Kathie Collins: As editor-in-chief of Charlotte Lit Press, I worked with a fantastic team of writers who spent hundreds of hours reading, reviewing, and editing the stories and poems in this issue. The dedication and insight they contributed as volunteers to bring this issue to life is a tremendous gift to the Charlotte Lit community and all the writers who submitted their work. Huge thanks to each of you for the astute reading and creative energy you put into this process. Your belief in our mission to deliver not only a beautiful journal but a positive submissions process for all is humbling. Thanks also to Jill Goldman-Callahan whose astoundingly gorgeous artwork graces these pages, knitting together the voices of writers from North Carolina to California.
I earned my graduate degrees in mythological studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute, where I also served as adjunct faculty. I’m the author of Jubilee (Main Street Rag), and my poems appear in Jackdaw, Kakalak, Literary Mama, Pedestal Magazine, Santa Fe Literary Review, Susurrus, and others. I’m a 2023 Pushcart nominee, and a finalist in both the Iron Horse Lit Review and Palette Poetry 2023 Chapbook competitions.
Paul Reali: Of the many hats I wear for Charlotte Lit and Charlotte Lit Press, helping to create Litmosphere is one of the most consistently surprising and rewarding. When I’m not doing this, I’m the executive director of Charlotte Lit, the managing editor and designer of Charlotte Lit Press, and a coach in our Authors Lab program. I also write, primarily fiction, and have been fortunate to win the Doris Betts Fiction Prize, the Elizabeth Simpson Smith Short Story Award, and the Ruth Moose Flash Fiction Award. My most recent story, “How to Get Struck By Lightning,” appeared in North Carolina Literary Review. You can learn more about my writing and read that story at paulreali.com.
Justine Busto has an MA in English from Emory University, taught speakers of other languages in the US and México, and now helps first generation students write their college application essays with the non-profit GenOne in Charlotte, NC. Find her stories and essays in Gulf Stream Lit Mag, Prime Number Magazine, Litmosphere and upcoming in The North Carolina Literary Review. Her recently completed novel-in-stories, Queens Road East, went through many drafts in the Authors Lab program at Charlotte Lit and is now a finalist for the 2026 C. Michael Curtis Short Story Book prize with Hub City Press. Find her online at: justinebusto.com.
Nikki Campo is an essayist, journalist and humor writer. Her work has appeared in Washington Post, The New York Times, Creative Nonfiction, Narratively, Brevity’s blog, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Good Housekeeping, National Geographic, HaveHasHad, Women’s Health and others. Her essays earned recognition in the 2025 Narratively True Romance Contest and the 2023 Writer’s Digest Personal Essay Contest, among others. She holds an M.B.A. from Harvard University and lives in Charlotte with her husband, three kids and two dogs. Online: Nikkicampo.com.
Ebony Morman is a journalist and storyteller whose work spans short fiction, flash, and poetry. Raised in Chicago and now living in North Carolina, she writes about family, identity, and the ways cities shape who we become.
Paula Martinac is the award-winning author of seven novels and three nonfiction books. Her short stories and essays have been published in Raleigh Review, Main Street Rag, Minerva Rising, Hippocampus, Art & Understanding, and other places. She has received fellowships and grants from the Arts & Science Council, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Modern Language Association, and the Historical Novel Society, and was the recipient of the 2023 William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant for an unpublished mystery novel. In 2020, she was inducted into the Saints & Sinners Hall of Fame, which recognizes writers for their dedication to LGBTQ+ literature. Paula taught fiction writing at UNC Charlotte from 2015 to 2024. In addition to working as Charlotte Lit’s Community Coordinator, she is a developmental editor for Bywater Books/Amble Press.
Michael Sadoff’s stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Gulf Coast, South Carolina Review, Sixfold, and other journals. A two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and recipient of the 2024 Lit/South Award for Fiction, his current project, The Hotel Motel: 13 Stories, is about people in urgent need of connection. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and holds an MFA from Queens University of Charlotte. Online: michaelsadoffwriter.com. “Dedication and passion came through in every story I read, and several pieces blew me away. As a previous contributor to the journal, I appreciated the chance to help shape the current issue.”
Kristin Donnalley Sherman lives in Belmont, where she works as a writer, editor, and occasional rowing coach. She’s published both fiction and nonfiction and is currently at work on two novels. Her work has appeared in Brevity, Barrelhouse, Silk Road, Main Street Rag, Flashquake, and others. She completed the Book Development Program at Queens University of Charlotte.