Anna Robertson, MS
Editor-In-Chief
Anna Robertson is originally from Gold Hill, Alabama and attended Auburn University, where she studied agriculture as an undergraduate. Anna went on to get a master’s degree in Community Counseling from Columbus State University and had a decade long career in mental health and social services. She is in her second year as a graduate student in English Creative Writing at Western Carolina University. Anna has been published in the Yalobusha Review and was a finalist in the WCU Literary Festival writing contest for fiction in 2024. Anna currently lives and writes in the North Georgia mountains from her adopted hometown of Sautee Nacoochee, where she has lived for 13 years.
Hannah McCleod
Associate Editor
Hannah McLeod is a fiction writer and poet from Appalachia. She is a staff writer for the Smoky Mountain News and received her bachelor’s degrees from Appalachian State University. She is currently enrolled in the English Masters program at Western Carolina University where she won first place in the 2024 Literary Festival graduate writing contest for fiction, and was a finalist in poetry and nonfiction. She can be reached at hannah@smokymountainnews.com or 828.400.2280.
Nyoka Pierce
Associate Editor in Fiction
Nyoka Pierce is a Jamaican-born writer, photographer and artist who has found her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. After earning her bachelor’s degree in English from Stony Brook University in New York, she traveled to experience life beyond New York City. Her travels have enriched her perspective, influenced her creative work and fueled her passion for storytelling. Through her writing, Nyoka explores themes of identity, migration, and belonging. Currently, she is enrolled in Western Carolina University’s English Creative Writing graduate program, where she continues to hone her craft.
Daniel Acocella
Associate Editor in Nonfiction
Daniel Acocella is a writer, teacher, and graduate student in Western Carolina University English department. He is currently researching Shirley Jackson and her role in the Queer Horror genre.
Jade Thomas
Associate Editor in Poetry
Jade Thomas is an English graduate student, with academic interests in Appalachian studies, poetry, and creative nonfiction. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, creative writing, and spending time with people she loves.
Jonanthan L. Bradshaw
Faculty Advisor
Jonathan L. Bradshaw is an Assistant Professor of English and director of the Writing, Rhetoric, & Critical Studies (WRCS) Program at Western Carolina University. Jonathan earned his Ph.D. in Composition & Rhetoric at Miami University. His research explores the circulation of civic rhetorics as well as Appalachian cultural rhetorics in heritage-based organizations.
His work has appeared in scholarly journals such as Rhetoric Society Quarterly, Rhetoric Review, Enculturation: A Journal of Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture, and Computers & Composition. He has also written for public-facing venues such as The Daily Yonder and Citizen Critics.