Submission Bios

Will Bade is a student at Southside High School, where he is on the drumline. In his spare time, he dabbles in creative writing. 

Charlotte Bailey is a student at Eura Brown Elementary,  a budding poet, and writer of stories.  She also enjoys reading, playing soccer, dance, and art. 

 Hilary Blackwood is a local artist and serves as Media Technician at Gadsden State Community College. She lives in Sardis with her husband and two children. When she is not busy helping everyone at GSCC with her media tech prowess, she can be found enjoying her front porch with her family, handcrafting a project, or generally being her amazing, creative self.  

 Hannah Blevins is a GSCC graduate who is currently enrolled at JSU working to obtain a BA, and maybe someday a Master’s, in English. She is an aspiring author who has loved writing stories since she was old enough to hold a pencil in her hand. When not working on her own writing, she is either studying or searching for inspiration to write her next piece. 

Avi Borb is a local writer, and former GSCC student. 

Brodie Boyd is a 19 year old singer/songwriter and poet who creates original work that reflects their deepest emotions and experiences. Every piece written is categorized by a "file folder" that coincides with a specific feeling or concept. 

 Johnny Byutorie is a multidisciplinary author whose works have been published in the Hog Creek Review (during his tenure at The Ohio State University), Something Else, North Meridian Review, and FUCKUS literary journals. He has graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s in English (majoring in Creative Writing with a minor in Literature) from Jacksonville State University, has just completed his Master of Arts degree in English, and looks forward to teaching in the Composition mines in the not-too-distant future. He has a love of horror and its gradual rise as a genre worth serious literary consideration. His many influences include Pullman, Pratchett, Peele, Jemisin, Jackson, and Mothman.

Laura Cato is a local photographer and artist from Gadsden, AL. She also happens to be the ADA Director for Gadsden State Community College. When she is not helping students, teaching, or in meetings, she can be found with her family or friends, or creating all kinds of amazing art. 

Wendy Corley is a local writer and poet.  

 Kaitlin Hoskins lives in Rainbow City, AL, with her husband and four cats. She writes poetry in her spare time and serves as news editor for The Messenger. 

Destney Howard is a student at Gadsden State Community College. When she is not studying or attending classes, she can often be found writing fiction. 

Aniya Jackson is a local student and writer. 

Jackson Keener is 15 years old and in the 9th grade at
Southside High  School. He lives in Rainbow City with his  Mom, Dad, and twin sister Mallory. 

  Ryan Kelly is an amateur photographer, actor, and student at GSCC. He is from Gadsden but has moved many times throughout his life. He attempts to make sense of the many aspects of life through his photography. 

Parker Long is a local K12 student and writer. 

Clair McGriff is a high school student at Southside High School. When not marching in the band, she enjoys writing. 

Avery McRay is a Gadsden State student and writer. 

Jacob Moon is a GSCC student and writer.

Ledger Nance is a local student and writer. 

Ava Parks is a local K12 student and writer. 

Tina Anderson Pendley lives in Hokes Bluff with her husband David.

Growing up, she worked with ceramics and as an adult, she began collecting pottery. The more she collected, the more she wanted to learn to make it herself. In 2012, she began creating on her own. She knew she had found her place. She creates what she calls "Patchwork pottery," making individual pieces and forming them together to make the final piece, glazed with bright, bold colors. Tina enjoys watching the piece develop and come to life as she takes her ‘out of the box’ ideas and creates them out of clay.

In 2016, she branched into encaustic art. an ancient art form dating back to 100 AD. Tina's work has won many awards, including: 

2014- Purchase Award at Caves Spring Art Show; Second place in Sculpture at Art in the Park, Scottsboro, AL; 2015-First place in: Professional Pottery category, Best in Category, and Best Over-All in the Georgia Area EA Ceramic and Fired Art Show. Her Patchwork pottery was featured in Lookout Alabama Magazine. 2019-Honorable Mention Gadsden State Alumni Art Exhibit. 

Her work is currently available in Maraela Winery in Hokes Bluff, AL; Noccalula Falls Park; and in the Mentone Art Center, Mentone, AL.  

Robert Sjoerdsma is a local K12 student and writer. 

Adalynn Walls is a local high school student and writer. 

Reece Walters is a former Southside High School student currently residing in Buffalo, NY. 

Elizabeth Wood is a local photographer, writer, poet, and dabbler in the dark arts. 

Leslie Worthington holds an EdS in Higher Education Administration from Troy University, and a PhD in Southern Literature from Auburn University. She has recently retired after forty years in higher education as an English faculty member and academic administrator. She was most recently Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort, SC. However, her first retirement was from Gadsden State Community College where she was Dean of Academic Programs and Services. She is a recipient of the Brittain Fellowship from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Quarry Farm Fellowship from the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College. She is the author of Cormac McCarthy and the Ghost of Huck Finn (2012), co-editor of Seeking Home: Marginalization and Representation in Appalachian Letters and Song (2016) as well as the author of numerous scholarly journal articles. Additionally, her fiction and verse have appeared in publications as diverse as CHEST: The Journal of American College Chest Physicians, Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, The South Carolina Bard Anthology, Stonepile Writers’ Anthology, Kudzu, Belle Reve Literary Journal, and Sugar Mule Literary Magazine.

She lives in Gadsden where she spends her retirement traveling, enjoying the company of her children and grandchildren, and writing.

  Somaya Zakaria is an Egyptian writer. Her native language is Arabic.  

Zakaria published two short stories called “A night walk and a gift called life”.  One of her books was translated into English by the American University in Cairo/Egypt. 

Zakaria writes about women's issues, conflicts and families’ relationships.  

You can follow Zakaria on Face book, Instagram and on her blog, https:// soumastales.com