Abraxas was founded by Cal Poly alumni and has now grown into an expanded masthead of writers, artists, editors, and interns. We love reading work that strikes an intentional but subtle message—work that haunts us, that keeps us thinking about it after we've read it. We seek poetry and prose with arresting emotional impact achieved not by contrived figurative language, but by language that surprises while serving a larger purpose.

Send us your work that is authentic without being performative, experimental without being pretentious, and that speaks to the humanity in all of us.

We can't wait to read your work.

editors, abraxas review

ISSN 2997-2515

Masthead

Savannah Anderson

Savannah is an editor, poet, and researcher with a life-long passion for seeking out authentic human stories. She has an M.A. in English from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and has published work in Virginia Woolf and Heritage. Somewhat of an intelletctual nomad, Savannah is currently working on a collection of essays about growing up as a 6th generation cattle rancher and is researching radical poets of the 1920’s Greenwich Village.

Editor-in-Chief

Marin Smith

Marin Smith is a wordwrangler, poet, essayist, mother, and an Enneagram 4. She has an M.A. in English from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and her work has been published in MER Literary, Milk Art Journal, Literary Mama, Split Rock Review, Oregon English Journal, and CALYXJournal, DEHP Journal, and others. You’ll find her in the garden, coffee in hand, or connect with her here. 

Editorial Director & Co-Founder
Design Director, Photography & Art Editor, & Co-Founder

Sholeh Prochello

Sholeh has an M.A. in English for California State Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo. She is an educator who enjoys dabbling in graphic design in her free time and reading anything and everything sci-fi and fantasy.

Kevin Anderson

Kevin earned his MA from California Polytechnic State University in 2016 and studied in Dartmouth’s MALS program, where he published poetry and fiction in Clamantis. His poetry has appeared in Confluence, and his short story "The Thin Dust of Summer" was featured in Issue 1 of Abraxas. In 2021, he took up abstract painting. He lives on a farm in rural California with his wife, Savannah, and daughter, Hadley. He adores novels, philosophy, the Moderns and the Romantics, abstract painting, and writing as art. By day, Kevin directs a luxury winery.

Fiction Editor

Emma Brinkmeyer

Emma earned a Ph.D. in English from Stony Brook University, where she specialized in 20th century British literature, and a M.A. in English and American Literature from NYU. As an undergrad, she studied poetry writing at Boston University.

Poetry Editor, Photography & Art Editor
Poetry Editor

Elina Katrin

Elina Katrin is a Syrian-Russian immigrant and the author of the poetry chapbook, If My House Has a Voice (Newfound, 2023). Her writing has appeared in Electric Literature, Poetry Daily, Mississippi Review, and elsewhere. A 2025 Vermont Studio Center and Periplus fellow, she holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Hollins University. 

Stu Watson

Stuart Watson worked at newspapers in Anchorage, Seattle and Portland, and has literary work in Bull, Barzakh, MacQueen’s Quinterly, Bending Genres (Best Microfictions nominee), Does It Have Pockets? and others.

Fiction & Creative Nonfiction Editor

David Rockman

David is a practicing therapist in the great state of California and sleep researcher at NASA Ames. He is interested in the strange, brutal, and true.

Fiction & Creative Nonfiction Editor
Poetry Editor

Alexandra Gregorio

Alexandra has a BA in English from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, as well as a minor in Media Art, Society, and Technology, and a certificate in Technical and Professional Communications. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in literary publishing to continue embracing her love of literature and storytelling beyond university.

Coordinating Editor

Ryan Glenn

Ryan has a BA in English student from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a minor in Media Art, Society, and Technology, and a certification in Technical Professional Communications. She has a deep love for storytelling and obscure words, and hopes to continue exploring her passion for literature through a career in publishing.

Coordinating Editor

Adam Mercer

Adam Mercer is a fifth-year graduate student at Cal Poly pursuing an MA in English. He is also on the editorial board of Intertidal, Cal Poly's literary and visual arts journal. 

Editorial Intern
Editorial Intern

Vienna Marie Burtolucci

Vienna grew up in Bakersfield, CA, and is currently pursuing a MA in English at Cal Poly. She loves all forms of creative writing but especially poetry that is brutally honest. If it is a warm sunny day you can expect to find her in an open field with a book in hand.

Zora Sowinksa

Zora is a fourth-year undergraduate Comparative Ethnic Studies student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a minor in English. She has a deep passion for writing and reading poetry, and intends to continue pursuing her love for literature with a future career in editing.

Editorial Intern

Lacey Buck

Contributing Editor & Co-Founder