Our editorial board is made up of creative students from Western Sydney University’s undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Watch this space if any positions become available.
Ishmael Parker is the head prose editor of Creature. He has been writing science fiction and fantasy for over ten years and publishes most of his work to tumblr. His favourite monster is the slime for its ability to adapt to near any situation. He is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in the creative industries with creative writing as his major. He enjoys strategy games, food he knows is bad for him and the sound of rain.
Favourite creature: Basilisk.
Bea is studying a Bachelor of Creative Industries, with a major in Creative Writing. Since 2019, they’ve published four poetry collections through Story Factory; okay enough (2019), splinters (202), roots (2021), and with love, (2023). They collaborated with Story Factory and the Sydney Writers Festival in 2023 to produce a ‘Prescription Poetry’ booth, where they wrote and prescribed poems to heal participants’ modern ailments. Bea placed second at the Bankstown Poetry Slam’s 2022 Grand Slam. They’ve written for Frankie Press in their 2021 SPACES, and 2022 FEEL GOOD editions. Bea has also been a member of the Utp Rising ensemble since 2019.
Favourite creature: Ghost!
Elyssa is studying a Master of Arts in Literature and Creative Writing at WSU. She’s a lover of poetry (particularly haiku, sonnet, and couplet) and enjoys reading the romantics and anything to do with Greek philosophy! She started at Western as a MedSci student before finding her way into teaching and then the arts. She dabbled in writing poetry and prose, having written a short modern re-telling of Charlotte Perkins-Gilman’s The Yellow wallpaper, as well as a small collection of poetry. Her current plan is to transition to a Master of Research and complete her masters thesis in philosophy with hopes to continue writing short creative non-fiction.
Favourite creature: Vampire
Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan is an award-winning short story writer, journalist, columnist, and editor. Her work has appeared in newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald, Sun-Herald, The Australian, the Sunday Times, and the Sunday Telegraph. She has also been a travel editor for Elle Cuisine Magazine, Australian Table Magazine, and Ocean Magazine and freelanced for many more. She is a casual academic at WSU.
Favourite creature: it’s very hard to stick to one – quite partial to dragons, hobbits, elves, witches and fairies
Jacinta is student at Western Sydney University completing a Masters of Literature and Creative Writing degree. She’s passionate about writing and reading anything related to fantasy, folklore and mythology and also telling stories which focus on and challenge our social norm. At the moment she is working on two novels which are loosely based on my experiences growing up in Australia with her chaotic but inspiring large Italian family.
Favourite Creature: Dementor
