Know The Creators
JUNIPER
Juniper is a bay area multidisciplinary artist and writer who focuses on sharing her experiences as a trans woman of color through her work. Her first chapbook of poetry, Conversations of Water, was recently published with Papeachu.
Juniper Yun
"As a child, I climbed rooftops. I collected pebbled turquoise, lost myself in corn fields, swam and sunk in oceans and lakes. I learned to speak English fast, learned to read it faster. My mother, who was once my primary caretaker, passed when I was discovering the joys of life in my youth. After this, I was alone, a lot of the time. I wasn’t happy. My heart felt like it was scattered across state lines, having moved around since my nonage. My life wasn’t ever easy, as a queer and trans multiracial child to a single-parent, military family. So, in my adulthood, I find purpose and happiness in providing opportunity and community to those who are without. I use my artwork and poetry to speak on my unique and at times harrowing experiences traversing the margins of society. I seek to bring light to the things that often only live in the darkest corners of our hearts.
These methods allow me to tell my story without having to state everything so plainly. To do so would be shattering. Instead of being left with trauma, I get to have something beautiful, or at least interesting. I’ve had some of my greatest joys since transitioning, a journey I ‘began’ in high school. I also had some of my worst fears be realized in this period of my life. This year was the year I had to say goodbye to my father, who fell ill and passed away. It shakes me to this day, but I’m used to having to carry such weight. That’s the magic of women like myself-- we can have a whole ocean on us but still find ways to breathe.
As an adult, I thought my heart would shrink more and more with the passage of time. But I’m surprised to see that the scattered pieces of it simply took root, as if cast seeds, and they grow more and more each day."
LYNNE
Lynne Ellis writes in pen. Her words appear in WA 129 (Sage Hill Press), Anesthesiology, and Cascadia Rising Review. She was a finalist for the 2017 Letheon poetry prize and the 49th Parallel poetry prize (Bellingham Review). This is her first collection.
Lynne Ellis
"I wrote my first poem when I was four. It’s in a box in my garage.
My artistic training was more formal, but I still feel four some days. I have steeped in the presentation of words and stories for years, but started my study of poetry only recently: as an addition to my career in stagecraft and lighting design. As with the hand-built intricacies of the stage, so the craft of shape and language. Words are line drawing representations of our connection to other people.
When I write, I slip over to a side corner to write down the words I hear. This material comes from people in my sphere and from my own unruly thoughts. I try to be vulnerable in my work. In my reading life, I’ve found that a poem really reaches down into me when the poet shows me something I already know but don’t yet understand.
I live within multiple forms of privilege. I’m cisgender, White-presenting, and economically stable in a metropolis where the most recent Point-In-Time Count registered 12,112 persons experiencing homelessness for at least one night in 2018. This collection of poetry seeks to approach our city with compassion, to imagine its people as complex individuals. As I walk, ride my bike, and take buses, I try to understand what (and why) I see."
BETHANY
Bethany is a long-time friend of Papeachu. She's an art model, a curator, a writer, and an embodiment of creative inspiration. You can find her work on instagram (@plushdecay) and at Vegetarian Alcoholic Press (@vegetarianalcoholicpress).
Bethany Price
Bethany Price is a Milwaukee-based poet, stylist and creative director. Her previous publications are “all I wanna do” through Pity Milk Press, and “Terror” through Vegetarian Alcoholic Press. She directs and curates a fashion photography series called Plush Decay, which you can find on Instagram (@plushdecay). She is the creative director alongside her husband Jerrod of The Art Shore, a MKE based arts blog. Bethany has no pets but many books.
SARAH
Sarah runs the instagram group @seattlepoets to promote local poets and connect each other within their craft. She is the author of the book One Thousand Questions (And No Good Answers) and has her poetry featured in Papeachu Review Issue Two.
Sarah Herrin
Sarah Herrin is a poet based in Seattle, Washington. Raised in the Deep South, she escaped to the Pacific Northwest in 2012. She achieved a BFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she studied Sequential Art and Creative Writing. Her work is inspired by world travel, depression, bisexuality, art and anatomy studies, heartbreak & healing, the ocean and the PNW, and above all—love. She is a gemologist, runner/triathlete, cat mom, wife, and Bowie lover.
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Find her on the internet: @_SarahHerrin
BETSY
Betsy is the author of Keep Your Eyes on Your Own Paper, her first book and our first nonfiction title. She is currently working on her second book.
Betsy Jordan
Betsy Jordan is a creative non-fiction writer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2016, she earned her BFA from The University of Whitewater with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Race and Ethnic studies. Her strengths: she gives all pens back, she can create a fictional life story for any animal, and there is a CVS ready in her purse. Her weaknesses: she falls asleep at movies after 3 in the afternoon, she forgets to take off her makeup on the weekends, and she has to know how fuzzy that blanket is. She is a woman of color, a vegan, is likely to get off topic, and is currently living in Minneapolis.
Betsy Jordan
Breona Mendoza is an activist, sex therapist, and avid supporter of self-love. She divides her time between counseling to teens, cultivating a strong queer community, and empowering people to build more liberated and connected relationships.
BREONA
Breona Mendoza
Breona (she/her) is an activist, sex therapist, and avid supporter of self-love in all respects of the word. She received her BA in Psychology and Gender Studies, her MA in community counseling, and has a certificate in sex therapy. She is currently working on completing a certificate in sex education and writing educational cliterature. She believes that everyone deserves accurate information about the bodies and experiences. Much of her work centers the experiences of the LGBTQ community. Now a days she spends her time providing counseling to teens, living in a community of quirky queers and contemplating ingenious ways to empower people to become more comfortable and loving with their parts.
Danny Tayara is an award-winning designer, filmmaker, animator, and illustrator.
In addition to illustrating Clitaurus Chronicles, they also work in Seattle as Production & UX Research Director at VR Ulysses, a software startup company that develops technology solutions for cyber security and network operations.
DANNY
Danny Tayara
Danny Tayara is a mixed-race queer designer, filmmaker, animator, and illustrator. They received their B.A. in Film Studies from Seattle University, where they focused heavily on scientific film and XR. In addition to illustrating Clitaurus Chronicles, they also work in Seattle as Production & UX Research Director at VR Ulysses, a software startup company that develops technology solutions for cyber security and network operations.
During their time as Festival Director of the Seattle Queer Film Festival, Danny founded Seattle Queer Filmmakers while also facilitating workshops and maintaining their creative practice making short films. Danny’s films have screened in fifteen countries, notable awards including Judge’s Pick at the UW Climate Change Film Festival, Most Controversial Film at Queersicht Film Festival, and Best Documentary at the Roving Eye International Film Festival.