Meet Our Team
Lauren Kern
Editor in Chief (she/her)
Lauren is a fourth-year English and Creative Writing major on the publishing track with an entrepreneurial management certificate who looks forward to finally finishing the ever growing list of novels on her reading list. If she's not buried in a fantasy book you'll probably find her at one of the many cafes on campus with a latte in-hand or writing the next bestseller.
Iliana Banu
Editor in Chief Assistant
(she/her)
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Kennedy Ebberts
Writing Workshop Editor
(she/her)
Kennedy is a fourth year transfer student majoring in English and Creative Writing on the publishing track. She loves reading anything fantasy but prefers when there’s at least a romantic subplot. Her favorite past time besides reading is over analyzing Taylor Swift lyrics and forcing her friends to watch elaborate slide shows about Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones lore.
Janessa Wilson
Managing and Production Director (she/her)
Janessa Wilson is a fourth year studying English, with an interest in African-American Studies. She loves to read anything with a good plot, along with watching old TV series, and playing horror games on the easiest difficulty. If you can’t find her, she’s probably trying to catch a stray cat or hiding away at home.
Janani Pattabi
Managing & Production Director Assistant (she/her)
Janani is a third-year English & Creative Writing and Journalism & Mass Communications double major. She’s from Champaign, Illinois, and loves reading science fiction and horror. In her free time, she enjoys binging shows on Netflix, playing tabletop roleplaying games, and finding new restaurants to try out in Iowa City.
Whitney Jensen
Writing Workshop Editor
(she/her)
Whitney is a fourth year English and creative writing student at the University of Iowa on the publishing track. She adores pieces of fiction which speculate on the possible futures of our world; put an apocalypse novel in front of her and she'll never put it down! Outside of Wilder Things, Whitney can be found sitting dramatically by the riverside or cozied up for movie night with her friends.
Ava Steiner
Marketing Director (she/her)
Ava Steiner is a third-year double major in English and Creative Writing and Screenwriting. When she isn’t chasing plot bunnies or watching campy movies, she can be found shopping for vintage clothes or playing an indie visual novel.
Autumn Mayer
Writing Copy Editor (she/her)
Autumn is a fourth-year studying English and creative writing on the publishing track, French, and translation. When she's not busy copyediting for Wilder Things, being an Honors Writing Fellow, or translating for Boundless, she can be found making her way through an endless stack of books, writing novels, or rock climbing at the Rec.
Mia McRoberts
Writing Copy Editor
(she/her)
Mia is a third-year student double majoring in English and Political Science on the publishing and law tracks. She is from Chicago, Illinois, and loves reading fantasy, horror, and books about mythology. In her free time, she can be found working out at the gym or hanging with her friends.