Our Team
Alexandra Francese, Editor in Chief
Alexandra Francese is a fiction writer and poet from a small town in upstate New York. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in English from the University of South Florida, where she is currently pursuing an MFA in Fiction. Her work has appeared in Yalobusha Review, Bar Bar Magazine, Quibble Literature, and other literary journals.
Contact: alexandra@creationmag.org
Ivelina Kirilova, Managing Editor
Ivelina Kirilova is a graduate of the University of South Florida creative writing program and currently works in academic publishing. She is a Bulgaria native but has called Florida her home since early childhood. Ivelina is a poet and nonfiction essayist who holds a deep passion for the written word and her local literary community. Her work can be found in publications like Thread Magazine and the America Library of Poetry. When she’s not writing, Ivelina enjoys traveling and cooking.
Contact: Ivelina@creationmag.org
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Alex Hoeft
Fiction Editor
Alex Hoeft is an award-winning news reporter covering the Lake Tahoe region in California and Nevada. Her short story fiction work has been published in literary journals. When she's not writing for work or fun, she's wrangling her toddler or reading a book — or doing both at the same time. Visit www.ahoeft.com to learn more.
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Morgan Neering
Poetry Editor
Morgan Neering is a writer & poet originally from North Carolina. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a Bachelor's in Education & English, and is now living and writing in France. Her work has appeared in a variety of literary journals, including Yellow Arrow Journal, The Westchester Review, and Quail Bell Magazine. In her spare time, Morgan enjoys traveling to new places, trying new recipes, and spending time with friends and family.
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Maddie Garvis
Fiction Editor
Madison Garvis is an editor-at-heart from a small town in Central Maryland. She has a bachelor's degree in Communication Arts from Hood College in Frederick, MD, where she was the Chief Copy Editor of the student-run newspaper. She particularly appreciates pieces that focus on the joys and tribulations of the feminine experience. She enjoys photography, taking walks with her two dogs Niko and Dougie, reading, and desperately trying to keep her many plants alive.
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Alexa Manning
Poetry Editor
Alexa (she/her) is a current student at the University of Exeter studying for a Master’s in English Literary Studies. As a scholar, her interests lie in women’s fiction of the Middle Ages as well as persistent Medieval tales that continue to be retold today. As a reader, she loves almost anything, typically reaching for Fantasy or Contemporary Literary Fiction titles. With experience in writing and magazine publishing—both digital and print—Alexa is excited to join Creation Magazine as an editor and help bring dreams into reality.
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Matt Anastasi
Fiction Editor
Matt Anastasi is a high school English teacher located in Washingtonville, New York. Matt holds a bachelor's degree in English from Mount Saint Mary College along with New York State teaching certifications in English grades 7-12 and Special Education. Matt also holds a master's in English Education from Columbia's Teacher's College. Matt also directs the Washingtonville tennis programs and is an avid sports enthusiast. In his spare time Matt of course loves to read, and he enjoys movies. Matt also loves to write, especially poetry about the current climate of the world. Matt has been an editor with Creation magazine for two years and absolutely adores reading submissions from all across the world.
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Ariana Matondo
Poetry Editor and Outreach Coordinator
Ariana Matondo is a queer disabled Tanzanian American poet, researcher, and teacher based in Tampa, Florida. They are the recipient of the Bettye Newman Poetry Award (2022), Vermont Studio Center Fellowship (2024), Light for Public Health Poetry Prize (2024), and Disquiet Poetry Award Finalist (2025). Ariana has published and forthcoming work in Light Magazine, Identity Theory Magazine, Honey Literary Magazine, and more. Ariana's poetry currently focuses on disability justice and intersectionality, mapping literary cartographies of their ancestry, and exploring ways of orienting the body towards queer and peculiar ways of living (the best kind of way to live, by the way).