Arben Alovic is an alumnus of LaGuardia and credits it with providing the foundation and connections that helped shape his future. His journey has taken him across the world, with adventures in Japan, Montenegro, Korea, and beyond. He is currently at work on his first book.
Lianna Bonilla is a student at LaGuardia majoring in English–Creative Writing. She is a mother who enjoys writing fiction in her free time. Aspiring to be an author, she continues to discover new ways of expressing herself in her stories and hopes that her writing can resonate with and comfort others.
Asia-Marie Charles is an international journalism student from the Caribbean at LaGuardia. In her spare time you can find her writing, reading, watching films or (not) finishing her crochet projects.
Fernanda Contreras is a Queens-based artist whose work is deeply influenced by her experiences as a child of immigrants. Through her art, she seeks to capture the strength and vulnerability in the in-between moments where memory, resilience, and cultural inheritance shape who we are. Her mission is to evoke a sense of connection, offering viewers a glimpse into the often complex and quiet stories that go unnoticed in daily life. IG: contreras.nyc
Carmen Damour is a freshman at LaGuardia Community College who creates under the name C. Amour. She has long used poetry as a way to give voice to her thoughts. She aspires to enter the healthcare field, driven by her compassion and desire to help others. IG: @c_.amour | TikTok: @c_.amoura
Andrea Murguia Dajbura is a street photographer residing in New York, originally from Cochabamba-Bolivia. She has developed a passion for photography and its ability to document the daily moments of society.
Kiera Dennis-Espinal is a writer and aspiring producer. She enjoys fiction writing more than anything. She uses her writing in hopes to draw out feelings whether they’re uncomfortable, angry or sad.
Natalie Edmond is a creative writing student at LaGuardia Community College. She is interested in stories that explore emotional intensity within ordinary moments and the inner lives of her characters.
Deter Feliz is a curious musician always looking to learn about others and the world around him. He was born and raised in NYC from proud Dominican parents. He is a student and a music performance major at LaGuardia who also appreciates the magical power of poetry.
Dorjee Gyaltsen is a student at LaGuardia majoring in Psychology. English is his second language and his goal to pursue writing in English is just to share the story of his community to wider audiences.
Annalee Hardison is a Creative Writing major. She plans to become a professional author. She has loved writing since winning first place in a short story contest in elementary school when she was in 2nd grade for writing and illustrating a story about “Lulu The Magical Flying Turkey.” It was a nonfiction masterpiece about a re-imagined first Thanksgiving in which no animals were harmed or eaten, and no humans were killed.
Khalil Herrera is a New York City native attending his second semester at LaGuardia Community College as a Radiologic Technology major. He has experience in creating poems and paintings from attending the Leave Out ViolencE after-school program. “Let them be, finally free” is Khalil’s first ekphrastic poem and literary magazine submission.
Shadai Jesus is a journalism student and photographer originally from Long Island, NY. Her work focuses on culture, and community, with particular interest in hip hop history, different music scenes, and documentary storytelling. Shadai hopes to pursue broadcast and documentary journalism, using multimedia storytelling to document overlooked narratives.
Queens native Janella Katapang is a Filipino community organizer, Physical Therapist Assistant student at LaGuardia, and martial artist. As a community organizer, they are attuned to the health concerns related to societal issues. As a healthcare student, Janella understands the necessity of making health and fitness accessible.
Natasha Muriel is a Latina transgender art student based in New York. Born in Colombia, she moved to the United States in pursuit of a life where she could express herself freely and without hesitation. Art serves as her therapy, companion, and refuge. Her work explores personal experiences, emotions, and identity while responding to a world marked by uncertainty and ongoing challenges faced by the trans community. IG: @natasha_muriel_artist
Takashi Nakagome is a Japanese-American creative and storyteller based in New York City, working at the intersection of art, culture, fashion, and global communication. Through photography, design, and cross-cultural narrative building, his work explores identity, memory, and the emotional spaces between Japan and America. IG: @Takashi_Russell
River Ordóñez is a student at LaGuardia majoring in Psychology. They write poetry on topics like mental health, queer stories, and political ideologies. They often find themselves incorporating multiple art forms in their work.
Adrija Vecenaite is a student at LaGuardia majoring in Criminal Justice. Her series explores an internal tension in which the observer and the observed collapse into one, breaking the duality of the subject, and engages with determinism and the tension between being an agent of free will against fatalism.
Brooke Watkins is a student at LaGuardia majoring in Cybersecurity. Poetry is their passion, as they always write to the tune of their emotions. What their voice cannot convey, their feelings do in poetry.
