zaUM
THE 27Th EDITIOn
2022-2023 Zaum Staff
Meet the staff from the 27th edition of Zaum!
Audrey Cadena
Senior Editor
Audrey Cadena is about to finish up her Bachelor’s degree at SSU in English with a concentration in Creative Writing, as well as a minor in Film Studies. She has worked on the editorial staff as well as published work in Zaum and The REVIVAL Zine. After she graduates she’s not really sure what she’ll do, but she hopes to find a job she doesn’t hate while leaving traces of blue hair dye in her wake.
Find Audrey's work on The REVIVAL Zine HERE
https://therevivalzinesonomastate.wordpress.com/tag/audrey-cadena/
Liam Paull-Dining
Managing Print Production Editor
Liam Paull-Dining is currently a student in the English Creative Writing program at Sonoma State University after receiving Associates in English for Transfer and Language Arts from Laney College. He has published poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual art in Zaum and Open Ceilings magazines. If you need him, he is probably up at an ungodly hour reworking some unwieldy piece of writing.
Chlo Connaughton
Managing Print Production Editor
Chlo Connaughton is currently finishing a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature, with aspirations of obtaining a Master’s degree as well as a PhD in English some day. Chlo has made one issue of a literature and art collective magazine of her own, called Effable Press. She hopes to make more issues in the future! When she isn’t writing and reading for school or other creative endeavors, you can find Chlo drumming in her band, Bad Thoughts.
Sarah Davey
Communications Manager
Sarah Davey earned her English Associate's Degree from Reedley JC. She is currently on the edge of concluding her time at Sonoma State University, and will be receiving her BA in English Literature. For Zaum she has managed and expanded public presence, created and edited web-based content, as well as provided editorial oversight. Sarah plans on pursuing a Law Degree with the ambition of becoming an Attorney and then a Judge.
McKenna Dove
Events Manager
McKenna Dove is a graduating fourth-year at Sonoma State. They are an English major with a concentration in Creative Writing, along with a minor in Queer Studies. As an avid, passionate writer they look to pursue Sonoma's graduate program and further. They enjoy playing in the rain, wanting a bunch of tattoos, and claiming their partner's cat as their own.
Shannon Morehead
Managing Web Production Editor
Shannon Morehead is a graduating senior at Sonoma State University, studying English Literature with aspirations to become a high school English teacher after continuing to complete a Master's Degree. She is an avid clarinet player of 10 years with hopes of continuing to study music as well as literature, and in her free time she enjoys roller-skating, hiking, getting tattoos, being insanely goofy, and reading novels that will emotionally wreck her for at least a week afterwards.
Vivian Stegura
Communications Manager
Vivian Stegura is a fourth year Creative Writing major at Sonoma State university, minoring in Anthropology. Her biggest dream is to a be an author who illustrates her own work, all she has to do is actually start letting other people read it. When Vivian is not suffering from writers block she likes to draw faces, run as long as she can, make her friends laugh until they cry, and go to therapy.
Jon Slavin
Web & Print Production Staff
Jon Slavin is a graduating senior at Sonoma State University, majoring in English/Creative Writing. He is a film and TV addict in his free time, and he hopes to break into the world of screenwriting after getting his degree.
Sunny Urquhart
Web & Communications Staff
Sunny Urquhart is a graduating fourth year student at Sonoma State University, who is a double major in English Literature and History. After graduating, they are attending University of Illinois for their Master’s Degree in Library Science and Information. In their free time, they enjoy visiting aquariums to look at kelp forests and playing tabletop games with their friends.
Cameron De La Torre
Events & Web Staff
Cameron De La Torre is a senior at Sonoma State University studying English. After graduating he will be taking a year off to travel the world and then go back to school to become a lawyer. When not working, you can find him spending quality time with friends and family or participating in extreme action sports of all kinds from snowboarding to mountain-biking.
Madeline Warner
Events & Print Production Staff
Madeline Warner is in her last year at Sonoma State University, finishing her Bachelor’s degree in English Creative Writing. She is published in the 16th issue of SSU’s Revival Zine and hopes to someday work at The Walt Disney Company in an unknown field of creative language. Other aspirations of hers include a healthy, happy relationship with a beautiful woman and creating Disney’s first openly-queer princess.
Rebecca von Arx
Events & Web Production Staff
Rebecca von Arx studies English Literature at Sonoma State University. Following graduation, she plans to transfer into the Master of Library and Information Science program at San Jose State so that she can be surrounded by books forever.
Michaela Wang
Events & Print Production Staff
Michaela Wang studies English Literature at Sonoma State University and she is used to defending the validity of her anticipated college degree. When she isn’t doing her coursework or spending time with friends, she enjoys whistling tunes, making dumplings, and milking goats.
Riley Smith
Communications & Print Production Staff
Riley Smith is a graduating senior studying English Literature. Aside from academics, Riley enjoys binge-watching films, starting crafts she knows she’ll never finish, being obscene, and committing to the bit. She also works at her local YMCA under the alias Taz.
Malia Falk
Events & Communications Staff
Malia Falk is a junior at Sonoma State University, studying English with a specific branch of Creative Writing. Outside of academics, she plays on the Sonoma State Women's soccer team. Within the rare free time that her schedule allows during a week, after soccer and school, she enjoys being active outdoors, reading, and spending time with her family.
Michelle Gabrielle Dinno
Communications & Print Production Staff
Michelle Gabrielle Dinno is an aspiring fashion designer, esthetician, and poet completing a degree in creative writing at Sonoma State University. Deeply emotional, and an artist and romantic with her sun, moon, and rising sign in fire, she spends her days living in a dream.
Nathan Rifkin
Communications & Print Production Staff
Nathan Rifkin is pursuing his BA in English: Creative Writing at Sonoma State University. Previously he received his Associate in Arts for Transfer degree at Long Beach City College. He makes very good use of his SSU cafeteria meal plan. He also enjoys crossword puzzles.
Amelia Plumhoff
Communications & Web Production Staff
Amelia Plumhoff is an upcoming graduate of the Sonoma State University English Department who is enthusiastic about changing the world by teaching literature as being taught literature did to them. In their free time, Amelia enjoys reading, cooking, drawing, studying new languages, and most importantly, catching up on sleep.
Sonnet Chowdhury
Events & Print Production Staff
Sonnet Chowdhury is a graduating senior studying English Literature at Sonoma State University. She plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, exploring places she’s never been before, mixing drinks, and throwing knives.
Leah Chavez
Events & Print Production Staff
Leah Chavez is a graduating fourth year studying English Literature at Sonoma State University with plans to pursue a Master’s degree in English and become a Professor at a local institution. When they aren’t getting a minimum of five hours of sleep or reading till their eyes can’t focus, they enjoy collecting rocks, comic books, and the odd tattoo as forms of self-care.
Karlien Fourie
Prose Editor
Karlien Fourie is currently finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature. Before this, she received her AA degree at Napa Valley College in English Literature, Art History, Political Science, and Natural Science and Mathematics. She has aspirations to become an editor and author. Most nights she can be found hanging out with her dogs (the cutest and goodest boys in the world), devouring books, or jotting down story ideas in her notes app.
Miah Jeffra
Faculty Advisor
Miah Jeffra is author of four books, most recently The Violence Almanac (finalist for several awards, including the Grace Paley and St. Lawrence Book Prizes) and the novel American Gospel, winner of the Clark-Gross Award. Work can be seen in StoryQuarterly, Prairie Schooner, The North American Review, Barrelhouse, DIAGRAM, jubilat and many others. Miah is co-founder of Whiting Award-winning queer and trans literary collaborative, Foglifter Press, and teaches writing and decolonial studies at Santa Clara University and Sonoma State University.
Natalie Ghamous
Poetry Editor
Natalie Ghamous is about to receive her bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Sonoma State University. She plans on heading home to the Bay Area to work for a tech company that needs content editors, while pursuing her dream of developmentally editing fiction novels on her time off. She can’t wait until she has the ability to take as many cats and dogs home from the rescue as possible!
Fiona Hynes
Poetry Editor
Fiona Hynes is working on finishing her time at Sonoma State with a Bachelor’s in English, after transferring from the SRJC. She hopes to someday find a career in publishing, though her current tagline is “no idea how I’ll get there but I’ll figure something out.” Her previous poetry experience was limited to a self-authored, imagery filled poem about bird poop which she feels perfectly prepared her for her role in the creation of ZAUM this semester as a managing poetry editor.
Sophie Carbone
Prose Committee
Sophie is in her last semester at Sonoma State as an English Major with a concentration in Creative Writing plus a general Art History minor. She already has an AA in English from the Santa Rosa Junior College. She has been published twice in the Zaum magazine for both poetry (“Sailing and Sewing”) and prose fiction (“One with the Earth”). She looks forward to helping other aspiring writers become published in the Zaum magazine and beyond.
Hailey Carson-Hull
Prose Committee
Hailey is on the precipice of escaping their Creative Writing track and once they do they want to write sick video games and publish self-indulgent poetry. They were published in Zaum 25 a couple years ago (washed), and have been chasing that high ever since.
Megan Hamner
Prose Committee
Megan Hamner is finishing up her last semester at SSU for a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing. When she’s not reading you can find her lost in a videogame and hanging out with her polydactyl cat named Ivy.
Marlon Morrell
Prose Committee
Marlon Morrell is dangerously close to finishing his Bachelor's in Literature at Sonoma State University. He has no idea what to do next, but is actively considering both barber school and clown college.
Megan Hamner
Prose Committee
Belle Tyler is studying English at Sonoma State University, and plans to become a high school English teacher. An avid reader, she likes to lose herself in her literary environment.
Joshua Williams
Prose Committee
Joshua Williams is currently working toward an English degree with a concentration in Creative Writing at Sonoma State University. He graduated from Acts Christian Academy and California Crosspoint High School. He was first published in 8th grade for his poem, "Black Lives Matter." His work also includes short stories such as "The People's Dragon." He would like to thank his family for their continued support and affection.
Gabriel Bastron
Poetry Committee
Gabriel Bastron is currently working towards a bachelor’s degree in English Literature at Sonoma State University. Before SSU, he attended the University of Nevada, Reno where he followed a Computer Science and Engineering degree before Covid hit. His plans after college include following his mothers footsteps to becoming a Lawyer or potentially trying other fields of expertise to try out but his one true home is with video games that make him the happiest.
Lukas De Bel
Poetry Committee
Lukas De Bel is currently working toward earning a bachelor's degree in English (creative writing) and a minor in Film Studies at Sonoma State University. Before SSU, he attended the Santa Rosa Junior College, where he received an Associates in Art for Transfer degree in Theatre Arts. After obtaining his bachelor’s, Lukas plans on pursuing an acting career in film.
Amira Gharib
Poetry Committee
Amira Gharib is finishing up her last year at Sonoma State University for her Bachelor’s in English, Creative Writing. She dreams of being a published author as well as embarking on any other creative endeavors that come her way. Apart from reading and writing, she enjoys movies, her cat, and the rain.
Marlena Lash
Poetry Committee
Marlena Lash is finishing her last year at Sonoma State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. She has no idea what the future holds, but is hoping one day to become an author or an actor. With the ambition to become an actor, she believes that having an English degree will give her insights others might not have. She loves music and watching movies. She also loves hanging with friends and writing.
Xavier Ravella Del Cid
Poetry Committee
Xavier Ravella Del Cid is currently finishing up his last year at Sonoma State University for his bachelor’s in English Education. He is going to stay an extra year in order to receive his teaching credential and hopes to go back to the bay and teach at his hometown. When he’s not writing you can catch him creating music with his guitar and laptop.