MASKS LITERARY MAGAZINE
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- Meet the dedicated, beautiful people who make up the MASKS literary team -

Laura Hawbaker

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Editor in Chief | Art Director

Laura (she/her) founded MASKS in 2020 as the Artist in Residence at the Aesthetics of Research. She has written for PopMatters, Modern Luxury, and The Chicago Tribune. She served as the 2021 Franz Kafka Fellow a the Prague School of Communication and is the recipient of the 2021 Tusculum Review Fiction Prize. 
lahawbaker.com
​Instagram @laurahawbaker 
​Twitter @laurahawbaker

CT Lisa

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Managing Editor

CT (he/him) has been writing at least since he finished his first short story, “Big ScAry Pumkin," in preschool. Everything since has been a loose sequel. His writing has received numerous accolades, including the University of Chicago Writer’s Studio Student Prize and a nomination for the PEN/Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. He holds an MFA from Columbia College and lives in the verdant, tree-tangled city of Atlanta. ctlisa.com

Nisha Atalie

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Poetry Editor

Nisha (she/her) is a mixed poet from the Pacific Northwest. She loves writing at the intersections of ecology, race, colonialism, and the nonhuman world. Her poems have appeared in Blood Orange Review, Tinderbox, and Breakwater Review. She is the 
recipient of the 2021 Eileen Lannan Poetry Prize. Nisha is a doctoral student in literary studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Claire Morgan

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Poetry Editor

Claire (she/her) is a poet currently living in the South Carolina Midlands. She received her MFA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 
Instagram: @orkestarr

Sean Swogger

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Poetry Editor

Sean (he/him) grew up near Akron, Ohio and earned his MFA in poetry from Columbia College Chicago in 2021. His first book of poetry, Hollow Point, is due to be released in 2023.

Noah Zanella

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Poetry Editor

Noah (he/they) is a Chicago-based poet and musician. He works as a professor at Carthage college and a teaching artist at Hugo House. They were the recipient of the 2022 Eileen Lannan prize from the Academy of American Poets.

Tinia Montford

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Fiction Editor

Tinia (she/her) loves eighties sitcoms and will consume anything with chocolate. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in English and graphic design. When not writing, she’s overindulging in poke bowls, listening to the same four songs, or chilling with her adorbs doggie. She is currently pursuing her MFA in fiction. tiniamontford.com
Instagram: @tiniawritesbooks​

Des Salazar

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Fiction Editor

Des (they/them) is a few unicorns standing on top of one another in a trench coat. Their experiences include: working with kids at a therapeutic school, writing fantasy, taking care of their dog, and making sacrifices to the chinchillas in the house. They're pursuing an MFA in fiction at Columbia College Chicago.

Jo Unruh

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Fiction Editor

Jo (she/her) is a Minnesota girl living in the Windy City, a published short storyist, and a relentless creative. She's interested in work that is thoughtful and playful with form+structure, as well as stories that bring new elements to familiar narratives. She is overfond of strong cups of tea, lakes and oceans, and skies brimming over with stars.

Bernie Groves

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Nonfiction Editor

Bernie (she/her) is a BIPOC writer of fiction and nonfiction. When she's not editing for MASKS or writing, she's cosplaying. You can find her prose in Arkana Literary Magazine, Under a Warm Green Linden, and Welter Literary Magazine.
​Instagram 
@xx_bvg_xx 

Meg Jerit

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Nonfiction Editor

Meg (she/her) writes creative nonfiction and poetry exploring concepts of consciousness, healing, and justice. Her work has been published by Adelaide Literary Magazine and Allium, A Journal of Poetry & Prose. She attended The Kenyon Review Writers Workshop in 2022, and she currently lives in Austin.

Rachel Martin

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Reader

Rachel (she/her) is a writer, blogger, and journalist. She has an MFA in creative writing from Columbia. Rachel earned her undergraduate degree in creative writing at Bowling Green State University, where she was the editor in chief of Prairie Margins. She is a fan of process-narratives, world mythologies, and manga/graphic novels.

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MASKS Literary Magazine is sponsored by the Columbia College Chicago Library and was founded as part of the Aesthetics of Research Program-an ongoing series of exhibits, events, and other shenanigans dedicated to exploring the role that libraries play in artistic process, creative community building, and resource-sharing in the arts. 
© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. IMAGES ARE PRESENTED FOR USE AS FINE ART. PURCHASE OF ART DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A LICENSE FOR COMMERCIAL USE. ALL ART, PHOTOS, AND PRINTS WILL STILL CARRY COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS, AND PHOTOCOPYING, SCANNING, AND REUSE ARE PROHIBITED WITHOUT PRIOR CONSENT OF THE ARTIST.
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  • Featured
  • Issue
  • Interviews
    • Melissa Meier
    • Miya Turnbull
    • Molly Yingling
    • Kate Wisel
  • Submissions
    • Guidelines
    • Contests
  • About
    • Masthead
    • Our Mission
  • Buy