Melissa Ashley Hernandez

Founding Editor-in-Chief

Melissa (she/her) has her BA in Acting and Directing and two MFAs in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is the founder of Wild Willow Magazine (FKA: The Minison Project) and heads the company as Editor-in-Chief.

Her prose can be found in two short stories published in 2021, “The Rum Keg Girl” in the Cemetery Gates Media collection, Paranormal Contact: A Quiet Horror Confessional, and “Lady Killer” in Volume 4 of Kandisha Press’ Women of Horror Anthology, Don’t Break the Oath. Her poetry can be found in the minison zine, The Daily Drunk Magazine, Fahmidan Journal, and Bandit Fiction, among others.

When she is not procrastinating on writing her fantasy novel, you can find her playing video games, picking up another hobby she’ll drop in three months, or being held cuddle-hostage by her furry menace cat-son, Oscar.

Alisa Lindfield-Pratt

Social Media Coordinator

Alisa (she/her) is an Australian writer of poetry and short fiction. Her work can be found in The Expressionist Literary Magazine, The Selkie, and more. By day, Alisa works as a research administrator, dabbling in communications and event management, and by night, wrangles two rambunctious kids and a dog. Her interests include science, history, burlesque, and of course, writing.

Sara Allison

Newsletter Coordination Manager

Sara Allison (she/her) is a Dallas/Fort Worth-based writer, poet, and corporate trainer. A former high school teacher with a BA in English and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. Outside of work, Sara can be found exploring local nature trails with her husband, playing a Warlock Elf in D&D, turning her entire personality into being lactose intolerant, or hanging out with her perfect cat, Reggie. Her poetry has been featured in Little Stone Journal, Hidden Peak Press, Volume Poetry, and the inaugural issue of TMP Magazine.

Jayde Officer

Head Poetry/Nonfiction Editor

Jayde Officer (she/her) is a poet and fiction writer who holds a BA in English literature. When she’s not writing obsessively on themes of girlhood, identity, monstrosity, and (un)belonging, Jayde is at home in Ontario rewatching movie musicals. Her poetry appears in PRISM International.

Katelyn D’Ambrosio

Poetry/Nonfiction Reader

Katelyn D’Ambrosio has a BA in English and Creative Writing and is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She has published several poems in Artemas, the Young Harris College literary magazine. If she’s not writing, she’s probably taking walks outside or listening to classic rock.

Zoe Manolatos

Poetry/Nonfiction Reader

Zoe Manolatos (she/her) is a poet and naturalist from North Jersey. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University and has returned to her alma mater for her MFA in Poetry after pursuing a certificate in Botany at the New York Botanical Gardens. She credits the inspiration for her vibrant language largely to the woods and artists surrounding her home.

Maria Helena Mikkelsen

Poetry/Nonfiction Reader

Maria (she/her) is a Danish-Malawian writer, editor, collagist, and workshop facilitator. She’s the co-founder of Poetry Orchard and the bi-yearly community, Adventurer’s Writing Guild. By day, she freelances for B2B and B2C clients. By night, she creates work on girlhood and grief and tentatively chips away at her debut novel, An Unintended Princess.

Liam Al-Hindi

Head Fiction Editor

Liam Al-Hindi (he/him) is a graduate of UNO’s English and Creative Writing programs. For him, essays, poems, and stories are all handholds to grip tightly, to escape the violence of our present circumstances. His work can be found in 13th Floor Magazine, and Touchstone Literary Magazine.

Follow him on Twitter!

Halina Stone

Fiction Reader

Halina Stone (they/them) is a fiction writer, poet, and fantasy lover hailing from New Jersey. They studied Creative Writing in undergrad at Fairleigh Dickinson University and are pursuing a second Master’s Degree. When not writing, they can be found taking care of their army of succulents or sampling wares at various local cafes.

Tyler Ledbetter

Fiction Reader

Tyler Ledbetter (he/him) possesses an MFA in Creative Writing and is a self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades. He currently publishes Neon Letters, a Substack newsletter that sums up his thoughts on life and pop culture. He also enjoys a good Japanese kaiju movie.

Lucerne Curcillo

Fiction Reader

Lucerne (they/she) is a writer and poet living in Philadelphia. When they’re not slinging coffee or walking their dog, they attend open mics around the city. They’re drawn to stories with a deep emotional richness, and love a good dose of magic! They hold an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Samsa Emo

Fiction Reader

Samsa (they/any) has been a lover of stories since their mom read them The Enchanted Forest Chronicles series when they were itty-bitty. They enjoy reading books in seemingly uncomfortable positions on their couch and exploring story through Dungeons & Dragons, comics, and video games. Their favorite days are rainy ones spent cuddling their cats, Bendy and Cecil.

Matt Foster

Fiction Reader

Matt Foster is a writer and MFA candidate living in El Paso, Texas. He is currently enrolled in the University of Texas at El Paso’s Online MFA in Creative Writing program, where he studies poetry and literary craft. His writing focuses on memory, identity, family, and the overlooked pressures of ordinary life. His work has appeared in El Paso Community College’s Chrysalis and the University of Texas at El Paso’s Emerging Voices, Vol. 1. Additional work is forthcoming in Mande Literary Episode 5 and Prudence Dispatch Vol. 3.