Uplift Your Voice
Mission
Pulled from disparate locations to Baltimore, Thriving Writers was founded by a group of master’s students at Towson University with the goal of sharing and improving each other’s writing and preparing it for publication. Our site here is meant to continue with this goal of sharing, growing, and supporting the work of both ourselves and now all emerging writers in Baltimore and beyond. Our original group has come together as friends and collaborators to create a space where your voice can be uplifted and your work can, well, thrive.
“And what, you ask, does writing teach us? First and foremost, it reminds us that we are alive and that it is a gift and a privilege, not a right.”
Ray Bradbury
Our Editors
Brynn Devereaux
Brynn moved Towson for college from Scranton, PA and never looked back. After graduating with an English degree, she worked as an insurance agent before launching her career as an award winning marketer at Coyle Studios. Her work has appeared in Baltimore OUTloud and AMA Baltimore. When Brynn isn’t writing, she is spending time with her husband, son, and wild black cat, Angus.
Will Eichler
Will Eichler lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland, where he is also a graduate student in Professional Writing at Towson University. He is an editor and contributor to Next Page Ink Creative Arts Magazine, and short story “The Dripping Man” received a Judge’s Award from Cat & Mouse Press’s 2020 Short Story Competition, “Beach Mysteries.” In his free time, Eichler enjoys video games, comic books, and ensuring his cats don’t destroy his home.
Katie Iser
Katie Iser has been published in Ligeia Magazine, Next Page Ink Magazine, and has contributed to Write or Die Tribe. After earning her Masters in Professional Writing at Towson University, she now writes about fish all day for the National Aquarium (and she wouldn’t have it any other way). Katie lives in Baltimore, Maryland and in her free time she enjoys reading horror & creative nonfiction, playing video games, and birdwatching.
Jola Naibi
Short stories are Jola’s first love when it comes to reading and writing. Her first collection of short stories is Terra Cotta Beauty and her work has also appeared in Afreada and in midnight & indigo. Her short essay entitled There Are Things That Your Privilege Will Not Let You See that appeared in Grub Street Literary Magazine received an award from Columbia University. An avid gardener, Jola is a graduate of Towson University’s Professional Writing Program.
Jake Solyst
Jake is a writer from Maryland. He produces web and social content for the Chesapeake Bay Program, a regional environmental organization based in Annapolis. In his free time, he writes short fiction. He graduated from Towson University with a Master of Science in Professional Writing in 2022.
Coty Poynter
Coty Poynter is a writer from Baltimore, Maryland. He’s the author of two poetry books, most recently Delirium: Poems, a collection published by Bowen Press. His work has been published in Black Fox Literary Magazine, Equinox, LIGEIA, and Maudlin House, among other places. In 2023, he graduated from Towson University with a Master of Science in Professional Writing, concentrating on creative writing. You can learn more about him at cotypoynter.com.
Barbara Stanton
Barbara Stanton’s poetry has been published in Next Page Ink journal. Her cartoons can be seen on ElectricChihuahua.com She is currently in the graduate creative writing program at Towson University. A visual artist, potter, and martial artist, Barbara’s work as a speech-language pathologist has deeply influenced her writing.
Fiction. Non-fiction. Poetry. Art
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Photo Credit: Jola Naibi
Logo Credit: Jamie Garcia