Contributor Bios

Emily Adair is a writer and student, currently a sophomore at the University of Redlands. She plans to graduate with a Johnston Emphasis in Creative Writing and to attend an MFA program on the East Coast. In her free time, she enjoys writing, painting, and spending time with her friends and Karl, her dog. She’s currently learning to knit and hopes to one day become a published author.

Emiliano Arizmendi loves writing poetry in Spanish. His work is often inspired by his constant desire to express things in a way that people feel what he feels, to make them experience emotions the way he does. His work borrows from the Mexican-American life that he has built for himself; symbols and words reflect such understanding of the world around him. He’s a senior and hopes to continue producing poetry in the future.

Romina-Marie Baronia is a fourth-year creative writing major involved in Asian Student Association and Alpha Phi Omega, the community service fraternity. She has also written for the Career & Professional Development blog as well as the Bulldog Blog. Romina always starts her day with a cup of coffee, so you would find her holding a cup as she makes her way to class, work, or the library.

Elijah Brown is currently a senior at University of Redlands, majoring in creative writing. His emphasis is on fiction writing, but during his time at Redlands he’s explored writing nonfiction and poetry in much further depths. His favorite genres to write in are science fiction and fantasy.

Marin Careway loves writing more than she loves oxygen. She is a CSSSA Creative Writing alum and is double majoring in creative writing and media visual culture studies at the University of Redlands. Her other passions include photography, repairing damaged books, and annoying her cat.

Morgan Chavez makes haikus in his spare time. He is a political science, international relations, and French major, and he is a third-year. He began working on haikus because he loves the exercise of trying to find the perfect word he wants to use while also staying within the strict boundaries that make a haiku.

Shaqur Raft Leonardo Codrington is a senior and Johnston student at the University of Redlands. They are non-binary and go by all pronouns and they are studying sociology, psychology, philosophy, art, and English. The title of their major is The Psychological Perspective of Human Behavior, Nature, and Consciousness through Visual Media and Creative Writing. They believe everything is an art form.

Carmelo Barrera Cruz (they/he) is a graduating senior at the University of Redlands. Their major/emphasis is “Creative Expression and Human Experiences.” Throughout his 4 years, he’s generated different hybrid works of visual art, poesía, novels, and many other creative mediums. The pieces in the Redlands Review are glimpses of a working series titled “Nepantlera: A Third Space and a New Understanding.” Enjoy the works! ¡Bienvenidos! :)

Leslie Sernaque Falcon is a senior at the University of Redlands studying Creative Writing and Media and Visual Culture Studies with a Spanish Minor.

Belle Gearhart is an emerging writer, and a creative writing major at the University of Redlands. She is a displaced New Yorker living in California with her son and their pet rabbit, Scully.

Michael J. L. Griswold is a 3rd year transfer student studying Creative Writing and a lover of video games and DnD. His favorite genre is dark fiction as it helps inspire him to explore the idea of inversion of expectations. Most of his stories and poetry reflect this concept, as his main goal in writing is to get the reader thinking and/or questioning the use of common themes and writing tropes.

Emily Hernandez is a sophomore Johnston student, a chicana gender nonconforming dyke, and a jack of many trades. 

Victoria Van Huystee is a Junior at the University of Redlands, completing a Creative Writing Major and a Studio Art minor. She primarily writes YA Fiction and Poetry work, but enjoys exploring creative new writing styles for inspiration. In her free time, she likes to read, journal, and watch lots of movies.

Madeline Luscher is a current Junior and am happy to be where they are. They used to take photographs in high school and then stopped for a while during the pandemic. This semester, they are taking Photography class at the university and it has helped reignite their passion.

Sam Maxwell is a Junior double majoring in History and Public Policy with an emphasis in Health. She is from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania where she lives with her parents and her dog, Tiger. She’s hoping to attend grad school for policy analysis, and along with that her other passion is the outdoors. She has worked as an instructor in Costa Rica and her favorite activities are backpacking and scuba diving.

Malia Miguel is currently a first-year student at the University of Redlands interested in double majoring in Biochemistry and Studio Art. She mainly does traditional art which is why her concentration is in drawing and painting, but she also enjoys creating digital art. Since art is her favorite hobby, when she’s not studying, she’s probably drawing.

Natalie Navarro ’24 is currently a sophomore. She’s a double major in English Literature and Creative Writing with an emphasis in Fiction. She hopes to one day be a published author with her stories showcasing every bit of magic she could imagine. 

Quinn Orr is a Junior in the Johnston program. They like to craft and make silly MS. Paintings, and try their best at writing poetry. They wish to make more art, however being in school often hinders their ability to do more, so MS. Paintings and poetry have been convenient outlets for them this semester.

Noah Ossa-Jaen is a fourth-year physics and computer science major with a keen interest in writing, particularly with horror themes. While he hopes to continue in astronomy for his career, one of his goals is to eventually write a full-length science fiction and/or horror novel. He has written short stories, novellas, and scripts in his spare time to improve his writing.

Belen Robles (she/her) is a sophomore at the University of Redlands interested in Creative Writing and Anthropology. She loves to write between that blurry line of fiction and non-fiction, constantly quotes the same movies, and as a writer, simply does not write enough. If you see her, tell her to open that drawer and finally look at all of her workshop revisions.

Shannon Rygg is a 2018 graduate of the creative writing program at the University of Redlands. When her job in the marketing and publicity department of a publishing company allows her free time, she can be found indulging in fiction and fantasy stories, rereading the same fiction and fantasy stories, getting emotional over aforementioned rereads, then tweeting and/or writing fanfiction about it. She lives in New York City with her rabbit, Nimbus, and she will eventually get to writing what she was supposed to be writing.

Rachel Schmidt is a creative writing major and history minor at the University of Redlands. She finds that her stories often include things she wants to see more of in real life: strong friendships, nerdy heroes, and more hope. In her free time, Rachel enjoys drawing, horseback riding, and tutoring equally frazzled students.

Jay Sjoberg is a junior at the University of Redlands. He is a creative writing and philosophy double major, a student director for Jasper’s Corner, and a sibling of Alpha Phi Omega. He loves movies and writing, and it’s his goal in life to pursue them in unison!

Ella Staats is a third year Johnston Center student, an artist, and a friend. They have recently been exploring more conceptual, process-based techniques with their art. The pieces featured in this issue were made digitally with Procreate. Feel free to explore more of their work on Instagram, @frogginnoggin

Kenza Walthour is a senior in Johnston. She has worked on the Redlands Review previously and had her work printed in two of the publications. She is from Chicago and has three cats. She will graduate in April!

Madeline Weste works as a painter in Los Angeles. She is a University of Redlands Johnston Center graduate.

Ayled Zazueta ‘23 is emphasizing journalism and cultures in her Johnston studies. She is the host of “In Your Shoes” available to stream on KDAWG.com and is a staff writer for The Redlands Bulldog. Above all, she is a cat mom and karaoke enthusiast.