Masthead

Meet the passionate individuals driving our mission to showcase imaginative literature and diverse voices.

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Kurt Edward Milberger is an Assistant professor of English at Kennesaw State University. He teaches publishing, professional writing, and literature and studies editorial theory and history, British literature, and poetry.

MANAGING EDITOR
Sydnee Newsome is a graduate student at Kennesaw State University, pursuing her master’s degree in Professional Writing. She received her undergraduate degree from Kennesaw State University in Media and Entertainment in 2024. Outside the classroom, she can be found writing poetry, screenplays, or at the movie theater. Besides writing, her biggest joy comes from taking care of her two cats, Olive and Suki.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Marianna Gibson is a graduate student at Kennesaw State University, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in Professional Writing. In addition to her academic work, she writes poetry and small fiction. In her spare time, Marianna teaches high school English and manages a small homestead nestled in North Georgia. There, she tends to an impressive rose garden and hangs out with her husband, two dogs, and two cats.

Readers

GUEST POETRY EDITOR (Vol. 3)
Abhijit Sarmah is a poet and researcher specializing in Indigenous literatures. He holds a Master of Philosophy (MPhil.) degree from Dibrugarh University, India and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Georgia in Athens GA, USA. He is also a UGA Arts Lab Graduate Fellow (2022-25) and has received such honors as the Ruth Pack Scholarship from the Institute of Native American Studies and Michael G. Moran Graduate Student Award from the Department of English at UGA. His work has been published in a range of print and online journals, including Poetry, The Margins, Lunch Ticket, Glassworks Magazine, Porter House Review, and The Lincoln Review. Sarmah was a finalist for the prestigious Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024) and has received nominations for the Best of the Net and The Pushcart Prize.

GUEST FICTION EDITOR (Vol. 3)
Mary McMyne is a novelist and poet who is fascinated with the stories behind stories. She is the author of the novels The Book of Gothel and A Rose by Any Other Name. Her fairy tale poetry chapbook, Wolf Skin,won the Elgin Chapbook Award. A graduate of the New York University MFA program, she has received the Faulkner-Wisdom Prize for a Novel-in-Progress and a grant from the Sustainable Arts Foundation, among other honors. She is the poetry editor for Enchanted Living.

GUEST POETRY EDITOR (Vol. 2)
A poet and food writer from southern California, Gregory Emilio is the author of the poetry collection Kitchen Apocrypha (Able Muse, 2023). His poems and essays have appeared in Best New Poets, Gastronomica, North American Review, [PANK], The Rumpus, Tupelo Quarterly, and Southern Humanities Review, among other journals. A mean home cook and avid cyclist, he lives in Atlanta and teaches at Kennesaw State University.

GUEST FICTION EDITOR (Vol. 2)
Melanie Sumner is the author of four books of fiction, How to Write a Novel, The Ghost of Milagro Creek (New Mexico Book Awards 2010), The School of Beauty and Charm, and Polite Society, a collection of West African short stories. She is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Whiting Award, a National Endowment for the Arts grant, and the New Mexico Book award. Her recent novel manuscript is set in a fictional town in Alaska.
Melanie’s publishing history includes short fiction and creative nonfiction in numerous journals and anthologies including The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, The New York Times, and Atlanta Magazine. She has appeared on NPR and Georgia Public Radio. Currently she lives in Taos, New Mexico, and teaches at Kennesaw State University.

Tyra Douyon

Sam Casto

Ky Huddleston

Dominic Ligon

Justin Briley

Crystal Wilkins

Jenny Rissen

Ashley Shaw

Katie Metzger

Giselle E Reid

Cherish Collins

Janika Jackson

Trevor Hague

Laura Metzger

Hannah Newman

Fern Conte

Tennant Ross

MANAGING EDITOR (2023-25)
Brittany Files is a writer and graduate of Florida State University, where she double majored in Creative Writing and Media/Communication Studies. In undergrad, she maintained a successful column with the FSU chapter of Her Campus and published poetry with The Kudzu Review. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Professional Writing at Kennesaw State University.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Antwan Bowen is experienced in crafting, executing, and enhancing strategies for businesses of varied sizes as a Social Media Manager. Antwan is dedicated to fostering fresh interactions via social media channels and is prepared to channel this enthusiasm and dedication into The Headlight Review.

MANAGING EDITOR
Veronica Marie Pérez has a bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies with a minor in Japanese from Kennesaw State University (KSU). She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Professional Writing at KSU. In her spare time, she enjoys crocheting, singing, and playing DND. In the future, Veronica looks forward to working with writers of underrepresented backgrounds and experiences in order to bring attention to their stories.