Meet the 2025 Staff!
Sky Cummings: Editor-In-Chief, CNF Panelist
Sky (she/her) is a senior English major at UConn, concentrating on Writing and Composition Studies. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Long River Review, a tutor at the Writing Center, and the Magazine Editor for Nutmeg Publishing. Beyond academics, Sky loves journaling, taking walks, going to the movies, online window shopping, and curating Pinterest boards. Passionate about enhancing writing education, she’s gearing up to pursue a postgraduate degree after graduation.
Jules Dowling: Managing Editor, CNF Panelist
Jules Dowling is currently a senior at the University of Connecticut who is majoring in English with a focus in creative writing, and is also minoring in history. She specializes in poetry and creative nonfiction. She is the Managing Editor for the Long River Review literary magazine and is a recipient of the 2022-2023 Aetna Creative Nonfiction Prize for her creative nonfiction piece, “Out to Pasture.” “Out to Pasture” was also published in the 2022-2023 edition of the Long River Review.
Charlotte Ungar: Poetry Editor, Consultant Translations Editor
Charlotte Ungar is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Connecticut majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing. She is the Poetry Editor and Consulting Translations Editor for the Long River Review and is currently touring with the Connecticut Poetry Circuit. Following graduation, Charlotte hopes to pursue a career in publishing and foster an appreciation of contemporary literature.
Elijah Polance: CNF Editor, Interviews and Podcast Team
Elijah Polance is a sophomore English and journalism major at UConn. He is the Creative Nonfiction Editor for the Long River Review and a member of the interviewing and podcasting team. Outside of reading and writing, he loves going on long walks, listening to indie folk music, and refining his nature photography.
Sofia Tas-Castro: Fiction Editor, Events Team
Sofia Tas-Castro is a Junior English major at the University of Connecticut. She’s the Fiction Editor for the Long River Review along with serving as a member of their events team. In her free time, she enjoys going on walks, lifting weights and the gym, and writing her own works.
Ryan Krishna: Translation Editor, Poetry Panelist
Ryan Krishna is a second-year undergraduate student at UConn pursuing an interdisciplinary major in the Neuroscience of Language. His major integrates coursework in Neuroscience, English, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS), and Psychology. Ryan works in an aphasia lab, where he also volunteers in an Aphasia Book Club. At the Long River Review, Ryan is thrilled to serve as Translation Editor, in addition to being a Poetry Panelist. After graduation, Ryan hopes to pursue a career in medicine, combining his passion for language and patient care to make a meaningful impact.
Emily Sharkis: Social Media Editor, Poetry Panelist
Emily Sharkis (she/her) is a senior at the University of Connecticut studying journalism and communication with a minor in women’s, gender, & sexuality studies. She is the Social Media Editor and a poetry panelist at the Long River Review. A big fan of magazines, she is also the president of Her Campus at UConn, an online pop culture and lifestyle publication. Emily is passionate about mental health, feminism, movie theatres, and her dog. Upon graduation, Emily is excited to explore the entertainment and social media world while fostering her love for creative writing.
Samantha Hass: Art Liaison, Fiction Panelist
Samantha Hass is a junior English major and Studio Art minor at the University of Connecticut. She is the Arts Liaison for the Long River Review, as well as a Fiction Panelist. You are likely to find her drawing or reading comics in her free time. She hopes to publish comics of her own in the future.
Kiara Korten: Interviews & Podcasting Editor, CNF Panelist
Kiara is currently a sophomore majoring in English at the University of Connecticut. She leads the interviewing and podcast team for the Long River Review and serves as a panelist for creative nonfiction. Additionally, she hosts a weekly radio show on 91.7 WHUS, UConn’s radio station, where she curates playlists based on themes she comes up with throughout the week. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her loved ones, journaling, and exploring the outdoors.
Hannah Dang: Blog Co-Editor, Poetry Panelist, Web Team, Social Media Team
Hannah (she/her) is a Vietnamese-American student at the University of Connecticut majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing/writing and composition studies. She is one of the poetry panelists, social media leads, blog editors, and web team members. Hannah is also a mentor at UConn’s Asian/Asian American Mentoring Program, an undergraduate tutor at UConn’s Writing Center, and a blog moderator for the Disability & Access Collective Blog. In her free time, Hannah loves to binge anime and manga, consume rock and heavy metal music, and snuggle with her bunnies.
Liam Smith: Blog Co-Editor, Poetry Panelist, Events Team
Liam Smith is a junior at the University of Connecticut, where he studies English. He is the Co-Blog Editor, a Poetry Panelist, and a member of the Events team at the Long River Review. In his free time, he’s just as likely to be playing guitar as working on his self-published book (which hopefully is almost finished). He also loves listening to music, especially Adrianne Lenker and Elliott Smith, who he will listen to endlessly!
Ella Raath: Lead Copy Editor, Poetry Panelist
Ella (she/her) is a senior at UConn majoring in English and Philosophy. She is the Lead Copyeditor, as well as a poetry panelist for the Long River Review, and a copyeditor at The Daily Campus. In her free time, she loves to read, listen to music, and swim on the UConn Club Swim Team. Ella hopes to pursue a career in publishing once she graduates in May.
Margaret Devlin: Social Media Lead, CNF Panelist
Margaret (she/her) is a sophomore at UConn studying Fine Arts and English. Along with her role as a creative nonfiction panelist for the Long River Review, she serves as a member of the magazine’s social media team. After graduation, Margaret plans to pursue a career in art education where she hopes to inspire students to express themselves. Margaret loves poetry, trees, and bagels.
Zoe Yoo: Social Media Lead, Web Team, Fiction Panelist
Zoe (she/her) is a first-year English major at the University of Connecticut, concentrating in Creative Writing. For the Long River Review, she serves as a fiction panelist, social media lead, and web design team member. Zoe dreams of becoming an author and adapting her works into films. In her free time, she runs @dousytiva, a creative video editing brand, and enjoys reading, watching movies and shows, listening to music, and obsessing over fictional characters.
Tori Grooms: Interview & Podcasting Team, Fiction Panelist
Tori Grooms (she/her) is a sophomore in political science and English with a minor in German. She is pre-law and is in UConn’s Special Program in Law. Tori is a fiction editor in the Long River Review and is also a part of the Interviews and Podcast team. She is desperately in need of book recs because she can only reread The Goldfinch so many times. One of her favorite things to do is drink tea and cozy up to a good movie.
Fernanda Ieffet: Events Team, Fiction Panelist
Fernanda is a Political Science and English major who is very passionate about creative writing and the world of literature. She grew up in Brazil, where she self-taught English before coming to UConn as an international student. She is very energetic, approachable, and a forever dreamer. She is very excited about working at the Long River Review as she thinks creating spaces for people to share their pieces and narratives is incredibly important.
Ronnie Prado: Events Team, Fiction Panelist
Ronnie Prado is a Senior English major focusing in Creative Writing at University of Connecticut. He chose to study English after writing his first novel Lola in the summer of 2020. He grew up in between Hartford and Southington, CT, and draws on a lot of the cultures he grew up around for his writing. When he’s not writing he’s usually attending concerts or hanging out with his friends at the Gazebo in West Campus.
Jharif Rochabrun: Design Center
Jharif is a senior at the University of Connecticut majoring in Fine Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design. He is a creative designer who is excited to face any new challenges that come his way and loves to collaborate with others. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, driving around, and playing soccer.
Julie Wakefield: Design Center
Julie is a BFA student in Graphic Design, with a minor in Music. She has been a member of the Music Department marketing team, student administrative assistant, and designer. In her studies, Julie has honed her skills in graphic design and printmaking. In 2023, she was the recipient of the Paul Zelanski Award of Excellence for her efforts in the Department of Art and Art History. Her print was also selected alongside others’ to represent UConn printmaking at the 2024 Boston Printmakers Student Exhibition. Julie is currently contributing to UConn’s 2025 Yearbook and magazine at Nutmeg Publishing.
Dillon Rakowski: Design Center
Dillon Rakowski is a Senior Design Student working in the Design Center. With a strong background in photography, Dillon enjoys combining real life imagery with digital illustration. He is currently working on his senior project about how design within spaces affects how people interact in those spaces. He enjoyed working on this project to bring art into the hands of the community.
Zoe Orie: Design Center
Zoe is a senior Digital Media and Design student with a love for thoughtful design. She enjoys crafting compelling narratives and working on projects that leave a positive impact. On campus, Zoe is the President of Leading Women of Tomorrow, a club focused on feminist activism and advancing women’s leadership. Outside of design, you can find her thrifting, playing with her cats, and trying new restaurants.
Jalah Cooper: Design Center
Jalah Cooper is a multimedia artist based in Connecticut, with a passion for bringing creative visions to life through dynamic and eye-catching visuals. Jalah is set to graduate in Spring 2025 from the University of Connecticut with a BFA in Graphic Design and a minor in Entrepreneurship.
Sean Frederick Forbes: Faculty Advisor
Sean Frederick Forbes is the spring 2025 faculty advisor for the Long River Review. He is an Associate Professor-in-Residence of English and the Director of the Creative Writing Program at the UConn-Storrs campus.
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