TOYON STAFF - VOLUME 69- Fall 2022

Alannah Guevara ​

​Managing Editor

Alannah Guevara is honored to be serving as a co-managing editor for Toyon 69. She previously worked as the production team lead, as well as a member of the Ebook team for the 68th volume of Toyon Literary Magazine. She was also a member of the editorial staff on RCC’s MUSE volume 35. The fall of 2022 marks her first semester as a senior undergrad in Cal Poly Humboldt’s English program and literary publishing minor. It also marks her first semester as a new mother.
For better or worse, she accomplishes all she does for Cal Poly Humboldt –including her work as a book designer and layout coordinator with The Press at Cal Poly Humboldt – from her modest (and sometimes messy) apartment in sunny SoCal.

Kiran Dunning

Managing Editor

Kiran Dunning serves as the co-managing editor for Toyon 69. She is a senior English major at Cal Poly Humboldt, founded the Creative Writing Club, and currently serves as the treasurer for Club Toyon. As the co-managing editor, she resides over all tasks of the editorial team, moderates the overall progress of the team, and engages in lesson-planning for the Toyon students on a weekly basis. When she’s not writing or working on Toyon, she’s spending time with her cat or playing video games.

​Alina Ferguson

Public Relations

Alina Ferguson is currently in her Junior year at Cal Poly Humboldt. This is Alina’s first year in Toyon and she  is the current PR person for Toyon69. She is from San Francisco, so naturally, she is always cold. In her leisure, and basically all the time, she drinks about 5-6 cups of tea. She loves reading non fiction novels and hopes to become a published author one day. Ms. Ferguson would like to think she speaks two languages, Russian and English. She looks forward to working with the rest of the Toyon staff!

Tanya Gonzalez

Community Liason

​Tanya is a Junior at Cal Poly Humboldt. She transferred here from Hartnell College. She is an English Major hoping to minor in Literary Publishing. Her dream job as of now is to go into the publishing industry as an editor or copy editor. She is also an avid webtoon reader and hopes to one day be able to work with webtoon creators and behind the scenes of the webtoons, if not create one herself. She is also aiming towards a Spring 2024 graduation and will be working as Division Editor of Multilingual Writing for Toyon 69. ​

Audriana Penaloza

Division Editor, Poetry

Audriana Penaloza is a Cal Poly Humboldt senior majoring in English while minoring in Literary Publishing and Ethnic American Literature. She grew up in central California and rediscovered her love for reading and writing while taking classes at Bakersfield College. When she is not reading or writing, she is either taking a nap with her cat, Benji, or making hours-long calls back home. Or she is probably rushing to get to her classes. 

Audri is the Co-Division Editor of Poetry for Toyon’s 69th volume.  

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Selah Shaeffer

Division Editor, Poetry

Selah Shaeffer is a Junior at Cal Poly Humboldt after transferring from Mt San Jacinto College. She is majoring in English with a Literary Publishing minor and plans to graduate in spring 2024. Selah grew up in sunny southern California and has had a lifelong passion for reading and writing. If she is not found cuddling up with a book and her cat, she can be found in the kitchen baking all kinds of creations. She plans to go into the publishing industry after graduation as an editor. She will be working as a Division Editor of Poetry for Toyon 69. 
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Daniel Kazules

Division Editor, Fiction

Daniel Kazules is serving as the co-division editor of fiction for Toyon 69. He is in his final semester at Cal Poly Humboldt and is excited to be working to create the latest issue of this literary magazine. He enjoys reading and writing, as well as telling collaborative stories with friends and family through Dungeons and Dragons. When he isn’t storytelling, Daniel fulfills his duties with work and school, plays video games, goes on hikes, and learns to bake.
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Lance Hancox

​Division Editor, Fiction

​Lance Hancox is a division editor of fiction for the Toyon, meaning that he reviews and curates the various works of literary fiction submitted to and featured in the magazine. He is also an English major at Cal Poly Humboldt, and enjoys exploring all forms of literature, as well as indulging in fictional worldbuilding. He aspires to bring his imaginary worlds to life across various mediums, whether they be written, illustrated, or interactive.
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Bethany Brooding

Division Editor, Creative Nonfiction

Bethany is a senior at Humboldt pursuing an English degree in creative writing. This is her first year as a part of Toyon, and she’s eager to delve into the world of copyediting and all things literary. Bethany is a lover of writing from a young age, and once she can hone down which genre she likes to write in – and what she even likes to write about – she’ll hopefully find an MFA program that she loves. When she’s not in an English frenzy, Bethany enjoys drinking ciders and going camping, both with her partner. 
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Tori Olsen

Division Editor, Fiction

​Tori Olsen is a junior at Cal Poly Humboldt majoring in journalism with a concentration in news and a minor in Literary Publishing. Tori lives in the Bay Area with her family where she enjoys hiking, playing or listening to music, knitting, and reading most of all. After graduating in Fall 2023, she plans to pursue her masters degree in publishing and go on to be a book copy-editor. Tori is going to be serving as a Division Editor in Fiction for Toyon 69. 
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Aldina Kelecija

Division Editor, Critical Analysis

Aldina Kelecija is a sophomore at Cal Poly Humboldt. She is an English and philosophy major, which means she doesn't care about her future employment, and thinks too much about everything. She is very excited to join the Toyon Literary Magazine staff, and to learn more about literary editing and publishing. When she is not in school, or working, Aldina loves spending her time reading, journaling, cleaning, and exploring hidden gems that Humboldt has to offer. 
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Shelby Smith

Aquisitions Editor ​

Shelby Smith is one of the Co- Editorial Team Leads for the Fall 2022 semester at Cal Poly Humboldt. She is a senior, majoring in English with a special focus of Literary Studies. Being part of the Toyon staff this semester will be her first experience in literary editing and publishing, she hopes to carry on what she learns into a future career of editing. Shelby is a transfer student from the Central Valley of California where she studied Sociology at CSU Stanislaus before her passion for literature led her to Cal Poly Humboldt to finish her first degree. She is greatly looking forward to collaborating with her peers and contributing to Toyon’s legacy with her work on the 69th issue. 
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Dane Oppenborn

Division Editor Humor and Satire

Dane is the first individual to occupy the role as Division Editor for Humor and Satire. As an editor for this division, Dane will solicit, collect, and with the help of the team of editors at Toyon, collaboratively choose humor/satire pieces from people who believe with all their heart that they’re the “right” kind of funny. One of these fabulous submissions will be chosen for the Humor and Satire Award.
A little about Dane: He’s an avid reader of science fiction, a sub-par DJ, a proud member of the proletariat, a Presidential Scholar, and bakes a lovely batch of lemon squares. His professional goals are to teach English abroad, pursue a Master’s in Linguistics, and to learn as many languages as he can before he croaks. Throughout his long ten years as an English major, Dane has had the privilege of experiencing firsthand the multitude of unique voices students have to offer through their writing. 

Dylan Rudd

Division Editor; Environmental Justice & Spoken Word

Dylan Rudd is a baker originally from Orangevale, CA. They have always had a passion for writing and literature, largely due to their parents both being teachers. They have had multiple experiences with the world of writing, both fiction and nonfiction, and the presentation of their writings to an audience. College workshops and classes aside, they have edited and overseen the production of a collaborative collection of stories and interviews regarding the viewpoints and experiences involved in living in New York, both from native inhabitants and traveling students, as well as produced a full length novel. Dylan has taken up the role of division editor of both the Environmental Justice submissions and the Spoken Word aspects of Toyon 69.
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Celeste Colmenares

Production Team Lead

Celeste Colmenares will be serving as the Production Team Lead for the 69th Volume of Toyon. She is in her final year of her academic journey at Cal Poly Humboldt, earning a degree in English with a focus on Writing Practices and a minor in Literary Publishing. Celeste is from West Covina California but sees less of it during her academic life in Humboldt County. She enjoys eating big meals with her family, driving with the windows down, and discovering trails in the community forest that lead to a great spot to read and write. She is honored to be working with the Toyon staff and the literary community this semester in order to create and continue the tradition of yet another successful publishing of the Toyon Literary Magazine.  
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Macaela Reilly

Cover Designer & Virtual Art Editor

Macaela Reilly serves as the Cover Designer and Virtual Art Editor as well as one of two social media managers for the Toyon 69. Macaela is an English major with a minor in Literary Publishing. The Fall of 2022 marks Macaela’s first semester at Cal Poly Humboldt as a junior transfer student. She hopes to finish Cal Poly Humboldt and continue on with a career in publishing and editing. ​

Madison Beckerdite

Chief Executive Officer

Madison Beckerdite is part of the production team on Toyon 69, serving as the typesetter. That means just what it sounds like, she is responsible for typing, formatting, and designing the contents of the book in collaboration with her fellow production team members. Madison is an incoming junior at Cal Poly Humboldt pursuing a bachelor’s in English with a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language. In her free time she likes to crochet, cook, and play video games.  ​

Sam Springston

Co-editor Creative Nonfiction

    Sam Springston is the Co-editor for the Creative Nonfiction section of Toyon 69. He is a senior studying English Writing Practices at Cal Poly Humboldt and intends to pursue a career teaching English abroad after graduating. When he is not reading or writing, he enjoys spending time in the redwood forests of Humboldt.

Sarah Shelley

Archivist & Webmaster

Sarah Shelley is the Toyon Archivist and Webmaster for Toyon #69, The Sex Issue. She is a Cal Poly Humboldt Junior majoring in English, Teaching Language Arts. Her goal is to become a teacher at her local school district. Sarah is a mother of four who lives in the rural hills of Northern California, where she previously farmed cannabis.

Katie Hennessy

Authenticity Editor

Hello y’all! 
My name is Katelynn Hennessy, but I have been going by my chosen name Katie Hennessy for a long time. I recall being taught how to spell back in my early education, back then I was having a hard time learning how to spell my name. It was too long for my young brain. Plus I had always been called ‘Katie’ by my parents. So it wasn’t too surprising that I asked my Teacher, Mrs Coffee, if she could teach me how to spell “Katie” instead. So please, call me Katie. 
A little about me, I have loved to tell stories since I was little. When I was three, I told my parents about a past life story. I told them that in my most recent life, my name was Hope. I do not know how I feel about this now, but I remember the story to this day word for word. When I was four or five I became vegetarian, and have been ever since (for 16 or 17 years). 

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Previous Staff Members of Toyon

Fall 2022-23 Staff

2020-2021 Staff

2019-2020 Staff

2018-19 Staff

Spring 2018 Staff

2016-17 Staff

Fall 2017 Staff

2015-16 Staff