Our People

Alex (they/them) hails from Massachusetts where they spent time farming, and then came to U of I to get their MFA in fiction writing. Alex enjoys working one on one and connecting with people to help them in their writing endeavors. They have previous experience as a creative writing mentor and can use this to help writers tap into creativity. Alex enjoys looking at the big picture ideas and organizational flow of writing. Alex also finds musical flow while playing the drums in their spare time.

Annalise (she/her) is a junior majoring in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing and minoring in French. Hailing from Tacoma, WA, she hopes to turn her love for poetry into a career by becoming a published poet. Annalise also pours this passion into Thistle, U of I's undergrad literary journal, where she served as the lead poetry editor for Spring '23. Outside of the literary world, Annalise loves playing the piano, watching horror movies, and going on hikes with friends.

Chris (they/them) is a sixth-year student from Priest River, Idaho. They are triple majoring in psychology, English, and secondary education, and also studying German. After student teaching, Chris plans to adapt to a life of a high school English and theater teacher. They love writing, tutoring, and learning new things. They are excited to help people in the Writing Center pursue their own journey to create written work they are proud of. In Chris's free time, they enjoy spending time with their partner or self-publishing.

Cooper (he/him), or Coop, is an English major who returned to his hometown of Moscow after six years of playing music and traveling the West. Growing up in an environment that fostered a love of learning, Coop jumped into his studies with much of the same passion he has for music. Some of his favorite authors lately include Rachel Cusk, Roberto Bolaño, Yevgenia Belorusets, and Raymond Carver. Currently he’s working on his third album with his band Desolation Horse, which will be out October 2023

Dylan is a first-year English MA student who graduated from U of I with a degree in English, emphasizing creative writing. His focus is primarily in researching digital narratives, though he has a passion for writing fiction and creative non-fiction. When he isn’t reading or writing, he is most likely binge watching anime or playing video games (any and all video games). His favorite anime is Steins Gate and his favorite games include NieR: Automata and anything developed by From Software. Dylan is also obsessed with cats and would love to tell you why his kitten Yuuna is the most precious creature that ever existed. Ever.

Dylan (he/they) is a junior in English with a creative writing emphasis. He is from Boise, Idaho. Friendly and imaginative, he is currently pursuing a career in editing and publication. His pastimes include reading and writing fantasy, hanging out with his cat and friends, doodling, and going on walks. In his high school theater class, he discovered a joy for writing plays. He sees writing as a creative outlet for people to express themselves, especially when it is hard to do elsewhere. Dylan is eager to help people get their ideas onto the page in a way that makes them feel comfortable and proud.

Evelyn (she/her) is a second-year student studying English in secondary education. The last story that Evelyn enjoyed was The Alchemist, a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. She loved the novel’s open ending and feels that it is applicable to the real world, which is something that she values in storytelling. One thing that sets Evelyn apart from everyone else is that she puts her socks and shoes on one foot at a time instead of starting with both socks and then both shoes. She knows this is strange, but it saves time and reminds her to be more inquisitive about the smaller details of her life, such as the correct way to put on socks and shoes. Originally from Voorhees, New Jersey, Evelyn spends her free time in Moscow longboarding the hills of the Palouse.

Jade (she/they) is a second-year student in secondary education from Moscow, Idaho. To Jade, language is the basis for connecting with people. She writes to put her ideas out into the world, especially when she does not see those ideas represented; she writes to create the writing she wants to read. As a teacher, she wants to foster in students the ability to do the same, and to lead a good life. Her favorite book is Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. In her free time she plays games like Hollow Knight and The Binding of Isaac where her main competitor is herself. She also likes the TV Show Arcane.

Miriam (they/them) is a second-year MFA student in creative writing. As a bilingual writer, Miriam is interested in how language, sound, and heritage shows up in their poems and in other people’s writing. Miriam grew up in the Midwest before spending six years working seasonally in the West, mainly in Idaho. They love walking, playing music, and curling up with some fiction or poetry on the couch. 

Palak is a sophomore student from India who is majoring in computer science. Her hobbies include trying new Indian dishes, playing games, watching Bollywood movies, and reading story books. She is fan of Harry Potter, has watched every Harry Potter movie several times, and wishes to visit the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft some day in the future. She is passionate about expressing her thoughts and ideas through writing and believes that writing should be enjoyable and accessible to all. She has passion for helping international students succeed, has worked with students from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, and understands the unique challenges that they face in adjusting to a new educational system. She is committed to helping students develop their writing skills while having fun. 

Spencer (they/them) holds an MA in English and is now a second-year graduate student pursuing an MFA in poetry. In their creative work, Spencer writes about embodiment, punk music, spiritual deconstruction, and direct action. Scholastically, they are interested in British Romanticism, social ecology, and queer temporality. As a tutor, Spencer looks forward to working with writers of all disciplines and interests.

Timmy is a second-year master’s student in History studying African American childhood and childhood of enslaved children. Timmy is from Lagos, Nigeria, where they studied history and strategic studies for their bachelor’s degree at the University of Lagos. In his free time, he writes scripts, poems, and historical works. For Timmy, writing is a way of expressing his mind and opening up another world. Some of his favorite books are Alex Haley’s Roots, and Uzodinma Iweala’s Beast of No Nation. His undergraduate research focused on the history of Yoruba theater until 1947 in connection with the contemporary Crown Troupe of Africa (1996-2019). It explores the input of traditional and modern indigenous theater to societal developmental and cultural continuity in Nigeria between the pre-Nigeria years to 2019.

Tymber (she/they) is a graduate student pursuing an MFA in creative non-fiction writing. They write a lot about the swamps of Florida, where they grew up on the gulf coast. Though, she writes about just about anything and finds that discussion and community are a big part of the writing process. They believe anyone can write anything with the help of someone to bounce ideas off. Tymber spends equal time with their snakes and turtle, trying to stay warm and wet as they do outside, taking beautiful walks, and enjoying the not-swamp wilderness. 

Victoria (or Tori), originally from Meridian, ID, is now in her second year as an English major. To Tori, writing is an infinite conversation, a platform for the meeting of diverse attitudes and perspectives. She’s especially interested in stream-of-consciousness writing and beat poetry as means to foster an explorative environment. You might say reading runs in the family. Two of her other favorite genres are sci-fi and fantasy, and some of her favorite writers right now include Brandon Sanderson, Jim Butcher, and Marissa Meyer. Outside of school, she enjoys making music, singing, and playing Dungeons & Dragons.