From a young age, Humdaan Asif was fascinated with his own little creative world. What he would see on TV or movies he would imagine stories about the characters, whether it was Bollywood movies, Superheroes, or Anime.  He began creating fan fiction, sharing these with his friends, family, and teachers.  As he grew up and moved into his college era, he realized his overwhelmingly strong emotional energy alongside his creative energy. Fusing them, he started writing poems. While short stories are his passion, many have said that poetry is his strongpoint.   

Raymond Anganes is an American writer of creature horror, cosmic wonder, surrealist adventure, and human kindness. His work in the field of biotech, his affinity for wilderness camping, and his fascination with the natural world around him have inspired three realized novels (Soul Herder, Europan Reef Gold, and Hunt For The Wooden Stratonaut) along with thousands of pages of sci-fi and fantasy fiction, some of which has been published in Dead River Review.  He works as a lab technician, a middle school archery coach, and a screenplay writer for Silent Rift Studios.  One of the few physical copies of his first, still unpublished novel, resides in the McMurdo Station Antarctica Library. 

Sofia Angelucci is a student at MCC who is currently studying Liberal Arts. Born in Rome and raised in Boston, her passion lies with storytelling through studio art and (casual) creative writing. When not hunched over a canvas or journal, she can be found exploring the local area in search of new thrift stores, mountains to hike, and tea to try. Her love for travel and the arts has shaped her perspective on everyday life, which she hopes to continue to carry with her into the future.  

Stephan Anstey is a father, grandfather, husband, poet, and artist focused on spiritual exploration and the celebration of the individual. A graduate of MCC, his work explores themes of love, family, faith, philosophy, and every individual’s endless war against an increasingly invasive society. Anstey’s art is primarily a combination of poetry, digital art, sketching, and painting. He lives an idyllic life with his beautiful and beloved bride Ellen in a big golden house full of hope on a little hill in a small corner of the beautiful and historic mill city of Lowell, MA.

S.R. Appelmans is a Concord, MA, native whose body of work spans over twenty years. S.R.’s poetry follows the natural Concordian rhythms: touching on nature, religion and ethics, as well as revelations on love and grief. Through poetry they examine the daily experiences of greater ideas and hope to create work through which readers can recognize their own lives. 

Andrea Bennett is a writer and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor currently living in Lowell, AM. Her passion for writing began later in adulthood, when she realized that college was a place where her voice and ideas could grow and take shape. Drawing from her personal journey in recovery, she brings a grounded, compassionate perspective to both her work and her writing. She is deeply committed to understanding people and meeting them where they are in their lives, honoring everyone’s story with respect and authenticity. Outside of her professional and academic work, she is passionate about fitness, particularly CrossFit, which plays an important role in her overall well-being and balance. Through both her clinical work and her writing, she strives to create space for reflection, resilience, and meaningful connection.

Jonathan Bennett Bonilla is a Professor and Chair of the Humanities Department at MCC. They received their PhD in Philosophy and Critical Thought from The European Graduate School, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College. A chapbook of their poetry, What Matters Who’s Speaking, was published by Delere Press in 2017, and their literary translations appear in various publications. They are a co-organizer for La Guagua Poetry in Translation Festival, hosted by MCC, and a translator and editor of La Guagua Poetry Anthology (Loom Press 2017/2018/2019). Their recent work studies politico-poetic practices of convulsive beauty and poetic weapons as forms of anticolonial struggle. They aim to work towards the advancement of a free society in which everyone will be a poet.

Melissa Black is a Lowell-based photographer, artist, animal lover, and MCC student. Their work has been published internationally in print and online publications, both photography and poetry. Find more of their work at https://linktr.ee/melissablack.jpg.  

Kenneth Brown is a MCC alumni with an associate degree in engineering technology. He enjoys drawing illustrations, comics, and painting in his spare time, as well as playing videogames with friends. He currently works in quality assurance at SURMET and lives in Burlington MA.  

For this piece Kendra Butler used acrylic paint and oil pastels to bring out multiple ranges of color and texture. When taken literally, this piece depicts two dragons in space; metaphorically it represents a balance of power while enduring chaos. For the center piece she used air dried clay and adorned it with small crystals. She really enjoyed creating this piece, and she is thankful she gets to share it. 

Owen Caggiano

Cait Bentley is a psychology major at MCC. Her love for storytelling began in childhood when she subjected anyone within a ten-foot radius to her tales. Her creative passions are writing, poetry, art, and more. If she isn’t writing, you’ll probably find her walking in the woods somewhere. If you’re lucky, her overly rambunctious Jack Russell Terrier will be there, too.

Jeff Caplan is a fine art photographer and educator who has been creating compelling images with his cameras for over 35 years. Originally from Lowell, MA, Jeff developed his photographic skill set during the early 1990s while studying at The Art Institute of Boston. There he delved into advanced black & white printing techniques and alternative photographic processes. He continues to advance his knowledge of photography, video, and new media in the digital age. Jeff graduated with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Lesley University in 2021.  Jeff’s wanderlust has brought him to live in California, Maine, and the Midwest. Formerly an Adjunct Professor and Video Producer in the New Media division of William Penn University, Oskaloosa, Iowa. Jeff has returned to the East coast and his hometown of Lowell, where he continues to create new photographs and works as Coordinator of Media Production and Adjunct Instructor at MCC.

John Chamberlain

Grace Daigle was born and raised in Lowell, MA. Currently a studio art major, she enjoys films and cats. 

David Dove (Colomba) is a seventeen-year-old first semester college student at MCC. He has released 11 singles, 2 EPs, and 1 album, and he plans to release more in the future. Originally from California, he developed an interest in music through listening to the radio in his youth, and he picked up a guitar at age eleven. He now releases music monthly in search of identity and meaning through his work. He explores genres including indie pop and indie rock, often focusing on themes of loneliness and personality. As a fully independent artist with a small fanbase, he releases music on Spotify and other streaming platforms out of his bedroom and performs local gigs on weekends. He is also the lead guitarist of a new local nu-metal band, Bom Betty. Outside of work and school, he spends his time with friends and making music.

Sydney Dunbar is an aspiring writer who is currently pursuing her dream of attaining a Creative Writing degree from MCC. A lifelong lover of books and the written word, she spends her time writing her own stories with fantastical and romantic themes. When not writing, she enjoys reading, playing video games with intricate storylines, and inspiring creativity and whimsy at the preschool where she works.

Asa Dundon is a Performing Arts major at MCC with a passion for storytelling. Asa has been writing since they were in elementary school and has a soft spot for short stories and poetry. They enjoy both acting and working behind the scenes, and when they aren’t hanging lights or memorizing lines, Asa can be found going on hikes with their boyfriend, cooking new recipes, playing D&D with their friends, practicing bass guitar, or playing with their cat, Opal.  

Sofia Fariole is a student at MCC where she studies Creative Writing in pursuit of becoming an author. She specializes in performance poetry and read her work at the 2026 World Poetry Day Festival. She is currently developing her debut collection.

Brayden Flannery

Vilma Garcia

Lucas Guerrero

Nicholas Hogan is an English literature major at MCC who plans to pursue teaching to spread his love of literature. He’s also a Dead River Review Editor and the weakest member of the slam poetry group Mill City Speaks. His inspirations include Timothy Liu, Sufjan Stevens, Thomasz Jedrowski, Kristin Hayter, Garth Greenwood, and Maya Marshall.

Mae Jewell is currently a student at University of MA Lowell. She enjoys writing in various genres of literature, as well as learning about its history!  More specifically, she wants to write more about her own feelings and experiences, as well as how they help to inspire her for creative literature. With more and more ideas, she is excited to write more and share it with others!

Rob Kaulfuss joined the MCC community in 1985 as a full-time faculty member in the Business Department. He went on to teach in the Math/Science/Technology and Social Science Departments. Leadership roles included co-founding MCC’s first website, chairing the Business and Social Science Departments, and chairing the college’s Curriculum Committee for over 20 years. In 2020, he retired from teaching and has served in the Advising Department as Credit for Prior Learning Coordinator. Since last fall, he has been working as a volunteer for The Waltham Times news organization on the publishing team. He has always been technology-oriented with no self-perceived artistic talent. However, he is surrounded by many family members who are artists, and they encouraged him to develop his photography. This is his first artistic submission as he steps into full retirement from MCC and hopes to further develop a creative side.

Willow Kelley is a spoken and written word poet from Lowell, MA. They were featured in the MassPoetry Intercollegiate Poetry Showcase as the representative for MCC in April 2026 and on Lowell’s youth slam poetry team Free!Verse in 2017. Willow also dabbles in writing fiction—mostly writing down their daydreams in the hopes that one day they’ll be more than that—and recording their podcast Title Pending. Willow’s chapbook Bong Rips for Breakfast, has been under revision since March of 2020. 

Oliver Lewis is a student at MCC who enjoys the outdoors more than anything else. He is currently studying engineering and hopes to find a job that he loves in the future, one that allows him lots of time to be outdoors in nature.

Tommy Lim was a Liberal Arts major with a focus on Audio Engineering/Production. Although he drifted away from the arts that molded him, he feels an unbreakable connection in his soul remains. Currently pursuing an Electrical Engineering major, he says, "No matter what happens, remember your roots that sprouted your identity, and nurture them."

Lisa Lobel, PhD, is a professor at MCC who teaches biology, environmental science, marine biology, and ecology. She learned to scuba dive in the kelp forests of California while an undergraduate at the University of CA at Santa Cruz. Her research on ecotoxicology has taken her to study locations including Johnston Atoll, Belize, Palau, the Philippines, Wake Atoll, and others. Outside of MCC, she likes to explore the Maine’s North Woods with her family and dog Epona.  

Vyxen Mandella is a music lover at heart. He is the son of a wonderful singer and has grown up with music in every part of his life. Music is a very important part of his identity, and that is why he took the Music Technology class at Middlesex in the first place. He is still learning all he can about music, wanting to expand his horizons with many different instruments and software. Singing and listening to music have been things he has loved doing his whole life, and now he is thrilled to finally be able to begin expressing himself through making his own music. This is merely the beginning of his music journey, and he hopes it will continue for many years to come.

Nakia Marcelino is a first-year student at MCC from the South Shore of MA and a mother of two. Her interests include reading, cooking, and nature. Currently, Nakia is pursuing a degree in Radiologic Technology.

Benjamin McFarland is a student employee at MCC, currently pursuing a degree in biology and actively working in Lisa Lobel’s class. He is always looking for opportunities to get hands on scientific experience, moonlighting as an amateur mycologist.  He is utterly obsessed by topics of philosophy, ethics, scientific advancement, and social studies. Ben's first interest in biology, and by extension, his hobbies, sparked the first time he used a microscope in the college for a teens program at MCC, and he found himself entranced by the kaleidoscopic molecule web of life, lingering between curiosity and awe, which is reflected in his work with microscopic pictures where he hopes to capture and share the wonderfully interwoven dances happening at microscopic levels.

Sabah Nobakhti obtained his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University and has worked as a teaching faculty and as an engineer during the past few years. His writing applies a precise, analytical lens to the study of human relations, political and social issues, and explorations of the underlying mechanics of life in America. 

Emma Olson is a writer who lives in northern MA and attends MCC for Creative Writing. She is currently in the middle of revisions for a speculative historical novel and also dabbles in short fiction and poetry. Along with writing, she has been an editor for MCC's literary magazine, Dead River Review. When not writing or studying, she works as a dog trainer for an animal shelter in New Hampshire.

Keith Perrin

Willy Francisco Ramirez is a poet, cultural advocate, and professor of English, creative writing, and humanities at MCC. He is the founder and director of La Guagua International Poetry Festival, which is hosted by MCC and features local, regional, and international poets who read their works in translation. Ramírez has published the poetry collection Fiebre de los días (Ediciones Efímera) and has co-edited the anthologies Voices and Translations (Loom Press) and The Path Belongs to Us (Casasola Editores). Along with Rhina P. Espaillat, he translated the collection Poemas para dormir en tres cuartos by Taty Hernandez. In addition, he has also co-translated the poetry collections, Que toda lengua se despliegue by Tyehimba Jess, Un poeta desde un balcón by Philip Nikolayev, and Proverbios del limbo by Robert Pinsky, all published by Editorial Efímera. Ramirez is currently working on a book of poetry and translating a poetry anthology by Vijay Seshadri, which will be published by Editional Efímera and presented at the International Poetry Festival Los Confines in Honduras in May 2026. Ramirez’s poetry has been published in anthologies and literary journals, including Atlantic Currents: Cork and Lowell Writers (2020), Dead River Review, Trasdemar, and the “Lyrical Somerville” column of The Somerville Times. Ramirez has conducted workshops and presented his work at colleges and literary festivals across the United States and internationally.

Willow Robichaud sees film photography as an opportunity to keep a second memory: one pane in a grand window she peers through to better observe, understand, and appreciate the beauty of her life on Earth. Willow is currently pursuing an associate degree in science at MCC. 

Anthony Sayasane is an art-first, born and raised Lowellian. If you're in the Greater Boston area you most likely have seen him performing or dancing, with his passion for writing being more of an open secret. However, writing was his first love before dance, so he’s very happy to share this with fellow writers, artists, and art lovers of all kind in his hometown. Performance will always be his number one, so he aims to protect open stages for writers the same way he does for open dance stages, and he aims to show that there is a solidarity between all artists of all disciplines.

Nick Todd is pursuing a creative writing degree at MCC. He writes about the ideas that interest him and wherever those ideas lead him. Often focusing on technology (because technology's cool), he brings a cynical view to his writing, examining how technology impacts our lives and questioning its role in society.

Bella Valenta is an Italian American and grew up in Lowell. She is new to the poetry world, and her submission was her first ever. After writing her first poem, a lightbulb when off in my head, and it just felt right to her. Along with valuing her work, she is very family oriented and loves spending time with her family, friends, and animals. 

Parth Varsani is a student at MCC. He enjoys writing poems that connect to real life, memory, and everyday experiences. His poem “Late Bus Home” was written from a personal and reflective point of view.

Michelle Whalen is a student at MCC. She is a creative writing major within the Liberal Arts Division. Michelle worked as a Graphic Designer and Creative Marketing Director for thirty years before a life changing medical event paused her life in 2021. Her recovery is ongoing, but so is her desire to learn and grow. She attended college for the first time in 2024 and life has been getting better ever since. Because of that, Michelle seeks to build a body of work with purpose and meaning while building a life of gratitude and education. Her motto is “Dogs are my people!” and she feels most joyful when she’s in nature—unless it’s humid. She also talks to Loons.

Long fascinated with the music of language and wordplay, Deanna Witter enjoys participation in community writing and poetry workshops and events. She is an alum of MCC, Lesley University, and Bridgewater State University, where she studied education, literature, and history. She loves animals, music, drawing, foreign languages, and culinary arts. She works in two schools in Arlington, MA, tutoring and runnning clubs where she shares her love of story and community.

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