Sunset over a mountain range with grassy hills in the foreground.

Meet the Team

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    Jeffrey Levine

    Publisher & Artistic Director

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  • Woman with long brown hair wearing large sunglasses and red lipstick, smiling outdoors on a sunny day with a blue sky and green trees in the background.

    Kristina Marie Darling

    Editor-in-Chief of Tupelo Press
    & Editor-in-Chief of Tupelo Quarterly

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    David Rossitter

    Managing Editor

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  • Close-up of a man wearing a baseball cap, headphones, and a blue shirt indoors with bookshelves in the background.

    Cutter Streeby

    Director of Marketing

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  • A middle-aged woman with gray hair wearing a blue floral dress and a pearl necklace, taking a selfie in front of a white door.

    Kirsten Miles

    National Director of the 30/30 Project at Tupelo Press & Regional Director for Tupelo Press Conferences

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  • A woman with long dark hair, light makeup, and wearing a yellow top taking a selfie in a room with framed pictures and warm lighting.

    Allison Valenti

    Associate Managing Editor

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  • Close-up of a smiling woman with blonde hair, glasses, and earrings.

    Cassandra Cleghorn

    Poetry Editor

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  • Close-up of a smiling woman with black hair.

    Wendy Chen

    Prose Editor

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  • A person with short hair, glasses, and a striped turtleneck smiling in front of a wooden background.

    Tiffany Troy

    Associate Editor

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  • Woman speaking at a microphone while holding papers, with a young girl in the background.

    Hasanthika Sirisena

    Prose Editor

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  • Smiling woman with glasses and short hair, wearing a black jacket and scarf, posing outdoors in an urban setting.

    Xu Xi

    Fiction Editor

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  • Close-up of a woman with short brown hair outdoors.

    Elizabeth J. Colen

    Non-Fiction Editor

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  • Close-up portrait of a smiling woman with dreadlocks, wearing a red top, outdoors with green trees and water in the background.

    Gail Upchurch

    Assistant Nonfiction Editor

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  • Close-up of a smiling woman with short brown hair and light skin, wearing a black top.

    Kate Bolton Bonnici

    Assistant Nonfiction Editor

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  • A young woman with long brown hair, wearing a black top, standing indoors with a blurred background of a chandelier and furniture.

    Erica Buist

    Director of Social Media

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  • A woman with curly brown hair wearing glasses and a black top, smiling at the camera.

    Nancy Naomi Carlson

    Associate Editor

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  • A smiling middle-aged man with gray hair, wearing a dark shirt, standing indoors against a plain background.

    Alan Berolzheimer

    Consulting Editor

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  • A man in a blue shirt sitting on a decorated stone bench in an outdoor garden area with plants and trees.

    Nicholas Skaldetvind

    Preliminary Reader

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  • A woman with dark hair styled back, wearing earrings and a teal top, smiling at the camera with a blurred background.

    Preeti Kaur Rajpal

    Preliminary Reader

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  • Woman with long brown hair and black shirt standing against brick wall, wearing a blue satin jacket with patches.

    Iliana Rocha

    Preliminary Reader

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  • Smiling man with glasses, bald head, and beard wearing a white shirt against a light blue background.

    Kyle McCord

    Preliminary Reader

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  • A woman with long dark hair and red lipstick sitting on a dark-colored chair in front of brown curtains, wearing a traditional patterned dress.

    Javiera Hasnain

    Preliminary Reader

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  • A woman smiling wearing a large floral crown with pink, red, and purple flowers against a pink background.

    Xiao Yue Shan

    Preliminary Reader

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  • Portrait of a woman with long brown hair wearing a teal off-the-shoulder sweater, smiling with her chin resting on her hand against a brown background.

    Beth McDermott

    Preliminary Reader

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  • A man with glasses and a beard sitting on a stone structure at the beach, with the ocean and sky in the background.

    Ariel Francisco

    Translation Editor

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  • A woman with long dark hair wearing a red traditional outfit, standing outdoors near a wall with decorative ironwork.

    Ming Di

    Translation Editor

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  • A woman with long curly brown hair, blue eyes, and a bright smile, wearing a black outfit with gold buttons, standing outdoors near rocks.

    Abigail Ardelle Zammit

    Translation Editor

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  • A woman with long dark hair and earrings smiling outdoors in a natural setting, wearing a denim jacket over a patterned shirt.

    CMarie Fuhrman

    Faculty

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  • A smiling woman with brown hair wearing a black and gray checkered shirt and an orange shawl, standing against a plain light gray wall.

    Lise Goett

    Faculty

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  • A woman with short, dark hair and a big smile, wearing a light gray knit top and small hoop earrings, posing in front of a warm, textured background.

    Veronica Golos

    Faculty

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Wooden bookshelf filled with a variety of books of different sizes, colors, and subjects arranged on multiple shelves.

about tupelo press

Tupelo Press, Inc., which released its first five books in fall 2001, is an independent, literary press devoted to discovering and publishing works of poetry, literary fiction, and creative nonfiction by emerging and established writers. Tupelo Press is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit company.

What we look for is a blend of urgency of language, imagination, distinctiveness, and craft. What we produce and how we produce it — from design to printing to paper quality — honors the writing in books which boast the uniquely sensual look and feel of a Tupelo Press book.

Readers and writers alike have already come to recognize both the aesthetic appeal and unique literary merit of Tupelo publications. No other press in America approaches the production standards of Tupelo Press. Tupelo has quickly established itself as the new standard among independent literary presses.

Volunteer Staff & Interns

  • Close-up of a smiling woman with blonde hair, wearing a blue jacket, in a lively indoor setting.

    Julie Ascarrunz

    Course Adoption Intern

    Julie Ascarrunz lives in Lafayette, Colorado and currently teaches Language Arts and Pedagogy at Centaurus High School where she also advises a feminist reading group. She is bilingual and has two Mas — in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity, and Creative Writing from The University of Colorado. She recently completed her MFA in Poetry through the low residency program at NYU. Julie is a member of The Gamuts, a longstanding workshop group in East Boulder County, sings with The Colorado Repertory Singers, and is training for her first ½ marathon. She lives with two cats, two dogs, and the ghost of a box turtle named Galapago. Her work has appeared in Main Street Rag, Calliope, Camroc Press Review, Niche, aaduna, and Streetlight Magazine.

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    John Darr

    Course Adoption Intern

    John Darr is a poet, music critic and educator from Richmond, VA. He has work published and upcoming in SOFTBLOW, Virga, and Anti-Heroin Chic. He is currently an MFA candidate at Wichita State University where he teaches English Composition.

  • A young woman with long dark hair smiling, wearing a black and white patterned dress with yellow accents.

    Ana Barbara Hernandez

    Web Design Intern, Tupelo Quarterly

    Ana Barbara Hernandez is a native of Abilene, TX, where she enjoys spending time with her family and shih tzu, Winnie. She is currently  working on her BA in marketing at Wichita State University in Wichita, KS and strives to obtain her MA in publishing one day. She is also a dedicated member of Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Inc. and a campus organization called Phenomenal Women. Both organizations aim to strengthen women of color on a predominantly white campus, and encourage their members to pave the way for future generations.

  • Close-up of a smiling person with short dark hair, wearing a black shirt, standing outdoors near a brick wall and metal railing.

    Mariah Perkins

    Course Adoption Intern

    Mariah Perkins is a poetry MFA candidate at Wichita State University where she is also the non-fiction editor of mojo/Mikrokosmos. Her work has appeared in Fugue, Crack the Spine, and can be heard on WYCE’s Electric Poetry.

  • Headshot of a man with glasses and a checkered shirt, outdoors with green foliage in the background.

    Aaron Bristow-Rodriguez

    Web Design Intern, Tupelo Quarterly

    Aaron Bristow-Rodriguez was born in Wisconsin. He received his BA from the University of Minnesota. He is a third-year MFA poetry candidate at the Wichita State University and Co-Editor-in-Chief of Mikrokosmos.

  • A young man with short, wavy brown hair and a slight smile, wearing a dark shirt, against a brick wall background.

    Ian Thomas

    Marketing Intern

    Since getting his MA in literature from the University of Tennessee, Ian Thomas has worked as a content writer and account manager for companies in Chicago’s growing tech scene. In his spare time, he enjoys following new book releases, playing music, and spending time with friends and family.

  • A young woman with shoulder-length dark hair and light skin, standing in front of a stone wall, wearing a white sleeveless top and a black choker, with a tattoo of a cupid on her right arm.

    Mackenzie Pierce

    Development Intern

    Mackenzie graduated this spring from Boston University with a MA/BA in English and BA in Economics. She aims to maintain a career in publishing, the nonprofit sector specifically. She is currently writing freelance for local nonprofit news and works as a Beta Reader for Dark Harbor Magazine. Eventually, Mackenzie hopes to put out her own speculative fiction novel and poetry collections. Some of her hobbies outside of reading and writing include rock climbing, antiquing, jewelry making, traveling and collaging. Mackenzie is so excited to be working with Tupelo, especially through book publicity and demographic research! Mackenzie is spearheading a development project in 2025.