GIVING ROOM MAG
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STAFF

Editors

Cerissa DiValentino
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Founder & Editor-in-Chief
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​is a lover of buying too many books all at once and binge writing into the night. Her work has been published in Cathexis Northwest Press, Chronogram Magazine, Two Sisters Writing & Publishing, and more. She is the recipient of the 2022 Vincent Tomaselli Award in Creative Writing for Fiction, and has been named a semi-finalist for the 2021 American Short(er) Fiction Prize. Her favorite books are Sula by Toni Morrison, The Girls by Emma Cline, Always Happy Hour by Mary Miller, and The Book of Mother by Violaine Huisman. She enjoys writing work that looks at trauma and grief from the perspective of girlhood and womanhood.
Kelly Stohr
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Managing Editor
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​is a copywriter by day and creative writer by night. Her profession has taken her from upstate New York to Brooklyn to Kansas City, but she draws most of her inspiration from the hidden towns and abandoned nooks and crannies she’s found along the way. Her work has been published in GLITCHWORDS, Re-Side Zine and Pile Press. Lately, you’ll find her reading Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay and whatever zines she can find in her local bookstore. When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s probably busy being a coffee snob, listening to a political podcast or camping.

Carla Wilson
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Managing Editor
​she/her

​is a Harper Community College student who loves fashion, reading, and writing. She just starting to explore her spiritual side with tarot cards and crystals. She believes writing is one of the powerful tools we have in this world and can be used to tell the stories they are often hidden. She loves fashion and trying to learn to show her love in a way that doesn't hurt Mother Earth. Her main goal is to leave the world a safer place than when she came into it. Taurus Sun. Aquarius Moon. Sagittarius Rising.
Emily Goldsmith
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Managing Editor
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is
 a queer Cajun poet and Ph.D. student in Creative Writing at the University of Southern Mississippi. They received their MFA in Poetry from the University of Kentucky in 2021. A Pushcart nominated poet, their work can be found in Fine Print Press, Witch Craft Mag, Entropy Mag, Vagabond City Lit, and elsewhere. Their favorite poets include (but aren't limited to) Frank O'Hara, Dara Wier, Evie Shockley and Heather Christle. When they have down time, they enjoy reading fantasy books and spicyyy romances. Married to a sound engineer, they really love the intersection of music and poetry and are looking forward to experimenting more with live poetry performances and collaborative video/sound poems. 
McKenzie Morgan
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she/her/hers
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is a freelance journalist and writer based in Philadelphia. She began writing her first short stories when she was in kindergarten and hasn't stopped since. McKenzie took her passion for storytelling and made a career of writing stories about things she cares about. When she's not doing that, she reading Greek myth retellings or re-watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy (Extended Editions).
Mashaal Sajid
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she/her

​is a Pakistani poet, writer and artist from Rawalpindi. Her poetry is centered around themes of lived experiences under capitalist patriarchy and women exploring identity, love and desire when their existence is highly politicized and their bodies policed. Most days you can find her writing poetry, reading for The Walled City Journal, volunteering art, admiring Mina Loy's 'Parturition' and listening to Sylvia Plath's audio recordings. She adores succulents, flowers and lepidoptera hence the recurring floral references in her Poems. Her work is forthcoming and published in Fahmidan, The Sutterville Review, Rigorous & The RIC Journal among others. 
Ari Collins
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she/her

​is a small-town, self-proclaimed “coffee journo” who loves soup, skirts, and sonnets. She is also a mixed-media artist, full-time feminist, and classic rock enthusiast. Her work can be found on her high school’s digital news publication, eSomethin.com, or on her social media pages. When not writing, she can be found lurking in an art museum, re-reading Percy Shelley’s "The Daemon of the World", or listening to Alanis Morissette. She thinks everyone should: read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, own at least one pair of Doc Martens, and wake up early to watch the sun rise.

Writers

Ariel Moscat
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she/they

​is a latinx second generation American writer. As a witchcraft practitioner and spiritualist she focuses on diving into the world of the occult and sharing their stories. Along with that, they enjoy writing personal essays and short story fiction. Ariel is a certified bookworm, tree-hugger, and anime lover.  
Carla Antonia
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she/her

​is a Harper Community College student who loves fashion, reading, and writing. She just starting to explore her spiritual side with tarot cards and crystals. She believes writing is one of the powerful tools we have in this world and can be used to tell the stories they are often hidden. She loves fashion and trying to learn to show her love in a way that doesn't hurt Mother Earth. Her main goal is to leave the world a safer place than when she came into it. Taurus Sun. Aquarius Moon. Sagittarius Rising.
Ari Collins
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​she/her

​is a small-town, self-proclaimed “coffee journo” who loves soup, skirts, and sonnets. She is also a mixed-media artist, full-time feminist, and classic rock enthusiast. Her work can be found on her high school’s digital news publication, eSomethin.com, or on her social media pages. When not writing, she can be found lurking in an art museum, re-reading Percy Shelley’s “The Daemon of the World,” or listening to Alanis Morissette. She thinks everyone should: read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, own at least one pair of Doc Martens, and wake up early to watch the sun rise.
Mashaal Sajid
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she/her

is a Pakistani poet, writer and artist from Rawalpindi. Her poetry is centered around themes of lived experiences under capitalist patriarchy and women exploring identity, love and desire when their existence is highly politicized and their bodies policed. Most days you can find her writing poetry, reading for The Walled City Journal, volunteering art, admiring Mina Loy's 'Parturition' and listening to Sylvia Plath's audio recordings. She adores succulents, flowers and lepidoptera hence the recurring floral references in her Poems. Her work is forthcoming and published in Fahmidan, The Sutterville Review, Rigorous & The RIC Journal among others. 
Amy Tonta
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she/her
​
is a freelance writer from Australia with a Bachelor of Media and Communications. Having studied film as a major, she’s a TV and movie enthusiast who falls in love with fictional characters a little too easily. Writing has always been her passion since she was young, first holding a great interest in narrative writing to then gaining an avid love for media analysis. Her essays are often through a cultural lens, particularly in terms of representation and identity. When she isn’t writing or analysing something she’s watched, she’s constantly drinking coffee or matcha, streaming story based video games and taking months to finish one novel.
Emma Shahin
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she/her

graduated from the college of William & Mary last May, and is currently working at Columbia University’s substance abuse treatment center. In college, she found joy in creating collages & writing /editing pieces for W&M radio’s music mag, Vinyl Tap. In her free time nowadays, she enjoys sporadically posting on her crafting / music content page, listening to sad songs, scarfing down gyros & people watching. She is very much looking forward to having a wonderful reason to write again & joining the lovely Giving Room Mag staff! 
Samantha Reagan
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she/her
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is a Filipino-American high school student writing from Las Vegas, Nevada. Her work focuses on feminist and queer issues, social media, and pop culture. An avid reader, her favorite authors include Mary Shelley, E.M. Forster, Gillian Flynn, and Sylvia Plath. She hopes to one day attend Vassar College to study political science. In her spare time, she finds joy in drawing, writing letters, and cooking vegetarian cuisine. 

Content Creators & Managers

Carla Wilson
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Social Media & Marketing Manager
she/her

​is a Harper Community College student who loves fashion, reading, and writing. She just starting to explore her spiritual side with tarot cards and crystals. She believes writing is one of the most powerful tools we have in this world and can be used to tell stories that are often hidden. She loves fashion and trying to learn to show her love in a way that doesn't hurt Mother Earth. Her main goal is to leave the world a safer place than when she came into it. Taurus Sun. Aquarius Moon. Sagittarius Rising.
  • Home
  • Issues
    • ISSUE 1
    • ISSUE 2: QUEER NOSTALGIA
    • ISSUE 3: METAMORPHOSIS
    • ISSUE 4
    • ISSUE 5
  • Submit
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