Editorial
Aletha Deremo, Co-Editor in Chief
Aletha (she/her) is an editor of Sumac. She is in her final year of her undergraduate degree here at Carleton. When she is not bogged down with school work, she can be found reading in an abandoned corner of the library or in her room playing guitar riffs while cuddling with her cat. Aletha hopes to one day open her own bookstore/publishing house.
Alex Laursen, Co-Editor in Chief & Illustrator
Alex (she/her) is a fourth-year English major with a minor in History, moving on to teacher’s college. She likes to write short stories, poems and songs with her guitar in her free time and has a passion for sea shanties and medieval literature. She also likes to spend time outdoors with her cats, goats and chickens on her family farm. Alex is very excited that she gets to be on the editorial team and do some drawings for this issue of Sumac.
Annika Keppo, Prose Editor
Annika (she/her) is in her final year of English with a concentration in creative writing. When she is not reading fantasy novels or writing, she is president of Carleton’s English Literature Society, a plant curator, and dedicated thrifter. She has been delighted working as a Prose Editor for Sumac and admires everyone’s hard work on this issue!
Chase Brady, Prose Editor
Chase helped edit this magazine. He has several different interests and hobbies. He is currently in his last year of an English degree at Carleton University. This is a photo of his cat 40,000 Seagulls. She is an awesome cat.
Gabriel Comba, Editor
Gabriel is a fourth-year English major with a passion for storytelling. He writes and records songs, and he especially likes to work and hang out in his friend’s basement studio. For Sumac, he is working as a bio editor and mascot. His favourite poem at the moment is “A Boat” by Richard Brautigan, and lately he’s been very interested in the writings of Flannery O’Connor.
Laura Chen, Poetry Editor & Illustrator
Laura is a fourth-year History of Architecture major with a minor in Art History. On the Sumac team, Laura works as a poetry editor and makes cover illustrations. She likes travelling to foreign countries, writing snail mail, and cooking new recipes.
Natalie Cunderlik, Editor & Illustrator
Natalie (she/her) is a fourth-year undergraduate student currently completing a major in English with a concentration in creative writing. In her spare time, Natalie enjoys reading, writing, and painting. She is thrilled to work as an editor for Sumac and hopes to find more editorial opportunities in the future.
Rebecca Kempe, Editor & Layout Designer
Rebecca (she/her) is a fourth-year student in Computer Science, minoring in both Mathematics and English. Her first love is creative non-fiction, but she also writes code, poems, and mathematical proofs (which she believes are more related to each other than one might think). She is thrilled to be on the editorial team for this issue of Sumac. In her free time, Rebecca reads voraciously and pretends to be a musician.
Managerial
Isaac Desmarais, Coordinating Editor
Isaac (he/him) is a fourth-year English major with a concentration in creative writing and minoring in Film Studies. In his spare time he enjoys writing weird fiction and directing short films. Isaac acted as the coordinating editor for Sumac.
Karen Ciss, Submissions Manager
Karen (she/her) is a fourth-year Forensic Psychology major who enjoys reading about true crime/mystery. She is excited to be a part of the managerial team for Sumac as a submissions manager.
Maddie Meades, Submissions Manager
Maddie (she/her) is a Submissions Manager for Sumac this year. She is in her final year of English with a minor in history and a concentration in creative writing. Maddie has a passion for storytelling, especially through fiction and film, so she’s very excited to help Sumac publish more voices this year! When she’s not writing she can be found cuddling with her cat, spending time in nature, or rewatching her favorite TV shows (again).
Nabiha Bilgrami, Managing Editor
Nabiha (she/her) is a fourth-year Law and Legal Studies student with a minor in Professional Writing. She has a passion for both legal texts and fiction novels. As the Managing Editor of Sumac, Nabiha is excited to contribute to the magazine and hopes readers enjoy exploring its pages as much as the team enjoyed putting them together!
Promotional
Aidan Cull, Co-Social Media Manager
Aidan (she/her) is in her final semester of her BA in English. She co-manages Sumac’s social media. She enjoys reading, writing, and trying out new baking recipes in her spare time.
Danie Maxelus, Event Manager
Danie (she/her) is in her final year as an English Literature student and is the Event Manager at Sumac. With a passion for blending creativity with practical skills, Danie is dedicated to exploring new ways to combine her love for writing with impactful projects. She’s passionate about self-improvement, women’s rights, and reading.
Naomi Badour, Publicity & Outreach Manager
Naomi (she/her) is a fourth-year English major with a passion for theatre. She is one of the Co-Artistic Directors of Sock ‘n’ Buskin Theatre Company, and she loves to be both backstage and on it. In addition to being a theatre kid, she is an erstwhile trivia competition loser, occasional bookseller, and frequent sci-fi/fantasy reader. She is also interested in the publishing industry, kitschy earrings, and death. Congratulations to the whole Sumac team for their hard work on this issue!
Paige Dearborn, Print Designer
Paige (she/they) is the Print Designer for this year’s edition of Sumac. She is in her fourth year with a major in Psychology and a minor in English. They are not a cat, but since they didn’t have any decent photos of themselves, they decided to submit a photo of one of their cats instead. His name is Sunshine, and he is an awesomer cat. She (Paige, not the cat) likes to brainstorm stories and make art on the side. As for the cat, he likes napping.
Patrice Temush, Website Editor
Patrice (she/her) is a fourth-year Industrial Design major. Joining Sumac from a design background was an exciting opportunity to look into the inner workings of a magazine instead of staying on the surface. Patrice loves anything fashion, design, art, and architecture and enjoys satisfying these interests through travel. In her free time she makes upcycled clothing, practices yoga, and spends time outside.
Rayan Eid, Co-Social Media Manager
Rayan (she/her) is in her final year of English with a minor in History. An avid fiction writer, reader, and professional media consumer, she’s having a blast being part of the Sumac promotional team.
Teaching Team
Course Instructor: Chris Johnson
