— 2027 —
Managing Editors
Flynn Connolly Sifton
Masha Zhaksybek
Acquisition Editor
Ophelia Wait
Fiction Editors
Mary Walker
Jon Coltman
Gabrielle Josephson
Poetry Editors
Jeff Boegel
Ophelia Wait
Muneer Prior
Non-Fiction Editors
Karl Sturmanus
Jenna Bloedorn
Script Editor
Skylar Gluhovic
Book Review Editor
Gabrielle Josephson
Gustafson Feature Writers
Muneer Prior
Ophelia Wait
Designer
TBD
Portfolio Series Coordinators
Flynn Connolly Sifton
Muneer Prior
A/V Editors
Kyle Emmerson
Jenna Bloedorn
Ad/Subscription/Fundraising Team
Skylar Gluhovic
Jon Coltman
Jeff Boegel
Karl Sturmanus
Social Media Team
Masha Zhaksybek
Gabrielle Josephson
Launch Coordinator
Mary Walker
Webmaster
Kyle Emmerson
Publisher
Joy Gugeler
Managing Editors
Managing Editor & Portfolio Series Coordinator
Flynn Connolly Sifton is a fourth-year English and Creative Writing student. “He Sings to Us” was published in Portal 2025 and he was the 2024 Portent Prize winner for his short story “It Leaves an Impression.” He was a Fiction Editor and Portfolio Series Coordinator for Portal 2026. His fiction has previously appeared in Gooey and he is a recipient of a Pat Bevan Scholarship & Meadowlark Award for Fiction. He is the current Features Editor for The Navigator.
Managing Editor & Social Media
Masha Zhaksybek is a fourth-year English and Creative Writing major. She is currently and Arts and Cultures Editor for The Navigator and her nonfiction “Borrowed Time” and fiction “Don’t Fence Me In” were published in Portal 2025. Her poem “Ode to Jupiter” will appear in Gooey. She is one of the Managing Editors for Portal 2027 and was a nonfiction editor for Portal 2026.
Acquisitions Editors
Acquisition Editor, Poetry Editor & Gustafson Feature Writer
Ophelia Wait is completing a BA in Creative Writing. She won the 2026 Kevin Roberts Award for Poetry and placed second in the Nanaimo Arts Council’s annual Ekphrastic Poetry Contest, with her poem “Don’t Look” featured in the 2026 edition of The Sea Wolf. Her Poem “Winter’s Warmth” was also featured in the second issue of The Raspberry. Her short story “Body in the Room” was published in The Navigator in October of 2026 and her play “Bloody Ties” was performed at VIU’s 2026 One-Act Festival.
Editors & Staff
Non-Fiction Editor & A/V Editor
Jenna Bloedorn is a third-year Creative Writing student. Her short story “Studio Apartment” won The Navigator’s fiction contest and was published in their February 2026 issue. She was a junior editor at The Raspberry for their summer 2026 issue. She is a Non-Fiction Editor and an A/V Editor for Portal 2027.
Poetry Editor & Fundraiser
Jeff Boegel is a fourth-year Creative Writing major and Business Management minor. His first published poem, “Frodo and Sam at Sarajevo” was in Portal 2004 when he was a second-year student. He served as editor of a local Nanaimo magazine, More Living, from 2004-2008 and as a feature writer for Nanaimo Free Press from 2004-2006. He has also been a content writer for Nisa Web-hosting and Design.
Fiction Editor & Fundraiser
Jonathan Coltman is a Creative Writing major, with a minor in English. He also studies photography and is completing the second draft of a low-fantasy novel. He is a Fiction Editor & Fundraiser for Portal 2027.
A/V Editor & Webmaster
Kyle Emmerson is a fourth-year student majoring in Media Studies and minoring in Creative Writing. He operates Sigil//Static Studios, a film and photography production house in Ladysmith, and his photos have been published in Portal 2026, Darkly Art, and Bold & Beyond magazines. He is currently adapting his short story “A Fine Mess”, which appeared in Portal 2026 into a full-length novel entitled “Birdbrain.” He was the recipient of the 2026 Bill Juby Award, and he served as Script Editor for Portal 2026.
Script Editor & Fundraiser
Skylar Gluhovic is in her third year of a VA in Creative Writing and is working on a YA novel entitled Girls Like Us. Her photo “See the Sky” appeared in Portal 2026. She is a Script Editor for Portal 2027.
Fiction Editor, Book Review Editor & Social Media
Gabrielle Josephson is a fourth-year student at VIU pursuing a creative writing major and English minor. She writes speculative fiction which debuted on the Nosleep Podcast in 2022 and has since appeared in Gooey, Portal, and The Navigator. She is the Book Review Editor, a Fiction Editor, and doing social media for Portal 2027.
Poetry Editor & Portfolio Series Coordinator
Muneer Prior is a third-year Creative Writing student from South Africa focusing on poetry and horror/weird short stories for a collection entitled The Swarmers. He interviewed Gustafson poet Steve Collis and is a Poetry Editor and Portfolio Series Coordinator for Portal 2027.
Non-Fiction Editor & Fundraiser
Karl Sturmanus has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and a Master’s of Science in Community and Regional Planning from UBC. He was involved in Vancouver’s Literary Storefront in the 1970s and is the author of the poetry collection Treeline Wedding, and The Greenpeace Book, a work about the history, activism, and campaigns of the Greenpeace movement. He has been published in Prism, Boreal, 3 Cent Pulp, Sea and Cedar, and the anthology New West Coast: 72 Contemporary British Columbia Poets.
Fiction Editor & Launch Coordinator
Mary Walker is a fourth-year student at VIU pursuing a BA with Majors in Creative Writing and Media Studies. She is currently working on a young adult steampunk novel and is a Fiction Editor and Launch coordinator for Portal 2027.