Our People

Alex is originally from Massachusetts where they worked for many years as a farmer before coming to U of I to get their MFA in fiction writing. Alex enjoys working one on one and connecting with students to help them with their writing projects. 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. In their spare time, Alex likes playing music and perpetually rewatching the TV show Derry Girls.

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 (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.

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.

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 is a third-year MFA student in poetry. As a bilingual writer, Miriam is interested in how language, sound, and heritage shows up in their own and other people’s work. Miriam was born in Sweden and grew up in Michigan before working seasonally in Washington and Idaho. They love the woods, skiing and getting themself into trouble with DIY projects.

Karissa Carmona is a second year poet in the U of Idaho's MFA program. She is from the Bitterroot Valley in Western Montana. In her tutoring, and her own writing process, Karissa likes making room for joy, humor, and discovery.

Hunter (he/him) is a Senior studying Secondary Education and History here at the University of Idaho. Originally from Northeastern Ohio, Hunter moved to the Pacific Northwest in hopes of becoming a history teacher. Hunter has a passion to bestow the lessons of the past to the youth of the world. When he is not in class, he can likely be found studying in the library or enjoying time with his partner. His hobbies include cooking, playing video games, or strolling around Moscow. Side note, Hunter is the number one ranked Super Smash Bros. Ultimate player at the University of Idaho.

Jason is a second-year fiction candidate in the Creative Writing MFA at the University of Idaho. Before enrolling in the program, Jason taught 9th grade English and history. Since enrolling in the program, Jason has become interested in incorporating STEM principles into his literary work. Jason calls Massachusetts home.

Skyler (she/her) is a 3rd year student majoring in Philosophy and English, who is originally from Boise, ID. She is primarily interested in argumentative writing as it pertains to analytic philosophy, where she is drawn to contemporary feminist and gender theory. She is also fond of French existentialism and the ethics of generative artificial-intelligence. A bit of a film buff, her comfort movie is Midsommar. She is aware of how strange this is, but the impeccable cinematography and subversion of prevalent horror tropes have permanently altered her synapses. She is excited to delve into the arguments students design in their papers, helping diagram their points using the skills she learned in her Symbolic Logic course.

Bailey (she/her) is a senior studying English with the hopes of working in a large publishing firm someday. After graduation, she dreams of becoming an editor and helping others turn their creative ideas into published works. Bailey loves to read fantasy and gothic literature, and she recommends "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss to anyone who will listen. Fun fact about Bailey: she married her high school sweetheart, and she and her husband both decided to study English completely separate from one another; now they are both pursuing English degrees at the U of I together.

Avery (she/her) is a second-year English major, with minor in Professional Writing from Canby, OR. She loves to delve into a good book, and often spends her nights awake reading many hours past her bedtime. One fun fact about Avery is that she has read The Hunger Games series more than fifteen times in her lifetime, and has been to the film exhibit in Las Vegas, NV. Outside of the literary world, Avery spends her time swimming in the University of Idaho Swim Center, as a member of the Women’s Swimming and Diving team.

Amelie (she/her) is a third year majoring in English with French and Creative Writing minors. Hailing from Meridian, ID, she plans to travel the world and delve into writing romance books. She's very passionate about small animals and has owned quite the list of exotic pets, including a couple hedgehogs. An old lady at heart, she connects deeply with her two grandmas, as they share a love of birds, antiques, and of course, creative writing...but she takes full ownership of her love for baking and embroidery.

Mary (she/her) is a third year student, studying English with a minor in Marketing. She enjoys all caffeinated drinks, a good book, baking, and being in the outdoors. She is from Cle Elum, Washington and loves that Moscow has become her home- away- from- home. Mary is excited to delve into various aspects of the writing process with students and learn with them along the way!

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 (full name pronounced Ti-mi- le-yin) is from Lagos, Nigeria, and is a graduate student in the History Department. He studies Childhood, Children's Agency, and Culture of Enslaved Children in the Antebellum American South. He is interested in understanding how children born to the Afro and Black experience within the regions of the Atlantic World contribute to the socio-cultural representation, continuity, and transformation. In his free time, Timileyin (Timmy) enjoys cooking, writing, watching films and plays as well as reading books. For Timmy, writing is beyond a means of expressing thoughts in one's mind and heart. Writing is an opening, a portal, to other worlds: the relatable, unreachable, or the unreal. Some of his favorite fiction books are Alex Haley’s Roots and Uzodinma Iweala’s Beast of No Nation. His favorite fiction book is Robin Bernstein's Racial Innocence Performing American Childhood from Slavery to Civil Rights.

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.