Second Row: Jenna Scott, Okezie Onwuegbu, Jenna Massey, Owen May
Third Row: Violet Monet, Sean Kalchbrenner, Bhavya, Bhagtani, Hannah Weatherford, Farrah Filfil, Elijah Ross, Channler Twyman
Fourth Row: Rae Spangler, Jesse Lacy, Anna Leonard, Caroline Gunn
Fifth Row: Max Le, Iris Katzman, Tylar Parker, Priscilla Loebenberg, Yasmin Soares, Josh Galarza
Sixth Row: Mychal Young, Areerat Kitijarurat, Devynne Rich, Buffy Petrin, Jessica Vigil, Rabeetah Hasnain, Lara Brown, Tilden Culver, Rand Al-Safi
Bottow Row: Sithmi Rajaguru, Dia Srabony, Maureen Morris, Jena Salem, Hana Rehman, Alecia Smith, Mal Chowdhury
Faculty Editors
Kathleen Graber
Kathleen Graber, faculty editor, is the author of three collections of poetry and a recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Jessica Hendry Nelson
Jessica Hendry Nelson, faculty editor, is the author of Joy Rides Through the Tunnel of Grief (University of Georgia Press, 2023), a memoir-in-essays and the winner of the AWP Sue William Silverman Prize in Creative Nonfiction. She is the author of the memoir If Only You People Could Follow Directions (Counterpoint, 2014), which was selected as a best debut book by the Indies Introduce New Voices program, the Indies Next List by the American Booksellers’ Association, named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Review. She is also coauthor of the textbook and anthology Advanced Creative Nonfiction: A Writer’s Guide and Anthology along with the writer Sean Prentiss (Bloomsbury, 2021). Her work appears in the anthology Bending Genre, edited by Nicole Walker and Margot Singer (Bloomsbury, 2023), as well as the Threepenny Review, Prairie Schooner, Tin House, the Los Angeles Review of Books, North American Review, the Rumpus, the Carolina Quarterly, Columbia Journal, Painted Bride Quarterly, Crab Orchard Review, PANK, Drunken Boat, and elsewhere. She is assistant professor of creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University and also teaches in the MFA program at the University of Nebraska in Omaha.
Senior Editorial Staff
Matt Schroeder
Managing Editor
Matt Schroeder, managing editor, is a poet, educator, and second-year MFA student in poetry at Virginia Commonwealth University. His poetry appears or is forthcoming in RHINO, Gulf Coast, Arts & Letters, Poet Lore, Grist, and elsewhere.
Caroline Richards
Managing Editor Emerita
Caroline Richards, managing editor emerita, is a graduate of Trinity College and a third-year MFA student in poetry at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her work has been published by the Academy of American Poets, Trinity Alumni Magazine, and is forthcoming in the Southeast Review.
Genre Editors
Priscilla Loebenberg
Lead Copyeditor
Priscilla Loebenberg, lead copyeditor, is a first-year MFA student in fiction at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has worked as a reporter, editor, grant writer, and director of communications for various newspapers, magazines, and nonprofit organizations in Mississippi, Florida, Maryland, and Texas. She was part of the Biloxi Sun Herald newspaper team that won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service Reporting.
Josh Galarza
Lead Art Editor
Josh Galarza, lead art editor, is a third-year MFA student in fiction and creative nonfiction at Virginia Commonwealth University. His debut novel, The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky (Henry Holt and Company, 2024), was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. He holds a BFA in art and a BA in English from the University of Nevada, Reno, and is a multidisciplinary visual artist specializing in printmaking, book arts, and sculpture.
Sarp Armağan Demiral
Lead Fiction Editor
Sarp Armağan Demiral, lead fiction editor, is a second-year MFA student in fiction at Virginia Commonwealth University. His fiction has appeared in Half and One and his poetry can be found at Academy of American Poets and Bangalore Review, and is forthcoming at Watershed Review. He holds a BFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia.
Charles Meyer
Lead Creative Nonfiction Editor
Charles Meyer, lead creative nonfiction editor, is a second-year MFA creative nonfiction and poetry student at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he earned his BA in English.
Trey Burnart Hall
Lead Podcast Editor
Trey Burnart Hall, lead podcast editor, is a first-year MFA student in creative nonfiction and poetry at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a Richmond-based musician, producer, educator, and organizer, chairing the Parallel Listening Series at Gallery5 and hosting the EarthFolk Old-Time Jam. Musical collaborations through his label, Vocal Rest Records, have been nominated for the Folk Alliance International Album of the Year, shortlisted for the Newlin Music Prize, and featured in NPR Live Sessions, Bandcamp Daily, and more. His archival photography work has been exhibited at the Alexander Heath Contemporary Art Gallery and Black Iris Social Club. His academic work has been published in the Journal of Inclusive Postsecondary Education.
Maureen Morris
Lead Poetry Editor
Maureen Morris, lead poetry editor, is a second-year MFA student in poetry at Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds a BA in creative writing from Fairfield University. Her poetry has appeared in Foglifter and Frontier Poetry, and is forthcoming in Poet Lore.
Hana
Lead Media Editor
Hana Rehman, lead media editor, is a second-year MFA student in fiction at Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds BAs in English and comparative literature from the University of Georgia, where she interned for The Georgia Review.
Associate Editors
Anna Leonard, associate poetry and podcast editor, is a first-year MFA student studying poetry at Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds a BA in theatre performance with a minor in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University, and she is a reader for Yellow Arrow Publishing. Her poems can be found in Emerge Literary Journal and elsewhere.
Sam Schieren, reviews and interviews editor, is a lecturer in Virginia Commonwealth University’s English Department. Winner of the Barry Hannah Prize in Fiction, his stories have been published in The Iowa Review, Bellevue Literary Review, Gulf Coast, and Southern Humanities Review, among other journals. He received his MFA from UC Davis.
Rabeetah Hasnain, associate creative nonfiction editor, is a first-year MFA student in fiction and creative nonfiction at Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds an MS in education from Johns Hopkins University and a BS in political science from Appalachian State University. She is currently working on her debut short story collection and a novel. Her nonfiction piece Bask was the runner-up for the 2024 Patty Friedmann Contest, hosted by LMNL Lit.
J.A. Holm, associate copyeditor, is a first-year MFA student in poetry at Virginia Commonwealth University. He holds a BA in creative writing from Bucknell University where he was an editorial intern for West Branch Magazine. His work appears in Shenandoah, Bellevue Literary Review, Sonora Review, and other places. He is also the recipient of a Cadigan Prize for Younger Writers.
Jenna Massey, associate fiction editor, is a first-year MFA student in fiction at Virginia Commonwealth University. She earned her BA at The College of William and Mary, where she spent the second half of her education serving as co-Editor in Chief of The Gallery literary magazine.
Jesse Lacy, associate creative nonfiction editor, is a writer from the Shenandoah Valley currently residing in Richmond, Virginia where they are a first-year MFA student in creative nonfiction and fiction at Virginia Commonwealth University. Their work is forthcoming in Roxane Gay’s emerging writers series The Audacity. As an undergraduate student, they were the literary editor for Amendment, an award-winning progressive literature and art journal.
Bhavya Bhagtani, associate poetry editor, is a first-year MFA student in poetry at Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds a BA in journalism and filmmaking from Symbiosis Centre for Media & Communication, India. Her work appears in Sundog Lit, The Hyacinth Review, The Alipore Post, and elsewhere. She previously served as poetry editor at Dust Poetry Magazine.
Channler Twyman, associate fiction editor, is a writer, proud Georgia native, and a first-year MFA student in fiction at Virginia Commonwealth University where he’s working on several upcoming projects. His works have appeared both in print and online on various websites and publishers such as LitHub, Shondaland, Siblini Journal, Anime Feminist, and Ohio’s Best Emerging Poets. He has received support for his upcoming works through Tin House as a YA Scholar in 2021, and most recently as a Kimbilio Fellow.
Interns
Mal Chowdhury, copyediting intern and podcast contributor, is a senior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in the spring of 2025 with a BA in English and minors in creative writing, professional writing and editing, and psychology.
Thao-Vy Nguyen, copyediting intern, is a senior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in the spring of 2025 with a BA in English and minors in professional writing and editing, and statistics.
Caroline Gunn, creative nonfiction intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in 2026 with a BA in English and a minor in creative writing.
Timothy Dean, poetry intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. He will graduate in the spring of 2026 with a BA in English and minors in creative writing, and mass communications.
Jenna Scott, copyediting intern, is a junior transfer student at Virginia Commonwealth University. Before transferring, she graduated from Brightpoint Community College in 2024 with an AA in Liberal Arts. She will graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University in the spring of 2026 with a BA in English and a minor in professional writing and editing.
Carolyn Slingluff, copyediting intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in 2026 with a dual degree in English and psychology, with a minor in media studies.
Elijah Ross, copyediting intern, is a senior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. He will graduate in the fall of 2025 with his BA in history and a minor in professional writing and editing.
Violet Monet, poetry intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in 2026 with a BS in psychology and a minor in creative writing.
Rae Spangler, fiction intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her work has been previously published in her community college’s literary magazine, Wild. She will graduate in the spring of 2026 with a BA in English and a minor in history.
Max Le, copyediting intern, is a senior undergraduate in the English department of Virginia Commonwealth University, and will graduate in the Spring of 2025 with a BA in English and a minor in professional writing and editing.
Dante Jackson, fiction Intern, is a junior undergraduate student at VCU. He will graduate in the spring of 2026 with a BA in history and a minor in creative writing.
Owen May, fiction intern, is a senior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. He will graduate in the spring of 2025 with a BA in English and a minor in professional writing and editing.
Farrah Filfil, poetry intern, is a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in the spring of 2025 with a dual bachelor’s degree in public relations and English with a minor in creative writing.
Tilden Culver, fiction intern, has lived in Richmond much of his life. He is currently finishing his BA in English at Virginia Commonwealth University. He spends his free time writing fiction and has short stories published or forthcoming in the Foundationalist, Applause, and VCU’s Pwatem. He hopes to pursue his writing career after college, with a soft spot for speculative and absurdist fiction.
Jessica Vigil, poetry intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in the spring of 2026 with a dual BA in English and gender, sexuality and women’s studies, and a minor in creative writing. She plans to pursue an MFA degree in poetry upon graduation.
Buffy Petrin, poetry intern, is an undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University, studying English with a dual minor in art history and professional writing and editing. She will graduate in the spring of 2026. She will also be managing literary editor for Ink Magazine, VCU’s student-run arts & culture magazine, in the fall.
Mychal Young, poetry intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a poet who is seen at open mics around the Richmond area. He will graduate in 2026 with a BA in gender, sexuality and women studies with a concentration in health society and social justice and a dual minor in creative writing and nonprofit management and administration.
Jena Salem, copyediting intern, is a senior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She also works as a copywriter for VCU’s College of Engineering. She will graduate in the fall of 2025 with a BA in English and a minor in professional writing and editing.
Rowan Weatherford, fiction intern, is a senior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in the spring of 2025 with a BA in English.
Iris Katzman, creative nonfiction intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in the spring of 2026 with a BA in English, a BFA in painting & printmaking, and dual minors in art history and creative writing.
Gabriella Mangene, poetry intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in 2026 with a BS in psychology concentrating on addiction studies and a minor in creative writing.
Sithmi Rajaguru, creative nonfiction intern, is a junior undergraduate at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in the fall of 2026 with a BA in English and a minor in professional writing and editing. She has worked as an editor on Amendment and Pwatem. She also writes bi-weekly articles for Her Campus at VCU.
Dia Srabony, poetry intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has experience being the head Art and Fashion editor for her high school’s student-led journalism magazine, The Valkyrie, and has had several articles published there as well. She will graduate in the spring of 2026 with a BA in English and dual minors in professional writing and editing, and creative writing.
Lee Foreman, poetry intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. They will graduate in the fall of 2025 with a BA in English and dual minors in creative writing and gender, sexuality and women’s studies.
Okezie Onwuegbu, creative nonfiction intern, is a sophomore undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. His work has appeared in Pwatem, a student-run publication at Virginia Commonwealth University. He will graduate in the spring of 2027 with a BA in English and minors in creative writing, professional writing and editing, and philosophy of law.
Devynne Rich, creative nonfiction intern, is a sophomore undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in the spring of 2027 with a BA in English and political science and a minor in creative writing.
Alecia Smith, social media intern, is a senior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She interned with Plain China National Literary Anthology in 2023. She will graduate in the spring of 2025 with a BA in English and a minor in professional editing and writing.
Laura Brown, fiction intern, is a senior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in 2025 with a BA in English and minors in creative writing and gender, sexuality, and women’s studies.
Yasmin Soares, creative nonfiction intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in the spring of 2026 with a BA in English and a minor in business and media studies.
Sean Kalchbrenner, fiction intern, is an undergraduate interdisciplinary studies student at Virginia Commonwealth University. He will graduate in the spring of 2027 with minors in creative writing, media studies, and professional writing and editing. Sean has also served as an editor for Pwatem and a writer for Ink, with additional writing published for non-profit music label Grimalkin records.
Tylar Parker, creative nonfiction intern, is a senior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in the spring of 2025 with a BA in both English and political science.
Claudia Andrade, podcast intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University pursuing a degree in music. Claudia was a sound associate for VCU’s theatre production of For Colored Girls by Ntozake Shange and Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco. Claudia has collaborated with Mycelia Animation Studios, and worked as a sound designer and composer for the short film Where the Mushrooms Grow directed by Maggie Gercken. Claudia is also a music writer for Ink Magazine.
Max Kadunce, podcast intern, is a recent VCU Arts graduate with a BFA in kinetic imaging and sound design. Max is a versatile composer with 10+ years of experience in music production and audio engineering.
Kendra Lyons, podcast intern, is a junior undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will graduate in 2026 with a BFA in kinetic imaging, a minor in sound design, and a minor in mixed and immersive reality studies.
Janie Wright, fiction team volunteer, is a junior undergraduate student in communication arts at Virginia Commonwealth University minoring in creative writing. She’s yet to be published outside of college publications, but you can find her work in VCU’s Annum Arcanum, Emanata, and Pwatem.
& Many Thanks
to all the editors, staff members, interns, and volunteers who made Blackbird’s third flight, volume twenty-three, number three possible.
Special thanks to Jessica Hendry Nelson for her unwavering commitment to uplifting and supporting this team. Her endless energy, creativity, and positivity made this Flight a delight to create.
Thanks to Caroline Richards for her efforts as managing editor emerita, for her continuous support in all respects, her ongoing patience, and close attention to tradition and professionalism.
Thanks to Trey Burnart Hall for his work behind the scenes on the podcast, and for his creativity and ingenuity in all things media related and otherwise.
Special thanks once again to Ashley Brewer and Cody Whitby who helped us work out this new website, your patience and hard-work are beyond appreciated.
And to all others—Thom Didato, Alicia Bonilla, our contributors, our sincere appreciation. Your dedication, ingenuity, and good spirits make it all possible.
