meet the team.
editor-in-chief
Joie-May Silvers is an LA native with a soft spot in her heart for cats, sweets, and rain. When she is not sleep-talking about Ouroboros, stress baking, or listening to audiobooks, she can be found procrastinating writing her fantasy novel (which she will finish one day, she swears). Joie-May is beyond overjoyed to be entrusted with this magazine, and she hopes you find it as magical as she does🧚🏽♀️
managing editor
Sam Wilson was, once upon a time, a small fox who lived in an ancient forest. One day, he tried to steal a pie that was cooling on the windowsill of a moss-covered cottage, only to realize that it was the home of a witch who promptly cursed him into the form of a human. The only way to break this curse, he was told, was to graduate college with a degree in Creative Writing, and so upon achieving mastery of his new bipedal body, he set off on his quest. He enjoys japes and capers, as any woodland creature worth their salt does, and has discovered a love for writing stories and drawing with his working thumbs. He is excited to work on the Ouroboros team because it will give him access to reams of paper, which he enjoys padding his den with. Upon graduation, he expects to transform back into a sly woodland creature and scamper away, back to his forest home.
editors
Zoe Edeskuty is a freshman Creative Writing major. She’s in love with the little things, the chaos, the moon, and the passions that life offers. She hopes to one day open a bookstore with her friends and forever drive down the Pacific Coast highway, music blasting, windows rolled down, and share her stories with the world. How fun it is to experience and witness and feel, she often finds herself thinking.
Daryn Schvimmer is a senior Creative Writing major. She enjoys writing and reading. Her favorite genres are comedy and horror, and she likes to think her writing is an amalgamation of the two. She’s excited to be a part of the Ouroboros team.
Allison Major is a senior Creative Writing major who is minoring in Psychology. She loves reading, writing, and losing herself in fantasy worlds for hours at a time. When she’s not immersed in fiction, she can usually be found at Disneyland or binge-watching tv shows with her roommates.
Lauren Moyle is a Creative Writing and History double major with a minor in Italian Studies. She loves to read, write, and travel, and when she’s not doing those things, she loves to snuggle with her cat Pearl. Her speculative fiction obsession is, and always will be, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Lauren Sieberg is a recent graduate of Chapman with a B.F.A. in Creative Writing and a minor in secondary education now pursuing a graduate degree. A special corner of her heart is dedicated to middle-grade, speculative, vampiric, and/or punch-packing fiction. When she's not crafting worlds, you can probably find her napping or making snazzy slideshows.
Willoh Tyler is a senior Creative Writing major with a minor in game development. They study narrative as it relates to player interaction to create experiences that synthesize story and play. Currently a senior narrative designer, story writer, and quest designer on several projects, they also write prose, experimenting with word flow to create a flow state for the reader. They aim to use visceral storytelling to bridge human connections, experimenting with perspectives to nurture new understandings.
Brianna Velez is a current freshman working towards her BFA in Creative Writing. She is passionate about art of all kinds and enjoys exchanging elaborate "lore" with others. Some of her favorite genres include fantasy, sci-fi, and adventure. Her favorite trope is "found family" because who doesn't love being unabashedly accepted by the friends you chose?
& Jade McDonald
& Sofie Kassaras
art director
Sofie Kassaras is a senior Creative Writing major, with minors in the Creative and Cultural Industries and Italian Studies. She has an innate passion for speculative fiction in all its forms, although she's always had a special love for time travel. In the rare moments she's not writing, she can be found playing video games, crocheting, going on late-night drives, or, most likely, napping. She will be working as both an editor and designer on the Ouroboros team.
She's also definitely not an arsonist.
designers
Hailey Shimazu (they/them) is a freshman graphic design major. With a love for design, photography, and film, they’re truly passionate about all forms of art. They enjoy the simple things in life like foam soap, small spoons, and cute keychains. When they aren’t saving Gotham City from danger, they can be found rewatching the same tv shows or eating shrimp chips.
Fish Young (they/he) is, like most people, afraid of spiders but is too proud to admit it. They are also the host of the sci-fi horror satire podcast, “The Dreamer’s Almanac”. The show has been awarded a scholarly grant by Chapman University and will re-premiere in Fall 2023 on Chapman Radio. Fish is also (unfortunately) a gothic novelty artist, which is their fancy third person way of saying “I make ridiculously vibrant digital art that make surrealists cry tears of melting clocks.” Whatever you need Fish to do, they will try their best to do it. If anyone asks what they want for their birthday, it’s health insurance. They were too much of a coward to join the film school, but silly enough to become an English major and Music Tech minor.
social media manager
& Sam Wilson
& Brianna Velez
engagement coordinator
Jade McDonald (they/them) is a senior Creative Writing major with a minor in Queer Studies. They primarily work with horror, fantasy, and folklore but will read, watch, or play anything that sparks their interest. During their free time they mostly play D&D, read graphic novels, and watch video essays.
founder
Collin Brown is a writer, programmer, and soon-to-be grad student. Having received a bachelor's in Creative Writing and history from Chapman University, he is preparing for a master’s in computational linguistics.
interested in joining the editorial team?
Applications are open now through January 15th.