Staff
Kriss Kirk
Editor-in-Chief
Kriss Kirk is a PhD candidate in the Arts and Humanities department at The University of Texas at Dallas, an instructor at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and Editor-in-Chief for Reunion: The Dallas Review. She holds bachelor’s degrees in sociology and English from Middle Tennessee State University and a master’s degree in literature from Belmont University. Exploring the interplay between sociology and English is a central passion, as she seeks to integrate the popular with the academic. Her current work aims to demonstrate how popular culture, particularly rap and hip-hop culture, can increase student attentiveness in the writing classroom.
Annie Tran
Assistant Editor
Annie Tran is a second-year literature graduate student with a bachelor’s degree in literary studies, and a minor in creative writing from UTD. She is a cisgender asexual writer, train enthusiast, lover of Greek mythology, and she experiments with the term “word butter” in her writing. Her works have appeared in (or will appear in) Oddball Magazine, Wingless Dreamer, Drunk Monkeys (TBA), and more.
Sunny Williams
Managing Editor
Sunny Williams (she/her) pursues philosophy within the PhD program at UT Dallas, with a focus on philosophy of race, feminism, and political philosophy. She is also a professor of rhetoric, teaching assistant for Intro to Phil, assistant editor for The Pluralist, and vice president for the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society. Sunny holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from California State University, Northridge, where she was an editor for The Northridge Review and the editor-in-chief for C.A.P.T.U.R.E.D. Her master’s degree in literature comes from Queen Mary University of London, the city that remains her truest querencia.
Angela Ford
Creative Nonfiction Editor
Angela Ford is a California native. She served in the U.S. Coast Guard onboard an icebreaker that performed scientific research in the Arctic. She led teams of government agencies in New Orleans during Deepwater Horizon and inspected foreign vessels off the coast of Maryland. After earning undergrad degrees in both psychology and biology, she returned to UT Dallas to earn a master’s degree in literature and plans to pursue a career in publishing. In addition to travel and adventure, Angela loves cats, swimming, writing nonfiction and poetry, reading true stories of resilience, and more television than she cares to admit.
Danika E. Hollis
Fiction Editor
Danika E. Hollis is a fiction author and artist who likes to bring magic to the everyday. Her oil on canvas, “Postcard,” won her third place at the San Diego Fair and her photography has appeared in places such as Up The Staircase Quarterly, Months to Years, and the San Diego Reader. She has a strong interest in writing, visual art, Antarctica, and anything with all three. Danika is a founding member of UTD’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honors Society. When not traveling the world or exploring it by pen, she can be found with her husband and daughter or lifting weights at the gym. Follow her @danikaehollis.
Diana Miller
Poetry Editor
Diana Miller is a third-year PhD student and has served as a graduate senator for the humanities department at UT Dallas. She has previously served as a poetry reader for Reunion: The Dallas Review. She is also a professor for Dallas College in fine arts appreciation instruction. Diana has presented at conferences and symposium at SMU, CUNY School of Journalism and Media Studies in New York, and the University of Dallas in Irving. She has had poetry published in the Pony Expressions Graduate Journal at SMU. Diana hopes to help make a difference in creating innovative education for humanities and preserving historical artifacts for various cultures for critical study and enjoyment.
Sam Worthington
Translation Editor
Sam Worthington has over 15 years of experience working as a professional translator and interpreter for state and federal judicial systems, international business concerns, and health care providers. He is currently pursuing his doctorate at UT Dallas with a focus on Latin American history, propaganda studies, and translation theory. When not pursuing his academic interests, Sam can normally be found looking for lunch. Sam has never been successfully photographed.
Swati Anwesha
Drama Editor & Poetry Reader
Swati Anwesha is a first-year literature graduate student and an international student who has traveled overseas in search of adventures, opportunities and new experiences. Swati never shies away from anything new (not always a great thing) and her personal motto is to always keep learning.
Juhi Karnalkar
Creative Nonfiction Reader & Visual Arts Reader
Juhi Karnalkar is a literature undergraduate at UT Dallas. A creative at heart, she has a great love for writing, particularly nonfiction narratives, digital art, and video editing. Outside of class, she is a graphic artist for UTD’s The Mercury, and enjoys reading (any genre), baking new recipes, focusing on language learning, and looking at pictures of animals.
Thomas Rocha
Creative Nonfiction Reader & Poetry Reader
Thomas Rocha is a graduate student in the history of ideas at The University of Texas at Dallas. His areas of interest are many, but include the history and philosophy of science, philosophy of art, epistemology, writing as a pursuit, and the intersections of philosophy and literature.
Hannah Colvin
Drama Reader & Fiction Reader
Hannah Colvin is a senior majoring in literature with a concentration in rhetoric and communications. She plans to continue her education in the humanities as a graduate student and hopes to work in the publishing industry. Hannah has previously done editing work as an intern for the journal and is now formally a staff member as a fiction reader. When not reading, she loves baking, playing fetch with her cat, Poe, and listening to true crime podcasts.
Lauren Dougherty
Fiction Reader
Lauren Dougherty is pursuing undergraduate degrees in literature and marketing. She’s passionate about her faith, the pursuit of new experiences, and connecting with people. She believes that everyone has a story worth sharing, and enjoys discovering those stories. She has had the privilege of living in and traveling to many different places, and as a result is particularly interested in the convergence of place, emotion, and identity. In her free time, you can find her trying to learn Czech, spending time outside, or reading.
Samir Abubaker
Poetry Reader & Visual Arts Reader
Samir Abubaker is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in health care studies at The University of Texas at Dallas. He has a passion for poetry and literature, and through Reunion is able to combine his passion for creative writing with helping local artists showcase their talent in the community. This is his first year as a poetry reader and he is ready to contribute to the mission and values of the journal.
Johnny Nguyen
Poetry Reader
Johnny Nguyen (he/him) is a senior at The University of Texas at Dallas studying marketing, literature, and creative writing. He is a publishing intern, and also an editor for Xone, a publication for queer and trans people of color in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This is his third year as a reader for Reunion.
Zach Brown
Fiction Reader