Ella Kate Aultman is a student at Southside High School.
Ta-shanuna Barton is a sophomore at Gadsden State Community College. She is majoring in Business Administration/ General Studies, and plans on transferring to Alabama A&M to get an M.B.A. She loves poetry, drawing, motivational speaking, and photography.
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.
Stella Blackwood is currently an elementary school student in the Gadsden system. She enjoys working with clay, making jewelry, singing, and dancing and spending time with her dog Sandy.
Tabitha Bozeman is an English instructor at GSCC, a poet, and editor of the Cardinal Arts Journal. Her poetry focuses on the connections between memory and the every day, and sharing her journey through life and motherhood. She has been published in The Southern Poetry Anthology, as well as journals including Southern Women's Review, HERE: A Poetry Journal, Mud Season Review, and the Birmingham Arts Journal. When she is not in the classroom, she can be found hanging out with her family, handcrafting teas, watercoloring, or reading.
Emma Buchanan is a sophomore at Piedmont High School. Writing has always been something she enjoys because it gives her a way to express herself and explore ideas. Whether she is working on a short story, a personal reflection, or just jotting down random thoughts, writing helps her better understand herself and the world around her. She likes experimenting with different styles and tones, and is always looking for ways to improve and challenge herself creatively. She loves how words can connect people and make even small moments feel important.
Johnny Butoric 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.
Avery Campbell is a local artist and student at Southside High School.
Alexa Casper is a student at Southside High School.
Vanessa Cochran is an Enrollment Specialist at Gadsden State with a passion for connecting people to education. She lives in Steele, AL with her husband, 7-year-old son, and one sweet. Originally a non-traditional student, she has gone on to earn degrees from GSCC and JSU, as well as many state and national scholarships. She loves to spend time with family, at her church, outdoors, volunteering, and crafting. Alyssa Freeman is a student at Gadsden State Community College where she plays on the Women's Basketball team and is pursuing a major in Secondary Education in English. Her hometown is Remlap, AL. She loves everything about reading and writing, and she enjoys every opportunity she gets to advocate for mental health.
Ziggy Connell is a local writer and poet currently attending Gadsden State Commuity College.
Layla Daniel is a student at Southside High School.
Alyssa Freeman is a freshman at Gadsden State planning to major in Secondary Education in English. She plays on the Women’s Basketball team. She is from Remlap, AL, and loves everything about reading and writing, and enjoys every opportunity to advocate for mental health.
Collin Garner is a student at Southside High School.
Brayden Gebhardt is a student at Southside High School.
Olivia Gowens currently attends Gadsden State Community College, and plans to continue her education, seeking a degree in psychology.
Aubrey Hedgepeth is a student at Southside Highschool in the 10th grade.
Londyn Helm is a student at Southside High School.
Rachel Houghton spent the first twenty-eight years of her life in and around the Twin Cities of Minnesota. After leaving Minnesota, she and her Kiwi husband, Nigel, spent fourteen years living and traveling in two different house buses across New Zealand and the United States. In 2016, they relocated to Alabama, sold the buses, and bought a traditional house near Noccalula Falls. After arriving in Alabama, Rachel earned an associate’s degree from Gadsden State Community College, and then went on to earn a Masters in English from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She currently works as an English instructor at Gadsden State Community College. Her writing inspiration comes from the people she’s met, the places she’s been, the gorgeous world around her, and the adventures yet to be discovered. Her work can be found in Aura, the Vulcan Historical Review, The Great Lakes Review, and most recently, in The Southern Poetry Anthology.
Marley Hughes is a student at Southside High School.
Macie Hull is a sophomore at Southside High School, where she is also a member of the Varsity Girls Bowling team.
Roxie Jane Knight is a student at Southside High School.
Keaton Mallory is a local artist from Southside High School.
My name is Evelise Martinez-Elrod is a 26 year old wife and mother who works at the Humane Society in Gadsden, AL. She is also a student at Gadsden State Community College.
As a single mom during the 2020 COVID shutdown, Cassandra McDaris decided to pick up painting. What began as a way to fill the quiet hours quickly became a source of joy and personal growth. She discovered a deep love for creating art and found peace in every brushstroke.
She recently made the decision to return to school — not only to build a better future for herself, but also to show her 13-year-old that it’s never too late to learn, grow, and pursue your purpose. Her family is rooted in faith, and strives every day to reflect God’s love and kindness in all they do. Through her art and actions, she hopes to be a small part of growing His kingdom by spreading light, compassion, and hope.
Addi Middlebrooks is a student at Southside High School.
Christopher Montgomery currently attends Gadsden State Community College. He loves art, especially photography, because it gives him a chance to connect with nature, and express feelings and emotions with just a snap of a photo. We always say a picture is worth a thousand words, but he believes a photo can say much more.
Haley Nadler is a local student from Southside High School.
Elizabeth Ragsdale is a student at Southside High School.
Kalyn Richee is a local artist from Southside High School.
Adalynn Starling is a student at Southside High School.
Madison Starr is a first year student at Gadsden State. She is a 24 year old self-taught digital artist studying to be a radiology technologist. Art is her main hobby to wind down after a bunch of studying.
Amelia St. John is a student at GSCC, and a graduate of Hokes Bluff Hgh School.
Emily Tankersley is a student at Southside High School.
Ryder Thompson is a local student at Southside High School.
Milleigh Thompson is a student at Southside High School.
Eva Turner is a local K12 student and writer from Southside High School.
Jillian Wadsworth is a 38 year old returning student to GSCC hoping to transfer to pursue a degree in psychology. She has always loved painting and art.
Gerry Yaum is a Canadian social documentary photographer. “The People Who Live Under the Freeway” is a project that focuses on the lives of a group of Thai people who live under an active freeway in Bangkok’s notorious Klong Toey Slum.
Inspired by the great social documentary photographers W. Eugene Smith, Lewis Hine, and Sebastiao Salgado,
Gerry Yaum is more interested in telling the stories of his subjects than promoting himself. From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Yaum is a self-taught photographer who began his journey with a camera at 14. He worked in security for 30 years, giving him the freedom and time to make photographs.
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