— 2026 —

Managing Editors: Taylor Fleming, Stephanie Zimmerman
Acquisitions Editors: Daxton Comba, Alexandra Groenwoldt
Features Editors: Zoe Chong, Jennavieve Strub
Fiction Editors: Sarah Hart, Graeme Higginson
Poetry Editors: Bri Hepner, Abby Tredger
Script Editor: Kyle Emmerson
Non-Fiction Editor: Lillian Morpak, Masha Zhaksybek
Copy Editors: Alexandra Groenwoldt, Graeme Higginson, Lillian Morpak
Gustafson Feature: Bailey Bellosillo, Marina McDonald
Book Review Editor: Zoe Chong
Art Directors: Bailey Bellosillo, Daxton Comba
Designer: José Padilla
Portfolio Series Coordinators: Marina McDonald, Jay McDonnell
Audio/Visual Editor: Kyle Emmerson
Advertising Team: Emily Brandstaetter, Sarah Hart
Marketing & Subscriptions Managers: Emily Brandstaetter, Jennavieve Strub
Social Media & Publiciity Team: Bri Hepner, Abby Tredger, Masha Zhaksybek
Launch Coordinators: Jay McDonnell
Web Designer: Bailey Bellosillo
Publisher: Joy Gugeler

Managing Editors
Acquisitions Editors
Features Editors
Fiction Editors
Poetry Editors
Script Editor
Non-Fiction Editor
Copy Editors
Gustafson Feature
Book Review Editor
Art Directors
Designer
Portfolio Series Coordinators
Audio/Video Editor
Advertising Team
Marketing & Subscriptions Managers
Social Media & Publicity Team
Launch Coordinators
Web Designer
Publisher

Taylor Fleming, Stephanie Zimmerman
Daxton Comba, Alexandra Groenwoldt
Zoe Chong, Jennavieve Strub
Sarah Hart, Graeme Higginson
Bri Hepner, Abby Tredger
Kyle Emmerson
Lillian Morpak, Masha Zhaksybek
Alexandra Groenwoldt, Graeme Higginson, Lillian Morpak
Bailey Bellosillo, Marina McDonald
Zoe Chong
Bailey Bellosillo, Daxton Comba
José Padilla
Marina McDonald, Jay McDonnell
Kyle Emmerson
Emily Brandstaetter, Sarah Hart
Emily Brandstaetter, Jennavieve Strub
Bri Hepner, Abby Tredger, Masha Zhaksybek
Jay McDonnell
Bailey Bellosillo
Joy Gugeler

Managing Editors

Taylor Fleming

Taylor Fleming is a fifth-year Creative Writing major and Journalism minor, and a co-Managing Editor for Portal 2026. She was a Poetry Editor, Gustafson Feature Writer, and a member of the Social Media team for Portal 2025. Her writing has appeared in Portal 2024 and 2025, GOOEY, in the poetry anthology Winter’s Melody, and in the upcoming short fiction anthology Drift. She received the Kevin Roberts Poetry Award in 2024 and the Meadowlarks Award for Fiction in 2025, and has been shortlisted for Polar Expressions Publishing’s national writing competition for both poetry and short fiction. She is an editor for GOOEY magazine’s third issue and served as secretary for The Navigator’s Board of Directors in 2025.

Stephanie Zimmerman

Stephanie Zimmerman is a third-year Creative Writing major, and a co-Managing Editor for Portal 2026. She received the Governor General's Award and the H.R. MacMillan Award in high school. She received the Cowichan Foundation Award in 2022. She was a Fiction Editor and the Book Review Editor for the 2025 issue of Portal in which her review of Northern Nights appears.

ACQUISITIONS EDITORS

Alexandra Groenwoldt

Alexandra Groenwoldt is a third-year Creative Writing and Psychology student at VIU and an international student from Germany. Her short story “How to Make a Sand Cake” was published in GOOEY magazine in 2024 and she received the 2025 Pat Bevan Scholarship for Fiction. She was a Fiction Editor and Copy Editor for Portal 2025, and she is an Acquisition Editor and Copy Editor for the Portal 2026 issue. She is the Chair of the Creative Writing Club at VIU.

Daxton Comba

Daxton Comba is a third-year Creative Writing student, a graphic designer, and a videographer. He served as Script Editor and Audio-Visual intern for Portal 2025, and over the summer he wrote/ directed a staged reading of his play Funeral Cake. Daxton has memoir and short-fiction published in Portal and GOOEY magazine respectively, his work was produced for VIU’s 2025 One Act Festival, and he was a recipient of the Meadowlarks Award for Fiction. He is a videographer at The Navigator, as well as co-Acquisitions Editor and co-Art Director for Portal 2026.

Editors

Zoe Chong

Features Editor

Zoe Chong is a fourth-year student in the Creative Writing program. In 2025, she was the Portfolio Reading Series Coordinator and a Script Editor for Portal, and for the 2026 issue she is a Features Editor and the Book Review Editor. She has published book reviews with Vancouver Island Bookcrate, published scripts in Portal 2024 and 2025, and was the map illustrator for Avianna Bishop’s debut fantasy novel Sacrifice.

Jennavieve Strub

Features Editor

Jennavieve Strub is a fourth-year Creative Writing and Psychology student. Her story “Words That Float” placed second in the Adult Category for the Island Short Fiction Review, and her poem “Someone I Used to Know” placed first at the Nanaimo Arts Council’s Ekphrastic Poetry Celebration in 2025. She received the Rhonda Bailey Award for Publishing in 2025, and her short story “Burned” was published in The Navigator. Her photography pieces “The Only One Here” and “Manmade” appeared in Portal 2025 where she previously worked as a BC Magazines Merch and Subscriptions Intern, a Copy Editor, and a Fiction Editor. She’s returning as a Features Editor and a Marketing & Subscription Manager for Portal 2026.

Sarah Hart

Fiction Editor

Sarah Hart is a fourth-year English and Creative Writing student who has also studied Mandarin at VIU, for which she received a Certificate of Proficiency in Language and Culture in 2025. She is an illustrator and is a Fiction Editor and on the Advertising Team for Portal 2026.

Lillian Morpak

Non-fiction Editor

Lillian Morpak is a fourth-year Creative Writing student who authors a recipe blog called Lily’s Vegan Adventures. Her poetry was recently published in COUNTERFLOW magazine. She is Managing Editor of Raspberry literary magazine and a Non-fiction Editor and Copy Editor for Portal 2026.

Bri Hepner

Poetry editor

Bri Hepner is a fourth-year English major and Creative Writing minor. She enjoys writing poetry and creative non-fiction and is currently working on multiple projects including a poetry collection and an autobiographical graphic novel. This is her first year working as a Social Media Manager and a Poetry Editor for Portal 2026.

Abby Tredger

Poetry Editor

Abby Tredger is a third-year student majoring in Creative Writing and Journalism. She is also currently an active member of the VIU Dance Team, where she is working as a fundraising and events executive. She is a Poetry Editor and a member of the Social Media and Publicity team for Portal 2025.

Kyle Emmerson

Audio/Visual Editor

Kyle Emmerson is a third-year student majoring in Media Studies with a minor in Creative Writing. He is a multidisciplinary storyteller, working with genre fiction, photography, and film. His portfolio includes two self-published novels and two short films he wrote and directed. He is the Audio/Visual Editor and Script Editor for Portal 2026.

Emily Brandstaetter

Marketing Manager

Emily Brandstaetter is a fourth-year Creative Writing major and Marketing minor. She has a passion for poetry and her poem “Stripped” was published in The Navigator. She has worked as the Social Media Manager for The Navigator and joined the Launch and Subscriptions team for the 2025 issue of Portal. She is currently a member of the Advertising team and one of the Marketing Managers for Portal’s 2026 issue.

Bailey Bellosillo

Art Director

Bailey Bellosillo is a fifth-year Creative Writing major at VIU. They were a Poetry Editor for the Portal 2025 issue, for which she was the cover artist and a non-fiction contributor. Their work has also been published in The Navigator, where he is currently an Arts & Culture Editor. She is co-Art Director, Website Designer, and Gustafson Feature Writer for Portal 2026.

Coordinators

Marina McDonald

Marina McDonald is a fourth-year Creative Writing and Journalism student. She’s been awarded the Barry Broadfoot Award for Journalism (2025), the Heartstone Foundation Bursary (2021-2025), and the Pat Bevan Scholarship in Creative Writing for Poetry. Her poem “Apple of My Eye” was published in Portal 2024. Her journalism can be found in Ha-Shilth-Sa, among other places. She's a Portal 2026 Gustafson Feature Writer and Portfolio Series Co-ordinator and was a Non-Fiction Editor for Portal 2025. She worked as a publishing assistant at Strong Nations Publishing and served as production manager for an online magazine.

Jay McDonnell

Jay McDonnell is a fourth-year Media Studies major and a second-year technical theatre diploma student. This is their first year with Portal, serving as Launch Coordinator and as one of the Portfolio Series Coordinators.