Kaelis Albota Pappert is a second-year student at Carleton University working on a degree in English and a minor in Philosophy.
Chloé Bertrand is an English and Film major in her third year at Carleton University. She is a lover of the arts, in all its many forms and hopes to continue nourishing her passion for writing throughout the length of her academic career and beyond. She has previously been published in the Ottawa Public Library’s Pot-Pourri anthology and Sumac Literary Magazine.
Sofia Colucci completed her undergraduate degree in English at Carleton University and graduated in 2022. She now works as a high school English teacher.
Retiring after 44 years in the corporate world, Rosemarie D’Amico enrolled at Carleton University in 2018 and graduated in 2023 with an Honours BA in English Literature with a Concentration in Creative Writing. She then enrolled in the Masters of Creative Writing program at Hull University in the U.K. and graduated in August 2025. In September 2025 she enrolled in another bachelor’s program at Carleton, this time with a focus on history.
Milena Gareau is a writer from Toronto. She is trying to explore every art form while pursuing a degree in Psychology. In her free time, she can sometimes be found studying in the MacOdrum Library, but don’t tell her fellow Gee-Gees.
Laura Gillis is a fourth-year journalism student at Carleton University. Her poetry can be found
in Sumac and on her poetry Instagram account (@ldgpoetry). She is a writer and storyteller
born and raised in Yorkton, Saskatchewan on Treaty 4 territory.
Lily Rose Lachance is a 19 year-old first year English student at Carleton University. They began writing as soon as they understood language but only began taking it seriously in high school. They came to Carleton to study English. They believe that by studying literature, you can understand the most important facets of what makes us human. They have published a few short stories online under a pen name.
Nyla Liut-Hiridjee is an aspiring writer hoping to explore the near magical aspect of life through stories. She has always loved movies and books that can unite whole groups of people, and she wants to create something that can do the same. As a ninth grader at Glebe Collegiate Institute, she looks forward to a career path in screenwriting and opportunities to grow her storytelling skills through school. When she isn’t writing and reading, she can be found running cross country, hanging out with her friends, or taking care of her very demanding dog.
Jack Manley is a third-year undergraduate student at Carleton University, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing. He has chosen to submit a longer work of fiction titled “The Infestation”, written and edited in the third-year Writing Fiction workshop. Jack has no prior publication experience but is determined to change that.
Abby McNicol is from Burlington, Ontario, and came to Ottawa to study English at Carleton. Nearing the end of her fourth year, she hopes to graduate with her B.A. and continue the lifelong process of becoming a writer. Since childhood, she has found solace in books. She considers herself a storyteller in every aspect of her life and hopes to share that passion in whatever way fate sees fit.
Masanda is an Ottawa-based musician, visual artist, and writer. He may or may not have passed through the halls and tunnels of Carleton University on a regular basis. His work has been published in Bywords and the now defunct Flo Lit Magazine. Find him over at Pi.FYI: @thisismasanda.
Leo Richardson is from Ottawa and is an undergraduate student at Carleton University. They are
majoring in English, with a concentration in creative writing. This 1192-word flash fiction, titled “Cloud Nine”, is Leo’s first submission for publication in any magazine.
Emma Rowsell is currently a graduate student in Women’s and Gender Studies at Carleton University, and her connection to Carleton includes her undergraduate studies in Sociology and Anthropology, as well as her continued academic work on campus. Her academic and creative interests centre on gendered violence, survivorship, and the ways education can function as a site of reclamation and agency.
Omar Shaji is a 3rd year Undergraduate Student in the English Program with a concentration in Creative Writing at Carleton University. He hails from India and is an international student whose poetry often touches on his memories of Kerala and the environment. His poem ‘Striking Jackfruit’ explores the nature of his favorite fruit and the labour that goes behind consuming it. Omar acknowledges the impact that Carleton University has had on his life and is aware that the
institution rests on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe-Algonquin nation. He has been published twice at Sumac and is grateful for the opportunity to have his work read by the editorial team.
James Brennan Sutcliffe is a second year English Major, concentrating in Creative Writing at Carleton University. James has fallen in love with the art of storytelling, and has numerous works published online, and the Sumac Literary Magazine third issue: ‘Planting Roots’ last year with a Greek Tragedy, Curiosity, that was inspired by classes taken in his first year at Carleton. James has also just published his first novel “Don’t Sleep” a psychological thriller with the help of Arkham House Publishing that can be found on Amazon. To find more information about James and his future writing endeavors, go to his Instagram @James._Brennan
Jessica Thebarge entered Carleton this past fall in English and Creative Writing, eager to soak up as much knowledge as possible. She quickly found a sense of home on campus, especially when frolicking along the Canal path. Most of her poetry is written on public transport.
Carter Vance is a writer and poet originally from Cobourg, Ontario, Canada, currently resident in
Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. His work has appeared in such publications as The Smart Set, Contemporary Verse 2 and Plentitude, amongst others. His debut novel, Smaller Animals, is now available from Roundfire Books.
Sarah Wasylyk (she/her) a fourth-year English major at Carleton University. She is connected to the Carleton campus through her studies and she acknowledges that Carleton University is located on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Nation. Her writing, although none of it has been published, often explores grief, memory, and the body, with particular attention to silence and ritual. She has not yet been published.
Casey Wintonyk is a BA English student at Carleton University. She loves trying new foods, thrifting and driving; she often compiles poetry in her head during late-night drives. Words are her favourite way of perceiving and processing the world around her, and she is excited to be able to share some of her work through Sumac‘s newest issue.
Lindsay Wymark is an undergraduate student at Carleton University, majoring in English with a
Concentration in Creative Writing. Her previous publications include “The Autobiography of Credence Crow”, featured in Sumac Literary Magazine’s first issue. Lindsay has been writing fiction since the age of seven with the lifelong dream of becoming an author, primarily focusing on the historical fiction and fantasy genres. “Prismatic” is her first attempt at writing in a ‘vignette’ style of storytelling.