/
AsiahMae: stylized A$iahMae, (they/she) is a Black, non-binary Southern poet and cultural worker with roots in Georgia, South and North Carolina. A trans-disciplinary artist, their background spans across film, curation, production, performance and language arts. Their work is a grounded attempt of devotion to the principles of Sankofa and a lifelong homage to The Black South. A$iahmae is a Watering Hole Fellow and has been featured in The Gibbes Museum of Art, Spoleto Festival USA, The Festival of Words: LA, The Charleston Literary Festival, and in This is The Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets, curated by Kwame Alexander, among others. They are currently serving as the Second Poet Laureate of Charleston, SC. Instagram @asiahmae
Cinelle Barnes is the author of Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir and Malaya: Essays on Freedom. She is also the editor of A Measure of Belonging: Twenty-One Writers of Color on the New American South. Cinelle is a brain aneurysm survivor and sits on the Brain Injury Leadership Council of South Carolina. She lives in Charleston with her husband, daughter, and cat. For information, visit cinellebarnes.com.
Layton Williams Berkes, Layton Williams Berkes, published as Layton E. Williams, is a queer, neurodivergent writer and ordained pastor, currently working as a communications strategist and journalist for the Presbyterian Church USA. She is the author of Holy Disunity: How What Separates Us Can Save Us and is currently in the process of publishing her first book of poetry, Heresies for a Hard World, though her dream is to one day publish a fanfic-worthy magical fiction series. She lives in James Island with her husband, Billy, their two toddler daughters, Avett and Olive, their dog, Idgie, and cats, Grimball and Jupiter. Instagram @laytonw5
Whitney Bryant is a creative writing teacher and developmental editor in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds an MFA in Writing (Vermont College of Fine Arts) and an MA in Teaching (Morehead State University). Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The Georgia Review, One Story, Chapter 16, and Shenandoah. She was a finalist for the Master's Review Summer Short Story Award and runner-up in the Ploughshares Emerging Writers Contest, both in 2025. Visit her at https://www.whitneybryantwriter.com/.
Melissa H Callaway is a multi-disciplinary artist who currently resides on James Island in Charleston, SC with her husband and three young children. She has a BA in Textiles from Kansas City Art Institute and an MA in Art Psychotherapy from Roehampton University in London. Textile processes such as: dyeing, stitching, quilting, weaving, and knitting are driven by play, material curiosity, the use of color, form, flow, pattern, creation, and destruction to explore the internal landscapes of memories and emotions. Her inquiry into the experience of motherhood, heritage, and maternal mental health is driven by the belief that the creation of art is therapeutic, that symbolism and meaning are exposed through creativity, and that beauty can create space for solace and healing. www.melissahcallawaystudio.com
Laura Westby Cannon grew up in Valley City, North Dakota where she learned fractions by baking with her mom. She is a professor of English at the College of Charleston and small business owner of a local coffee shop. Her creative work has appeared in Tahoma Literary Review and Charleston City Paper, and is forthcoming in Blue Mountain Review. She, her family, and their small garden reside in North Charleston. Instagram @laurawestbycannon
KELA: Kela Portee is a mixed media artist, creating predominantly as a film photographer, painter, poet, and motivational writer. She brings her work together through conveying the essence of nature with an emphasis on mindfulness and harmony, specializing in concept, composition, atmosphere, and sensation. Embracing her intrinsic freedom has come to be a true and critical value and practice of hers, as it is both an inspiration and reflection in her work. Exhibiting permanent collections in the Main Hospital and the Wellness Center of MUSC, she finds the importance and overlap of her work to be shared as a point to introspect on our needs towards healing and care. She encourages individuals to spend more intentional time in nature as a form of resetting and renewal for ourselves and our relationships. KELA was accepted as a Lightning Resident Artist in Fall 2023 at Redux. She is a two-time grant recipient through the South Carolina Arts Commission, first receiving the Emerging Artist Grant in 2021 to produce a short film in slide motion called ‘to be free’ and the Emerging Artist Alumni Grant in 2025 focused on functional art and large-scale works. https://www.intint.info
Jamie Li is a San Diego-based writer and holds an MFA in Fiction from The Vermont College of Fine Arts, where she served as Managing Editor of Hunger Mountain. A VONA/Voices alum, her work appears in Slant’d Magazine, Tupelo Quarterly, Cleaver, Points in Case, and elsewhere. She’s received support from Kundiman, the Fine Arts Work Center, and is a 2025 Seattle Public Library Writers’ Room Fellow. She’s currently working on her first novel. Instagram @j.a.m.i.e.l.i.
Dasia Sharae Moore is a multi-genre writer, educator, and queer child of the Black South. Her work has appeared in publications including FENCE, Hayden's Ferry Review, and The Boston Globe and has been exhibited internationally at DAADgalerie Berlin. Dasia holds an MFA in poetry from New York University and has been supported in her work by the Periplus Collective, The Charleston Literary Festival, and others. You can find more of her writing at dasiasmoore.com and subscribe to her semi-monthly newsletter, If Doris Loved Me.
Chan Rennison works professionally in the mental health field with children and families, while her writing has lived in the quiet corners of psychoeducational evaluations and essays on motherhood. At home, she’s a soft place to land: surrounded by family, books, rescue animals, burnt fingers from hot glue, and the kind of singing that’s more spirit than pitch. Instagram @chanrennison
Lauren Ridenour is a visual artist whose work delves deeply into the complexities of mental health, self-reflection, and human connection. Known for a bold, raw approach, Lauren Ridenour uses mixed media to explore daily thoughts, fears, and the layered nuances of the human experience. Her artwork often takes the form of expressive self-portraits, where thick, messy lines create faces that feel both intimate and universal, inviting viewers to see themselves within each piece. In 2023, Lauren completed an ambitious series that lead to her book containing 365 illustrations, each one serving as a daily journal. This body of work reflects the artist's commitment to authenticity, capturing the spectrum of emotions experienced over time. Driven by the belief that art can reduce isolation and foster empathy, Lauren draws from mundane moments and uses honesty as a central theme, aiming to create an energetic and immersive experience that resonates on a deeply personal level. She is currently living and working in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband Billy and daughter Elliot. To visit her studio swing by - 1056 King St. www.laurenridenour.com
Kelly Salasin is a late in life author who is at work on her first full-length memoir. Instagram @KellySalasin