Meet the contributors!

Reese O’Neill @reesemeganoneill

Reese O'Neill is a Liverpool-based singer-songwriter whose lyrics explore queer relationships within the context of religious worship. Her songwriting is marked by vulnerability and honesty, accompanied by haunting vocals that reveal the raw emotions often hidden beneath the surface.

Her debut EP Best Kept Secret, set for release this autumn, draws listeners into Reese’s world. Centered around themes of limerence and devotion, this excerpt comes from the closing track, “Last Night I Wrestled With the Devil,” which is inspired by the gothic language and iconography of the film Nosferatu.

Jasmina Coric @jncoricbooks

I'm a London based writer, currently working on poetry and A poet and fantasy writer, I’m based in London with my shiba inu, Cleopawtra, Queen of Shibgypt. I’m a freelance editor and book binder, but spend almost all of my free time writing. My current project is an epic fantasy novel that investigates themes of cultural trauma and grief. Additionally, I’ll be self-publishing a fantasy book this autumn, while also working with S.T. Gibson in a writing program.

Wyvern Loopy @wyvern_loopy

Based in Scandinavia, I’m a mixed media artist, illustrator, and animist working at the crossroads of myth, matter, and magick. My creations draw from the esoteric and mythological, that weave symbols and texture. With a mix of art, zines, mini books, and handmade ATCs for trade and ritual. I’m currently collaborating with renowned occultist Kim Schwenk aka Hexehausen on Dæmonium Hortus—an oracle deck blooming with arcane flora and whispered spirits. My present focus lies in the liminal space where quantum physics and chaos magick converge—an exploration of possibility, perception, and the wild alchemy of belief.

Lethien @lethien.null

Lethien is a neurodivergent writer building a mythos of sacred ruin, soft hauntings, and ritual memorywork. Her work treats survival as scripture, grief as altar, and the body as a site of reverence. She has self-published the chapbook They Call It a Body and the digital artifact Mercy by Other Means, and is currently preparing her next offering for public viewing.

Stephanie Valente @stephaniemariavalente

Stephanie Valente is a poet, copywriter, and the author of the debut collection Internet Girlfriend, published by Clash Books. She is at work on a novel. 


Jude Bowring @a.lmostalways

My name is Jude and I'm a 26 year-old mixed media artist/writer from Newfoundland, Canada. I've been making art since I was young and have spent years trying out different forms of art until settling on a mixed media approach. I love art in all forms and I love mixing different styles to create my pieces.

Leonie Rowland @leoniearowland

Leonie Rowland is a poet, therapeutic writing practitioner and meditation teacher based in Manchester. She is the author of In Bed with Melon Bread (2021) and This Time of Life is Meant for Savages (2023).

Em @em.ravenscroft.art

Hi everyone my name is Emily and I’m a mixed media artist and full time uni student from Warrington. I am currently studying my fine art Degree at Liverpool Hope university and at the moment my practise centres around problems that people face within our society today wether that be body image, mental health issues, or disabilities and the way that society has led us to believe that these things aren’t important or taboo. This year I am going into my final year and need some volunteers for my final project.my focus is on body image and the different relationships people have with theirselves. If you feel comfortable enough to share your story dealing with body image, positive or negative please get in touch with my Instagram. Thank you!

Jawahir Alamin @Thisismyamore

Jawahir Alamin is a writer of literary athleticism, her syntax sweats, stretches, and aches with precision. She blends maternal tenderness with intellectual rigor, weaving Barthes, figs, and the body into verse that feels intimate, vital, and aching with breath. Reading her is like witnessing the earth naked and bare.

Tanmoy Kayesen @the_cray_esen

I'm Tanmoy Kayesen, An Artist and a designer from India. My work as an artist delves into the complexities of my human condition, exploring the evolving relationship I have with myself and those close to me. Through my work, I navigate the challenges of being a flawed human striving to cope with reality and finding meaning in existence. My work also explores the absurd nature of reality, the anxiety that comes with living, the meaninglessness of life, guilt and shame, the darker depths of human psychology, the idea of home, the un/conditionality of love, the role of nature versus nurture, the concept of freedom, the lifelong impact of abuse and the romanticism of depression. Each piece serves as a documentation of a particular period in my life, capturing moments of vulnerability and the ongoing journey towards understanding myself better the world around me.

Toni Burns @toniscuriositycabinet

Toni Burns has recently begun exploring creativity through poems and educational articles after feeling hesitant for a long time. She shares her work on her Substack, @curi0sitycabinet, where she follows her curiosity and tries new things at her own pace. Also co-hosts a podcast, Past and Picture, which blends film theory with history and philosophy.

Frankie Reed @frankenstiens.curios

Frankie Reed is a poet and visual artist whose work explores history, the divine, and the mysteries of the body—both in life and in death. With a background in the arts and historical inquiry, they work across media to unravel the emotional and symbolic threads that connect us to these states of being.

Millie Foster @redversepress

Millie Foster is a poet and writer, living and working between Liverpool and Boorloo/Perth. A fervent collector and (re)arranger of words, her work documents the tender process of reaching out, living amongst, and writing about. She holds a BA in English and Literary Studies and Philosophy from The University of Western Australia. Her work has appeared in Blood Orange Zine, Damsel Magazine, which she co-edited in 2022, and in her own co-produced publication, Choking Hazard, created on unceded Whadjuk Noongar Boodja, amongst others. She writes as Red Verse on Substack.

Cari @carisartnotes

Heyo, I'm Cari! I'm a 20-year-old literature student based in London. I've been writing poetry for around 3 years, and longer pieces of prose since childhood. I write to process trauma, and right now I am working on a chapbook exploring how the seven deadly sins show up in my life. When I'm not writing poetry (which is most of the time, unfortunately), I spend my time reading, visiting art exhibitions, watching films, and writing about these activities for my Substack.

FM Illustrations @fmcomicsandillustration

I'm a self taught illustrator and comic artist from Austria, who has always been in love with hatching out form and texture in pen and ink or pencil. Any medium that makes consistent lines really. My biggest interest and love has always been fantastical stories in any format imaginable and my pursuit is to find ways to express the moments and interaction in those stories in a very tangible ways. To reveal tension and contact in twisting organic forms and human anatomy. I'm currently working on putting together my own first Zine, which I find to be an endlessly fascinating format to present independent words and pictures.

Ophelia Sage @pheonfilm

Ophelia is a sixteen-year-old poet, writer, and student from Missouri. She finds inspiration in everyday details, complex emotions, and the peace between silence and speech. Her work often explores themes of girlhood, longing, and memory. When she’s not writing, she’s probably working on costumes for a school production, annotating beat poetry, or sipping a London fog. Her poetry has appeared in Dreamworldgirl Zine and other teen literary spaces.

Xanthe Tilzey @xtilzey

I'm an oil painter, living and working in Cockermouth, Cumbria. I'm inspired by gothic and grotesque imagery, with my subjects ranging from draped fabric and historical costume to severed heads and multicoloured dreamscapes. I use oil paint to create sensual, mysterious and richly textured compositions that explore layered emotional and psychological spaces. I'm currently working from my home studio, taking time to research painting techniques and practices while developing a new body of work. I studied Fine Art at Liverpool John Moores University before moving back home to the Lake District. While living in Liverpool, I participated in the Independents Biennial in 2023 and completed a residency with The Royal Standard in 2024, which culminated in my first solo exhibition, Fearful Symmetry. More recently, my work is currently featured in the ABG Emerging 2 Collection through ALICE BLACK Gallery.

Star Faeastrea @latenightartifact

Star grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and currently resides in Northern Australia. She loves her stuffed animal Twinkle, large bodies of water, and the smell of old books. Her poetic work centers around the experience of female desire, intimacy as violence, youth, pleasure, play, and god.

Hannah Dominique Kelly @hannahdominiquekelly

Liverpool based writer and History PhD. Hoping for better times for everyone.

Elinor J Boult @elinor.boult

Hi, I’m Elinor! I’m 28 and a Capricorn and I love mythology, musicals and maximalism. I’ve been writing plays for about 10 years and I’m really enjoying the opportunity to express my poetic side. I’m currently working on a play about an elderly woman finally coming out to her life long best friend, so if you’re looking to put on an original, queer, two-hander, please get in touch!

Johanna Wilson @thatgirlprints @thewanderin_library

I am an artist exploring collage, drawing and experimental printmaking intersect. I recently started a community DIY publishing project called The Wanderin' Library where I gather self-published zines and handmade books, taking them around in my custom made trolley/library to share them with people and inspire authorship and creative play.

Julia Greenshaw @greenshawbooks

Julia Greenshaw is a writer of fantasy and gothic horror and a lover of all things strange, macabre, and magical. After working a variety of odd jobs in her 20s, she returned home to writing and is currently working on her debut novel, Knave of Sands. When not writing, she enjoys taking care of her menagerie of animals, gardening, reading novels, and hunting for mushrooms.

Cormac Gould @vaguesensations

Cormac is a Liverpool based writer and composer. His musical work often focuses on technology, text and the voice. His written work is personal, observational and sometimes absurd. He also enjoys exploring ideas through short, speculative writing tinged with sci-fi and fantasy. Recent work includes playing synthesisers for Jack McNally’s Trial Tapes and collaborating through text, sound and conversation with artists Roxy Topia and Paddy Gould for their Bluecoat exhibition: Let Your Ideas Come Back as Children.

Jodiexists @jodiexists @jodiexists-art

I'm a Liverpool based digital comics artist with some zine experience. This has involved illustrated contributions to two Splatoon themed zines, one of which was raising money for Gaza. I've produced my own small paper zines and tabled at one local con (Mersey Margins), and collaborated with another person (colouring) on an 8 page comic. More recently I have been taking Pride commissions to raise money for GYRO, a local LGBT charity. I also just completed my astrophysics masters. I have a passion for non euclidean mathematical horror, body horror and psychological horror.

Raquel Ruiz @raqrandoms

I love consuming all forms of media and doing karaoke with my friends every Thursday. If I’m not writing, I’m curating playlists on Spotify or rewatching Barbara Streisand’s discography. I love Shakespeare and Broadway – my newest hyperfixation is the Sunset Boulevard revival which has taken over my car aux daily. My motto is “Be optimistic!" from my childhood favorite movie Little Miss Broadway.

Fruitsfromthepoettree @fruitsfromthepoettree

I’m an early years educator, but poetry is where I let my inner world speak. Through fruitsofthepoettree, I explore the roots of my childhood, the stretch of my dreams, the shape of my fears and the wild array of my thoughts. My words often intertwine with nature and astrology, tools I use to ground, reflect and connect. Clowning, theatre and multimedia art have also shaped how I express emotion and meaning. Poetry is my way of finding truth in both the stars and the soil.

May the Poet @Itsmaythepoet

May the Poet is a multifaceted, multicultural creative individual. Her work centers around poetry, spoken word and song writing, with themes of activism, mental health and spirituality. May hopes to tap into parts of your inner soul with her words, creating a safe space for raw emotion and liberating expression.

Sazo @sarahi_alshreef

Sazo is an arab self-taught artist working across various mediums, primarily painting. They explore feminist and gender themes shaped by their experience as an AFAB in a patriarchal society. For Sazo, art is an act of resistance.

Ella @ellaho1mes

I'm Ella and I'm a recent graduate from the university of Liverpool where I studied English Literature and French. Reading has always been a massive part of my life, and authors like Joan Didion and Eve Babitz have really inspired me in my creative endeavours thus far, as well as existential thinkers like Camus. Recently I completed an assignment at uni discussing the vampire in gothic fiction as a symbol of existentialist dread, and from here onwards I have been really interested in developing my own philosophical thought. I have only just began to push myself into writing creatively as it is something I have always dabbled in but never delved into, and this piece is something I have been working on for the open call that explores being unable to find solace in your rituals anymore, which is quite a haunting idea for me.

Mary Mahalia Wilson @marymahaliawilson

mary is a english literature student at the university of liverpool. she has been scribbling away in her notebook for as long as she can remember. her work focuses on grief, femininity, nature and the self. alongside her writing, mary is the opinion and social commentary co-editor for sleeve magazine.

rae woods @out.of.the.woods.poetry

at time of writing, i'm rae, i'm 24. i ate a lot of paint as a child and i've been making stuff periodically ever since to in attempt to try and get it out. back then i was small. right now i'm not much bigger. in regard to the paint habit, don't worry about it. i believe in creating bad art until we can do the good kind, and the good kind until we can learn how to be bad again. we should do all of this simultaneously until the end of time and we realise it was all the same thing. i’ve started sharing my poems again. some are about me. others are about you. at least one is about jesus. everything, ever, is about finding our way out of the woods. maybe we're heading in the same direction. maybe we could walk each other home.

Eva Fox-Ford @Majorstyling @Evafoxfordd

I’m a 23 y/o scouse creative, as I work full time, in my spare time I make multi-media collages and I am a stylist. I like to use fashion magazines (like British Vogue, Dazed, POP Mag, Harpers Bazaar), acrylic paint, fine-liner, glitter, newspaper and whatever else i can get my hands on for my collages. I also host art events @jinksartsco, and love to pull an outfit together @majorstyling. In this piece, my take on ‘The Divine’ shows how we all have different interpretations of what we believe the divine to be, whether that be mythological or human, spiritual or religious.