Meet our Collective.
Matthew Bennett
Co-Founder and Editor
Matthew Bennett began editing in 2008 at Ronsdale Press, where he shepherded documents from first submission to final print, serving as editor for publications such as Sheila James’s In the Wake of Loss (2009). He was later copyeditor for academic monographs, such as Nicholas Hudson’s A Political Biography of Samuel Johnson (Pickering & Chatto, 2013). His current editing work includes novels and short stories, master’s theses and doctoral dissertations. For the Northwest Editors Guild he ran the NWEG Writer Mentor program, in collaboration with the South Seattle Emerald and Crosscut. Matthew has a PhD in English from the University of British Columbia and has been writing and publishing academic, journalistic, and fictional prose for over a decade.
Judith Scholes
Co-Founder and Editor
Judith Scholes has a PhD in English from the University of British Columbia, specializing in nineteenth-century American print culture, women’s poetry, and Emily Dickinson. For the past 20 years, she has provided freelance writing and editing for corporate, web, academic, literary, and arts clients. She is currently focused on editing scholarly work from academics across the arts and sciences, and consulting on archival research projects. Judith teaches writing and American literature at St. Mark’s and Corpus Christi Colleges at the University of British Columbia, and is completing a book on Emily Dickinson and the ethos of women’s poetry in nineteenth-century American periodicals. Her work has appeared in the Emily Dickinson Journal, American Periodicals, and is forthcoming in the Oxford Handbook of Emily Dickinson (2022).
Lucia Lorenzi
Co-Founder and Editor
Lucia Lorenzi has a PhD in English from the University of British Columbia, with research and teaching specialization in Canadian literature and drama, Indigenous literature, autobiographical writing, and trauma theory. Her dissertation examined the relationship between silence and literary representations of sexual violence. Lucia’s scholarly writing and editing expertise is complemented by her years as a blogger for rabble.ca, as well her work as a graphic designer, editor, and copywriter for the UBC Department of English. With a strong background in the performing arts and public speaking, Lucia is able to help clients craft dynamic speeches. Lucia also has extensive experience with social media and with creative writing, and is eager to help clients develop their unique voices.
Will Sweger
Editor
Gillian Jerome
Editor
Gillian Jerome is a poet, essayist, instructor, and editor. Her first book, Red Nest, won the 2010 ReLit Prize for Poetry. Her second book, Hope in Shadows: Stories and Photographs from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, won the 2009 City of Vancouver Book Award. Her work appears in several magazines, including The Colorado Review, Canadian Literature, Subterrain, and GEIST, where she serves on the editorial board. She has also served as the poetry editor at Event magazine, and is a teacher and juror for the Griffin Trust’s Poetry in Voice. Gillian runs Life Writing Workshops in Vancouver, and teaches narrative writing, academic writing, and literature at UBC. As an editor, Gillian specializes in editing and consulting on literary, academic, corporate and non-profit text with a particular interest in working on writing and editing projects for arts-based and environmental organizations. For the past ten years, she has worked one-on-one with poets and essayists as well as visual artists.
Damon Barta
Editor
Damon Barta holds a PhD in English from the University of British Columbia, with specialization in cultural studies of the twentieth-century and contemporary American fiction and film. He is an editor, author, and instructor who aims to guide writers toward elegant prose that realizes their creative and scholarly potential. He is currently Assistant Editor for Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the United States (MELUS), a preeminent peer-reviewed academic journal. His short fiction has appeared in online and print journals such as Fjords, The Baltimore Review, and Salamander. Damon has also published scholarly work in Representing 9/11: Trauma, Ideology, and Nationalism in Literature, Film, and Television and Philip Roth Studies.
Conor Kelley
Editor
Conor Kelley is a writer, editor, and publishing specialist. A graduate of the prestigious New York University MFA program, he is the author of The Catcher’s Handbook (McFarland, 2014), and his work has appeared in The Stranger, the Tri-City Herald, the Telegraph Herald, and other publications. His short story “And It Is No Joke” was honored by Glimmer Train and featured in Bellevue Literary Review. Conor’s co-writing partners include Fortune 500 CEO’s, Hall of Fame athletes, and social justice leaders. He has edited for international publishing houses, literary magazines, and corporate clients including Microsoft and Xbox. As a teacher, Conor has partnered with the City of Seattle, the University of Washington, and Shoreline Community College. With a deep understanding of the publishing landscape, Conor helps guide authors from proposal to development to publication.
