contributor biographies Anaya Akpalu, 14 years old, is from New York City. She is a typical Gen-Z teen who loves to write and express her views and opinions. As an adolescent all she is trying to do is come into her own and figure out what she wants to do. As the band Simple Plan once said, “Welcome to my life.” Lior Allay is a 24 year old queer self-taught visual poet, advocate, and single mother from the Philadelphia area. Primarily a self-portrait artist, she operates from both sides of the lens to design and execute meaningful concepts about the intersection of identity, sexuality, intimacy, and vulnerability. Her technique is defined by the poignant combination of visceral body language and surrealism in everyday scenery that encourage the viewer to ask questions about the social, cultural, and political issues we face today. Jenn Beaty uses meticulous drawing and painting techniques to create images isolated in negative space. Her work often is inspired by obsessive behaviors and effeminate concepts. Jessica Bingham is a multidisciplinary artist and director/co-founder of Project 1612, an alternative exhibition space in Peoria, IL. Her work deals with the bitter-sweet nature of childhood, cemeteries, death, and play. She is an avid taphophile, and her love of cemeteries developed as a child when she lived across the street from a cemetery that also served as her playground. Karissa Breuer is a freelance visual artist and video editor in Los Angeles, CA. By day she works on editing animatics for animated web series and creates art in her free time. Most importantly, she doesn’t trust anyone who claims they ‘aren’t a dog person’. Büşra Aydoğan was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1991. She studies art design and management, and is interested in photography, particularly analog and double exposure, which she uses to explore gender and identity issues. She is the recipient of an award for the photo series “Out of the Mirror” from the International Plastic Art Foundation. Caroline Casey is an illustrator/artist living in Brooklyn, NY, originally from Boulder, Colorado. She gets inspiration from mythology, sci fi, tarot, children’s books, botanical illustrations, and old sewing patterns. She believes images have the power to transport, elevate, and enlighten the viewer; to show a world not yet realized. Lauren Chapman is a proud feminist oil painter living in the South. Blessed be the fruit. Nicole Espina is a Filipina-American anchor baby who makes pictures, writes words, and battles depression in NYC. When not working on photography commissions, she continues conceptual and fine art projects in multiple formats and historical processes. nicoleespina.com.
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