Masters of many genres, readers of many, many pages, the editors and readers at Exposition Review are all volunteers who dedicate their time, energy, and resources to bring this journal to life.
At the beginning of each reading period, new Editors-in-Chief and Section Editors are selected from our editorial board and associate editors to lend their voices and visions to the next issue.
Vol. VIII Masthead
Editors-in-Chief:
Annlee Ellingson & Mellinda Hensley
| Section Editors: Fiction Co-Editors: Kelly Esparza & Shze-Hui Tjoa Flash Fiction Editor: Jessica June Rowe Nonfiction Editor: Ramona Pilar Poetry Editor: Anya Maria Johnson Stage & Screen Editor: Krista Nave Experimental Editor: Rebecca Luxton Visual Art Editor: Brianna J.L. Smyk Comics & Film Editor: Lauren GorskiAssociate Editors: Blaine Bolibol Sam Burt Tricia da Costa CD Eskilson Shannon Gatewood Dave Gregory Madeline Grimm Sawyer Henshaw Sydney Jason Laura Rensing |
Editorial Board: Annlee Ellingson CD Eskilson Lauren Gorski Mellinda Hensley Rebecca Luxton Ramona Pilar Laura Rensing Jessica June Rowe Brianna J.L. Smyk |
Editors
Annlee Ellingson
Annlee Ellingson is co-Editor-in-Chief of Exposition Review. She is managing editor, digital cities, for American City Business Journals and writes a column about films directed by women. She’s a mentor and managing editor for WriteGirl, as well as treasurer of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. She holds a Master of Professional Writing degree from the University of Southern California and a BA in film studies from the University of Minnesota. She tweets and instagrams about books, movies, hiking, food, travel, and nephews at @annleee.
CD Eskilson
CD Eskilson is on the Editorial Board of Exposition Review and previously served as Poetry Editor for the annual issue. Their poetry and translations appear in The Offing, Pleiades, and Ninth Letter, and they are a 2022 Best of the Net finalist. CD is assistant poetry editor at Split Lip Magazine. They are an MFA candidate at the University of Arkansas, where they received the Walton Family Fellowship in Poetry and Lily Peter Fellowship in Translation.
Kelly Esparza
Kelly Esparza is a book editor and writer who holds a BA in English and a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. After serving as an Associate Editor at Exposition Review, she is now excited to be the Fiction Co-Editor. Kelly’s short stories, essays, and poems have appeared in various literary journals and anthologies. In 2016, she was the recipient of the Scholastic Art and Writing Gold Key Award for Short Fiction, and in 2021, her short story, “Destiny Says,” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She also co-wrote a screenplay for a feature film at Ripkirk Productions. Find her on Twitter: @Kelly_Esparza7.
Lauren Gorski
Lauren Gorski is on the Editorial Board of Exposition Review, and has served as Stage & Screen Editor, Co-Editor-in-Chief, and currently as Comics & Film Editor for the annual issue. She has a Master of Professional Writing from USC, with emphasis in Stage & Screen. Her fiction and poetry have been featured in apt, Badlands, Jersey Devil Press, Underground Voices, and elsewhere. Her plays have been featured on stage with Playground-SF, Piano Fight, Playground LA, Athena Cats, and the Hollywood Fringe Festival. She is a past playwright-in-residence with Playground-SF. Besides the literary community, Lauren serves on the National Board of Directors for Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE), a mentorship program that pairs college women with at-risk middle school girls.
Mellinda Hensley
Mellinda Hensley is a screenwriter and director currently serving as Exposition Review‘s Co-Editor-in-Chief. She previously worked as a writer on CBS’ The Young and the Restless and still tells people at cocktail parties that she switched babies for a living. In 2020, she received a WGA Award, Emmy nomination, and several angry tweets for her work in daytime (follow along for yourself @MellindaK). In case of emergency, she can be used as a flotation device.
Anya Maria Johnson
Anya Maria Johnson is a multi-genre artist and an MFA candidate at Sarah Lawrence College. Her work can be found in a modest number of literary journals and she acts as Poetry Editor for Exposition Review. Most recently, she won the John B. Santoianni Prize sponsored by the Academy of American Poets for “Our Hysterical Country,” up now on poets.org.
Rebecca Luxton
Rebecca Luxton is the Experimental Editor of Exposition Review and worked on the Southern California Review while completing her Master of Professional Writing at USC. Now she’s a marketing professional with a love for all things experimental. Favorite authors: a rotating cast who currently include Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mary Gaitskill, Stephen King and the late Joe Frank for his exceptional radio storytelling work. Follow her on Instagram @therebeccamarielle.
Krista Nave
Krista Nave is the Stage & Screen Editor of Exposition Review.
Ramona Pilar
Ramona Pilar is California-born, Los Angeles (County)-raised (¿y que?) and writes plays, prose, songs, and hybrids. Her works have been produced around Los Angeles, published online and in print, and performed across Southern California. Ramona writes a monthly column – Storytelling in Action – for the Women Who Submit blog, is the CNF Editor for Exposition Review, and a CB Fiction Reader for Drunk Monkeys. She sings in a band called The Walkmans (yes, Walkmans on purpose) and is a pop culture and arts critic who has the ability to see everything brilliant about you. Unless you don’t use turn signals. Guacala.
Laura Rensing
Laura Rensing is a writer and performer who occasionally has difficulty distinguishing fact from her pet fire-breathing dragon. She is Treasurer of Exposition Review and host of Expo’s podcast, Transposition. She is passionate about the value of the arts and works with independent artists to find sustainable ways of getting paid through 1099 Creative. In her free time, she performs around Los Angeles and competes (and occasionally wins) aerial competitions.
Jessica June Rowe
Jessica June Rowe is an author, playwright, editor, and perpetual daydreamer. She is on the Editorial Board of Exposition Review and has served as both Editor-in-Chief, Fiction Editor, and now Flash Fiction Editor! A Best of the Net nominee, her own fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Okay Donkey Magazine, Gigantic Sequins, Atlas and Alice, Pidgeonholes, and Timber Journal, among others, while her short plays have been featured on multiple stages in Los Angeles. One of her poems is stamped into a sidewalk in Valencia, California, where she lives with her two Yorkies. She also really loves chai lattes. Find her on Twitter @willwrite4chai.
Brianna J.L. Smyk
Brianna J.L. Smyk is the Visual Art Editor of Exposition Review and has served as Co-Editor-in-Chief and founding Experimental Narratives Editor, as well as the Nonfiction Editor and Associate Editor of the Southern California Review. She is a member of Expo’s Editorial Board and the literary journal’s Social Media Manager. She is an art and communication consultant who holds a Master of Professional Writing (MPW/MFA) degree from USC and a Master of Arts in Art History from San Diego State University. Her short fiction has been published or is forthcoming in The Human Touch Journal, Drunk Monkeys, The Same, and FORTH. Find out more about Brianna on Twitter: @briannasmyk.
J.L. Smyk is the Visual Art Editor of Exposition Review and has served as Co-Editor-in-Chief (Vol. I & II) and Experimental Narratives Editor (Vol. III & IV) of Exposition Review as well as the Nonfiction Editor (Vol. VIII) and Associate Editor (Vol. VII) of the Southern California Review. She is an art and communication consultant who holds a Master of Professional Writing (MPW/MFA) degree from USC and a Master of Arts in Art History from San Diego State University. Her short fiction has been published or is forthcoming in The Human Touch Journal, Drunk Monkeys, The Same and FORTH. Find out more about Brianna on Twitter: @briannasmyk.
Shze-Hui Tjoa
Shze-Hui Tjoa the fiction co-editor of Exposition Review. A Singaporean who lives in London, her work can be found in Colorado Review, Southeast Review, So to Speak, and elsewhere. Shze-Hui also serves as the nonfiction editor of Sundog Lit. She particularly enjoys writing that pushes emotional or structural limits, and leaves room for mystery. You can connect with her on Instagram at @shzehui or on her website, www.tjoashzehui.com.
Associate Editors
Intern
