We live, we breathe, we beckon this work.

The Seventh Wave builds community for and with individuals who have been historically marginalized to dig deeper into the things that impact our lives, our environments, and our relationships to one another.

Since our founding in 2015, we have always been intentional about the people we work with, and that includes the individuals who comprise our masthead. As an organization that champions art in the space of social issues, we know that it matters a whole lot who is working behind the scenes to make this all possible. Which is why we honor both transparency and radical intimacy as ways to ensure that everyone we work with foregrounds inclusivity and accessibility in every editorial act. We are a largely volunteer staff scattered across the country and around the globe. Get to know our team of editors, artists, and facilitators below. Curious to join our team? Head over to our openings page to see our current open positions and learn more about how to apply.

Masthead

Joyce Chen

Joyce Chen

Executive Director
Patrycja Humienik

Patrycja Humienik

Facilitator
Briana Gwin

Briana Gwin

Senior Editor | Prose
Jules Chung

Jules Chung

Assistant Editor | Prose
Jerica Taylor

Jerica Taylor

Assistant Editor | Poetry
Bretty Rawson

Bretty Rawson

Director of Programs
Bianca Ng

Bianca Ng

Facilitator
Emilie Menzel

Emilie Menzel

Senior Editor | Poetry
Maya Garcia Fisher

Maya Garcia Fisher

Assistant Editor | Poetry
Avi-Yona Israel

Avi-Yona Israel

Director of Advocacy
Sarah Neilson

Sarah Neilson

Facilitator + Assistant Editor
Stuti Pachisia

Stuti Pachisia

Editor | Poetry
Maria Picone

Maria Picone

Assistant Editor | Poetry
Meg Sykes

Meg Sykes

Art Director + Webmaster
Sanna Wani

Sanna Wani

2023-2024 Artist in Residence
Elizabeth Upshur

Elizabeth Upshur

Editor | Poetry
Ivy Raff

Ivy Raff

Assistant Editor | Poetry

Board of Directors

Tatiana Serafin

Tatiana Serafin

Board Member

Tatiana Serafin is an award-winning writer (2014 Newswomen’s Club Front Page Award), Journalism Professor at Marymount Manhattan College, and Managing Editor at First Amendment Watch. She is currently working on two book-length projects, as well as translations of Ukrainian poetry. She is an ardent supporter of critical conversation and excellent writing and is proud to support the mission of The Seventh Wave in pursuit of these twin objectives. After a successful management consulting career, Tatiana was a staff writer at Forbes and then co-editor of the magazine’s billionaire’s list, initiating coverage of billionaires in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She continues as a Forbes contributor and freelance reporter. Tatiana has an MFA in Creative Writing from the New School, an MA in Business and Economic Reporting from New York University, as well as an MA in Central European and Russian Studies and BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. You can learn more on her website. You can find her on Twitter at @tatianaserafin.

Advisory Board

Zia Jaffrey

Zia Jaffrey

Advisor
Zia Jaffrey is the author of The Invisibles: A Tale of the Eunuchs of India (Pantheon/Vintage). She has written cover stories, features, and book reviews for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Vogue, The Nation, Salon.com, Mother Jones, and Elle, where she was a contributing editor. Her work has been anthologized in Toni Morrison: Conversations, Growing Up Asian American, and other tomes. She teaches in The New School’s MFA program. You can find her on Twitter at @ziajaffrey.
Elizabeth Onusko

Elizabeth Onusko

Advisor
Elizabeth Onusko is the author of the poetry collection Portrait of the Future with Trapdoor, which received the 2015 Bryant-Lisembee Book Prize from Red Paint Hill. She edits Foundry, is a founding editor and former publisher of Guernica, and has fundraised for arts and educational organizations including the Metropolitan Opera and Sarah Lawrence College.
John Reed

John Reed

Advisor
John Reed is the author of novels A Still Small Voice (Delacorte Press / Delta), The Whole (Simon & Schuster / Pocket / MTV Books), the SPD bestseller Snowball’s Chance (Roof Books / Melville House), All The World’s A Grave: A New Play By William Shakespeare (Penguin Books / Plume), and Tales of Woe (MTV Press). Recently, John was anthologized in Best American Essays (Houghton Mifflin, 2015) for his essay, My Grandma the Poisoner. See his website for more. You can find him on Twitter at @easyreeder.

The Seventh Wave would like to acknowledge and thank our former staff for their significant contributions:

Past Board Members

Alia Malek, 2015-2022

Past Team Members

Zeina Abi Assy | Co-founder, Editor
Krista Starrett | Editor
Teri Vela | Editor
Lisa Chen | Asst. Editor
Anna Fridlis | Asst. Editor
Kristin Marie | Asst. Editor
Christina Shideler | Asst. Editor

Past Writing Fellows

Ella Shapiro, Sylvia Adome, Ibiene Minah, Daley Wilhelm, Erica Somerson, Hannah Schneider, Amanda Huffman, Tosha Brown, and Holly Elizabeth Rice

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