Meet the Willow Springs Magazine Staff
Editor
Polly Buckingham
Polly Buckingham is the author of two books of fiction, The Expense of a View, winner of the Katherine and Porter Prize, and A Year of Silence, winner of the Leiby Chapbook Award, and the poetry collection The River People (Lost Horse Press). Her work appears in the sadly defunct Gettysburg Review, The Poetry Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and elsewhere. Polly is drawn to work with emotional and intellectual integrity and resonance and often leans toward experimentation and surrealism, though her aesthetic is far ranging. She believes experimentation works not for its own sake but when it feels like the only way to express what the writer needs to express. She is drawn to pieces where from the first sentence or line, she has complete confidence in the writer and the voice; cleverness and hooks are poor stand-ins for the quality of language that pulls you in and doesn’t let you go.
Managing Editor
Annabelle Morrill
Annabelle Morrill is a graduate student of fiction at Eastern Washington University and is made from stones gathered from all over the East Coast of the States. In her own work, Annabelle finds influence from the gothic and horror genres as well as from long hikes through the woods (though she also likes the normal stuff too). For Annabelle, Willow Springs is an opportunity to work within the greater literary community as well as a chance to discover the next great works that the world has to offer.
Assistant Managing Editor
Sam Thiersch
Starting out as an audiobook narrator on Audible, Sam (they/she) one day figured, “I could write something better than these bozos.” They were wrong. Their first short story sucked. But they kept at it, and three years later they somehow ended up at EWU’s Creative Writing MFA program, where they write odd, queer, and quirky sci-fi/fantasy stories. When they aren’t buried under a mountain of submissions, books, and workshop pieces, you can find them binging One Piece, sketching little doodles, all while pounding back an entire gallon of soy milk.
Web Editor
Grace Anderson
Grace Anderson is an undergraduate student at Eastern Washington University who has lived in the PNW her whole life. She writes mostly surrealist poetry, and she loves to learn by reading poets such as Joy Harjo and Marosa di Giorgio. Grace believes that the work of literary magazines like Willow Springs is to share the art of literature with a wide audience, and to give communities access to the work of contemporary writers. Her passions include mental health advocacy and guinea pigs.
Fiction Editor
Daniel Reiss
Daniel Reiss is an MFA student at Eastern Washington University who is originally from Maryville, Tennessee. He enjoys reading prose that has line-by-line energy, verve, snap–work that’s been written ecstatically. His favorite part of being a Willow Springs editor is working with writers to ensure their vision for their work is executed in alignment with our vision for the magazine. And his favorite thing about living in Spokane is that he finally gets to bust out his snowshoes.
Nonfiction Editor
Blair Jennings
Poetry Editor
Grace Richardson
Grace Anne Anderson (she/her) is a second-year poetry MFA student at EWU. She is from Atlanta, but enjoys the outdoor adventures found in the PNW. She admires poetry with a strong lyric voice, fresh images, and compelling associative moves. Grace Anne is grateful to work with an amazing team of readers at Willow Springs and enjoys the opportunity to interview contemporary poets. In her free time, she loves to attend recreational open ballet classes.
Triceratops Program Manager
Isabelle Eastman
Social Media Editor
Daisy Roberts
Daisy Roberts is an undergraduate Creative Writing student also studying German and Communications. She grew up in the rainy weather of western Washington, so reading fantasy and fiction novels became her way to escape the gloominess outside. This love of reading turned into a passion for writing. Daisy mainly writes short stories filled with magical realism and YA fantasy novels. Three of her favorite things are: the Puget Sound, trying new coffee stands, and her guppy named Buddy.
