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Faculty Advisors

Shanan Ballam earned an MFA in Poetry Writing from the University of Nebraska, Omaha. She is the author of the poetry chapbook The Red Riding Hood Papers (Finishing Line 2010) and the full-length poetry collection Pretty Marrow (Negative Capability 2013). She serves on the Utah Arts Council Board of Directors.

Russ Beck co-authored the book On Fly-Fishing the Northern Rockies: Essays and Dubious Advice. He received the Frederick Manfred Award for creative writing from the Western Literature Association, and both edits and contributes to howsmallatrout.wordpress.com and Braidedbrook.com. His essays have appeared in Eat Sleep Fish and The Huffington Post. He teaches writing at Utah State University.

Robb Kunz hails from Teton Valley, Idaho. After receiving his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Idaho, Robb returned to his parent’s farm to cut grain and hay, fix fence, and hone his skills as a small-town barista. He currently teaches writing at Utah State University. Robb enjoys television, books, seltzer water, and cross-stitch.

Charles Waugh feels damn lucky to live in a beautiful mountain town, teaching motivated students how to write better and unmotivated ones how to change majors, and learning how to treat every day like the gift that it is.

Undergraduate Editors

Ethan Trunnell is proud to serve as the editor of Sink Hollow. A senior in Literary Studies with a minor in Journalism, he is especially fond of cardigans, skipping rocks, peach cobbler, wool socks, typography, podcasts and his vintage, baby-blue Italian bicycle with yellow handlebars and manual shifting.

Abi Newhouse is a senior at Utah State, majoring in Creative Writing. While she likes to say her chosen genre is Fiction, she's been published mainly for poetry, featured or forthcoming in Rainy Day, Chantwood, and Crab Fat magazines. Other than those small accomplishments, she hates unsolicited advice and loves eating avocados.

Shaun Anderson is a senior at Utah State University studying Creative Writing. His nonfiction won first place in USU's creative writing competition in 2016. He loves long drives and watching sunsets. He is 95% gay, the other 5% being Emma Watson. Ultimately, he wants to grow up to be Millie Tullis.

Parker Schofield is in his fourth undergraduate year majoring doubly in Creative Writing and Chemistry. 2017 marks this founding member’s second year with Sink. When he isn't calculating molecules (or whatever) he's probably building elaborate pillow forts. He’s gung-ho to read writers who prove they know to trust themselves completely. Think ANY thought, innovate, and say something dangerous. We'll meet you halfway, but if you're not stretching for it, it won't happen. k thx.

Millie Tullis is a Junior at Utah State University, studying creative writing and philosophy. She placed first in poetry for the Sandy River Review’s Undergraduate writing contest in 2015, and has a grey cat named Martin Heidegger. She enjoys a pair of fresh socks and beautiful poetry. She wants to be Anne Carson when she grows up.

Fiction

Justin Smith has lived in the Intermountain West his entire life. He studies Creative Writing, Philosophy, and Chinese at Utah State University, where he is a Senior. He likes eavesdropping on the cashiers at 7-11 and his Postmodern European Philosophy class in equal measure. After graduation, he plans to figure some shit out.

Andrew Simpson is a senior at Utah State University where he studies creative writing. He spends more time in the mountains than he probably should. While he's there he likes to meditate on the meaning of life, and whether or not he needs to take a shower yet.

Danielle Green enjoys poetry, songwriting, filmmaking, and criticism of social issues masked in abstract, extended metaphors. Despite being one human entity, she intends to become both of the Coen brothers at some point in her existence. Her academic interests in French and German literature and cinema, pretending to understand philosophy, and analyzing silent film may keep her in school for a long, long time (and she's okay with that). Any words on paper that you consider strange, shocking, or critical of this cockamamie world we live in, get those to her immediately.

Challis Hackley is studying professional and technical communication and biology. She likes the rhetorical side of communication but also loves creative writing and does that whenever she has a chance. She loves reading, like any good English major, but also enjoys playing basketball and volleyball. She grew up as an army brat and consequently loves to travel. After she graduates this spring, she will be volunteering in Thailand, teaching English to children.

Abby Stewart is a sophomore studying creative writing at Utah State University even though she grew up 2,000 miles away, near Washington DC. When she's not writing or reading, she enjoys watching Netflix, singing in the shower, and thinking about how she should be writing. This isn't her dog, although she wishes it was.

Jaesea Gatherum is a How I Met Your Mother fanatic and a Dr. Pepper addict. When she’s not consuming these bits of heaven, she enjoys photography, art projects that take entire semesters to finish, cooking, country music, and tagging friends in memes. She is majoring in English with an emphasis in creative writing and has a minor in journalism. Writing has always played a key role in Jaesea's life and she aspires to touch readers through the stories she has to tell.

Tyler Hurst is a sophomore at Utah State University studying creative writing. He is currently in the process of writing a series of short stories and his first novel. He enjoys good books, movies, swimming, and spending time with friends and family. His interests in writing are mostly fiction, though he enjoys dabbling in poetry. Reach for your dreams, don't let convention tell you what you can and can't do.

Nonfiction

Maddie Asbill is a junior in the creative writing program at Utah State University. She has fantasized about becoming a best-selling author and a recluse since she was in the fifth grade and picked up Photoshop and dreams of digital artistry in the sixth. She has befriended a minor celebrity on Twitter, and her name was once chanted at a Plain White T's concert.

Braden Steel is a senior in the creative writing program at Utah State. When he's not working on his current Epic Fantasy project, he's reading, studying, and waiting until he has time to play nine holes on the golf course. He's married with a child on the way and is excited to be a dad

Kaylee Dudley is an emotionally minded and philosophical individual. She is a professional and technical writing major here at USU, but her academic interests also include social justice, design, and psychology. When not at school, she enjoys playing games, reading long books, and snuggling with her cats and husband.

Marie Skinner is a third-ish year student studying creative writing, folklore, and Latin. She spends a lot of time wondering about broken things because she believes that's where the best stories are born. Outrageous truths and beautiful lies captivate her equally. She is also interested in sci-fi, cats, tattoos, and graffiti (which may all be classified as broken, outrageous, or beautiful, depending on perspective).

Marissa Neeley is in her third year at Utah State University pursuing a degree in social studies composite teaching with a minor in English education. She's originally from the Salt Lake City, UT area and has always had a passion for writing. When she's not dreaming about writing the great American novel, she is attending class, working, or hanging out with her roommates.

Poetry

Andrew Romriell spent most of his life in the Salt Lake Valley, finally finding his home at Utah State University. As a Junior studying Creative Writing, he hopes to go on to graduate school and eventually obtain a PhD in Creative Writing. He is a fighter, a peacemaker, and a writer. Seeing compassion as the most important human condition, he battles every day to open the hearts and minds of those around him.

Brittney McDonald is a Cache Valley native and is currently studying Creative Writing at Utah State University. She is Vice President of her campus’s creative writing club and has had poetry published in local collections and on broadsides. When she isn’t writing or reading, Brittney enjoys petting her dog and daydreaming about the zombie apocalypse.

Nate Hardy is a Kansas kid who came to Utah looking for Oz (after hearing that joke enough, he has finally owned it). He enjoys bashing the American education system, writing slam poetry, and rapping. He hosts a monthly slam competition called WhySlam and strives to be an agent of culture in his community. He’s pursuing a creative writing degree and trying not to take life too seriously.

Chris Davis earned the title of “least prepared person to ever enter space” by NASA, farmed exotic guinea pigs in Peru, and was once bitten by a goat. His interests include above-ground spelunking and writing fake staff bios. He recently graduated the fourth grade and owns over seven houseplants.

Jess Nani is existentially angsty and she wouldn’t want it another way. When not attending classes for her Creative Writing degree, you’ll find her talking to her infinitely wiser cat, Trudy, or waiting tables, silently judging you for your poor tipping choices. She loves poems that make her beautifully uncomfortable, anything Kurt Vonnegut ever put on paper, and aspires to be retweeted by J.K. Rowling. If you can keep up with her simultaneous Glee and Mad Men references, you’ll probably get along.