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MEET OUR STUDENT WRITERS
Kaelan Mulye (he/him)
Kaelan Mulye is a senior from Munising, MI majoring in English, Environment, and Creative Writing. He likes cooking, baking, and watching cat videos online. He also likes chipmunks and mangoes. Sometimes, if he hasn’t shaved for a while and then he does, he frightens the people around him with his unfamiliar face. Some of his favorite books are Steinbeck’s East of Eden and Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games. He’s a big fan of astronomy and could more than likely point you towards a few constellations on any given night, provided the clouds are being agreeable.
Mel Peanasky (he/they)
Hello. I am a freshman at UMich and am studying biology, paleontology, and French. I am passionate about access to education and I am fascinated by the plethora of ways people choose to communicate. I love to meet new people and discover their perspectives on the world. I also love nature, visual arts, and music. I am incredibly grateful to all of my professors and my parents for supporting my academic journey, encouraging me to pursue my interests, and giving me a place to express myself academically and artistically. Thank you for reading.
Tyler Genthe (He/Him)
Tyler is a first year pursuing a BFA in Art and Design with a minor in Creative Writing. He has always been interested in telling stories, and hopes to create a series of graphic novels in the future. He also wants to continue writing short stories where he can, focusing on topics of gender, relationships, and mental health. Outside of writing, he enjoys drawing, dancing, watching TV, reading graphic novels, and attending basement shows with friends.
Lillian Zuelke (She/her)
Lillian is a third-year student studying creative writing and psychology. She is passionate about connecting with people on a personal level and advocating for mental well-being. She enjoys writing poetry that explores various types of relationships and mental health experiences. When not writing, she loves reading a good book, walking along Lake Michigan, and spending time with her dog.
Jake Sachs (He/Him)
Jake is a Sophomore studying Linguistics and Social Theory and Practice with a Minor in Writing. He is an aspiring academic who is exploring creative non-fiction as a way to tackle dense topics in an exciting and accessible way. In his free time he loves to read, spend time with people he loves, and play with his dog. He is stoked to be a part of this exciting event!
Suixin (Susie) Wen (She/her/hers)
Susie Wen is a freshman at University of Michigan who is still exploring her interests between educational studies and cognitive science. She is from Bay Area, California but also loves the snow in the Midwest. Outside of class, Susie enjoys music, painting, reading, and staying active through sports. She is always eager to explore new experiences, such as learning a new instrument or playing tennis for fun. Susie is grateful for the teachers who have supported her learning and helped make her first year as a Wolverine meaningful.
Samuel White (he/him/his)
Samuel is a second-year student at the University of Michigan who is double-majoring in English and Anthropology. He enjoys reading memoirs, historical fiction, and speculative fiction. When he's not reading or writing, he's gushing over antiquated technology (e.g. grandfather clocks, rotary phones), playing video games on his Nintendo DS and 3DS (which you can pry from his cold, dead fingers), or singing with the Men's Glee Club. He's also President of the Undergraduate English Association and an assistant researcher at the Museum of Anthropological Archaeology's Ancient Protein and Isotope Lab. He's excited to present at Café Shapiro 2026 and to enjoy other writers' amazing pieces!
Christian Hooper (he/him)
Christian Hooper is a junior from Redford, Michigan studying Political Science and Creative Writing. He is especially interested in poetry for how it can mystify everyday life in simple and grand ways. In his time here, Christian has been a Peer Writing Consultant at Sweetland and has loved performing spoken word poetry at various showcases and symposiums across campus. He was also a recipient of a Hopwood award for poetry, and hopes to publish a collection one day soon.
Talia Yin (she/her)
Talia Yin is a senior at the University of Michigan, double majoring in Creative Writing and Political Science. She is an aspiring prose writer interested in combining these fields to explore political questions through fiction. She also enjoys writing horror and stories created purely for entertainment. In her free time, Talia plays action video games, watches Netflix, and reads fan fiction. She is honored to be nominated by Café Shapiro and looks forward to engaging with readers and exchanging ideas.
Daisy Monroe
I’m a Chicago‑born writer, full‑time student, and full‑time project manager working across poetry, scripts, and short fiction. I write political poems, love poems, and object‑driven pieces that map boundaries, girlhood, and becoming. I’m new to spoken word and building that voice through cadence, performance, and intentional craft.
Alexandra Berryman (she/her)
Alexandra is a junior double majoring in LSA Psychology and RC Creative Writing and Literature. She is passionate about long-form fiction and aspires to publish a novel. Her work explores themes of autonomy, relationships, and the body, and she enjoys using magical realism as a vehicle for meaningful speculation. In 2025, she was a finalist for the Hopwood award for Fiction and the recipient of the Leonard and Eileen Newman Writing Prize for Fiction. Beyond writing, her other passions include singing, acting, playing guitar, and camping.
Emmeline Houk (she/her)
Emmeline is a German and creative writing double major in the Residential College. Her favorite genres to read and to write are fantasy and science fiction. She is a member of Arts Chorale and enjoys listening to music, biking, and playing card games with friends in her free time.
Atlas Fister (he/they)
Atlas Fister is a first-year student from Temperance, MI, planning on a double major in Economics and RC Creative Writing and Literature. While he primarily writes poetry centered around family, transitioning, myth, and religion, he also enjoys writing both novels and various short-form pieces. Outside of writing, he enjoys spending time with his sisters and friends, talking with his grandparents, wandering around outside, and debating just about anything.
Natalia James (she/her)
Natalia is a sophomore at the University of Michigan majoring in Political Science with a minor in English. She is involved in MASH and Hopelessly Yellow on campus, and in her free time she enjoys going to the movies and trying new restaurants with friends.
Addie Siembieda (She/her)
Addie Siembieda a first year student from Albuquerque New Mexico studying business administration with a minor in writing. She has written for Albuquerque the Magazine and her poetry has been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. She’s dabbled in many genres, from poetry to journalism to creative nonfiction, always aiming to spotlight stories about relationships of all kinds. In her free time, she loves running, lifting, going to football games, and photographing sunsets.
Madeleine Kim-Stoughton (she/her)
Madeleine graduated from Michigan in December of 2025 with her BA in the History of Art, Museum Studies, and Creative Writing. She uses historical influences and extended metaphors to write about modern or personal topics, often with the goal of creating something kind of strange.
Zoe Waters (she/her)
Zoe Waters is a freshman at Michigan passionate about writing and theatre-- she hopes to write novels and full-length plays someday. She very much appreciates this opportunity to share her work and would like to thank Professor Thomas and Polly Rosenwaike for their invaluable support.
Sophia Kestelman (She/her/hers)
Sophia Kestelman is a fourth-year student at the University of Michigan, pursuing a B.A. in Psychology with minors in Sales and Writing. Professionally, she has served as Vice President of Editorial for MASH Magazine and Marketing Copywriter for SheCodes. In her free time, Sophia enjoys weight lifting, trying new coffee shops, reading, and writing poetry.
Bryndís Davis (she/her)
Bryndís is a senior pursuing a double major in Creative Writing & Literature and International Studies (Global Health & Environment). She loves historical fiction and colors her own creative work with Icelandic folklore and history. Bryndís likes to crochet, care for her small army of plants, sketch, and read whenever she has the time. She's excited to share her stories with the world and plans to continue writing well beyond graduation.
Jacqueline Brace (she/her)
Jacqueline Brace is a senior in Creative Writing and Literature. Hailing from the Upper Peninsula, she has spent the past three years at UMich learning how to be a person (all they have up there is Canadians and coyotes). As a writer, editor, and now Managing Editor of the Gargoyle Humor Magazine, she has come to embrace absurdity and humor in her writing. When she’s not sleeping, she spends her free time crafting and watching whatever comes up on her YouTube home page. Her biggest pet peeve is whenever people say “whenever” when they mean “when.” Despite aspiring to a career as a fiction editor, she is reluctant to learn formal grammar rules and relies on instinct alone.
Kathryn Anderson (she/her)
Kathryn, a first‑year political science and psychology student from rural Minnesota, treats writing as both instinct and inquiry. It’s the place where she wrestles with the shadows of the self and the fractures of society. She believes stories—whether whispered in poems or carved into prose—can unsettle, provoke, and reveal. In a world desperate for clarity, she hopes her work forces readers to confront what they’d prefer to ignore.
Julio Giménez Citoler
Julio Giménez Citoler is a sophomore studying Physics, with minors in Writing and Mathematics. He writes speculative nonfiction and works on condensed matter physics research. He loves surfing, tennis, soccer, and keeps ‘70s music on repeat.
Juno Krishti (they/them)
Juno is a first-year majoring in electrical engineering with minors in creative writing and mathematics. They are excited to explore writing and use the medium to delve into the many topics which inspire them. They can often be found writing for the Gargoyle, listening to all kinds of music, loving people, and admiring the sun.
Caleb Frailey (he/him/his)
Caleb is a senior Violin Performance major and Creative Writing minor at the University of Michigan. His poetry serves as a catalog for recording memories, loss, and has most recently began writing in different mediums, including ephemeral poetry and collage. Outside of music and poetry, Caleb loves painting, baking for his friends, and going out to get a good matcha!
Oummu Kabba (she/her)
Oummu Kabba is a sophomore and creative writing major. She loves reading, writing, listening to music and is currently learning French. Oummu works with The Michigan Daily as a copy editor and a writer for The Statement. She is also a student leader for the Lloyd Scholars for Writing and the Arts.
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