Maelo Dones
Co-Founder
Learn more
Maelo earned his BA in English at CSUN, summa cum laude, while serving as the first out queer Puerto Rican President of our local chapter of Sigma Tau Delta. He’s also the co-founder of the Scarlet Review, a CSU and Sigma Tau Delta international literary magazine. Ismael is a former Managing Editor of the Northridge Review, where he’s published short stories in addition to publications in Valley by Valley & Pfudalmda Dadamag, under pseudonyms I.J. Dones and Ismael J Dones.
As an incoming MFA student in the SFSU MFA program, he’s been named an Arnold Scholar, as winner of the Bernice Ruben Arnold scholarship.
His favorite authors are Justin Torres, Octavia Butler and Suzanne Collins; favorite film—Back to the Future; favorite show—Doctor Who. Moving from Palmdale to San Francisco with his cats Karma and Simba, Maelo is pursuing his MFA in Fiction at SFSU.
IG: maelodones
Sam Card
Co-Founder
Learn More
With over 10 publications, Sam Card is a creative writer who graduated from California State University—Northridge. Sam is a fan of intricate and meaningful art, irreplicable by artificial intelligence. He is currently working on his Master’s Degree in Creative Writing.
Erin Kroncke
Editor-in-Chief
Learn More
Erin is a multidisciplinary writer, poet, artist. Her poetry can be found in The Jaded Ibis Press, The Closed Eye open as well as Poet’s Choice to name a few. Her screenwriting and directorial projects have been featured in The Topanga Film Festival as well as the iconic North Hollywood CIA. She will publish a small zine titled SALT with original poetry while continuing to work on her first novel.
Maya Vasquez
Managing Editor
Learn more
Maya Vasquez is a San Fernando-based fiction and graphic novel writer and editor who shares a love for activism, their community, and embracing their roots. Raised in the valley, they developed a better understanding of their Chicana background, especially from a queer perspective. Their current works in fiction provide commentary on the ever-changing political climate, social justice, and critique of heteronormative societies. While doing so, they also incorporate elements of gothic horror, science fiction, high fantasy, and speculative fiction to pursue these narratives. They’re currently writing two graphic novels alongside their older sister, Mina, a local artist. In their spare time, Maya enjoys attending local hardcore shows, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and spoiling their two cats, Loki and Hela. While they have a love for a variety of music, Maya has a soft spot for the emo scene. You can find them on Instagram @fantasticbxstrd.
Matthew Miehe
Prose Editor
Learn More
Matthew Miehe (he/him) is an undergrad student at California State University, Northridge, pursuing a B.A. in English—Creative Writing. He has lived in Southern California all of his life and it’s represented in the setting of his stories. He writes a verity of short stories with an emphasis in science fiction, disillusionment, and bizarre situations his characters appear in. As someone who has been published before, and as an associate editor to the Scarlet Review, he hopes he can help realize other writer’s dreams too.
KM Fales
Prose Editor
Learn More
KM Fales lives in the San Emigdio mountains with his wife and their son. Currently a grad student at Cal State Northridge, he is also a Practitioner-in-training with Centers for Spiritual Living. He is proud to have spearheaded the reinstatement of Sigma Tau Delta at CSUN and to have self-edited and published their first publication. KM Fales writes short fiction and longer creative nonfiction.
Diana Serrano
Poetry Editor
Learn More
Diana Serrano is a graduate of California State University—Northridge, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing in 2024. She has previously edited for Northridge Review and the first issue of Scarlet Review. She was a member of Sigma Tau Delta as an undergraduate student at CSUN.
Joseph X Casillas
Prose Editor
Learn more
Joseph X Casillas is a Glassellland native and writer, director, and founder of sketch comedy group Gladlyinsane. He has experience producing media at nonprofits like Inscape Magazine, NALIP, and Our Turn. His shorts have screened at festivals like The Bad Student Film Fest and PCC’s 2017 Short Film Showcase. His feature screenplay Pink & White Skies has placed in the Academy Nicholl Fellowship as a quarterfinalist, Austin Film Festival as a second-rounder, and his short I’m So Tired of the Hero’s Journey won best drama script in the 2023 Creative World Awards. Joseph’s In The Brush of Today has been published by Big Table Press and he currently reads for Shore Scripts. His Latino heritage and experience at an indigenous charter school has influenced his work with themes of identity and LA’s rich cultural tapestry.
Scarlet Review 