Lauren Davila, featured above, is a Pushcart-nominated, Latina writer currently pursuing her PhD in English at Claremont Graduate University. She holds an MFA in Fiction Writing from George Mason University and dual BAs in English and Creative Writing from Pepperdine University. After completing her studies, she plans to teach at the collegiate level while publishing poetry and fiction.

Her writing has appeared online at Granada Magazine, The Paragon Journal, Ghost Heart Literary Magazine, Peach Velvet Mag, Voyage Journal, Second Chance Magazine, Headcanon Magazine, In Parantheses, and Poets Reading the News, and in print anthology, Hireath.

She has multiple short anthologies publishing in 2022. WHEN OTHER PEOPLE SAW US, THEY SAW THE DEAD is a BIPOC gothic anthology forthcoming from Haunt Publishing in May 2022. Two Latine genre anthologies are forthcoming from Bee Infinite Press and Flower Song Press in September 2022- WHERE MONSTERS LURK AND MAGIC HIDES AND PLACES WE BUILD IN THE UNIVERSE, respectively. She has six other anthologies out on submission.

Lauren also shared about her favorite part of being a mentor. “I think for me, it is the specific ability to see how I can assist others. As a first-generation college student, I know I was lost during undergraduate and even my previous graduate programs. Without mentors in my life, I would not be where I am today. Success relies on asking for help and seeking assistance. Being a mentor is a way to give back to others.”