Meet Our Team
The Bayou Review provides a platform for new and established writers and artists to feature their work. Our dedicated prose editor and intern team carefully review all submissions and select pieces ranging from prose, poetry, and visual works.
Fall 2024 Interns
Raquel Barrientos
Raquel Barrientos (she/her) is a pre-med student at the University of Houston-Downtown, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. She is an avid reader who is excited to be a part of a literary publication for the first time. When not studying she enjoys reading, crafting, and going to concerts.
KARLA CARRILLO
Karla Carrillo (she/her) is a senior at the University of Houston-Downtown, graduating in Spring 2025 with a B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. She has written fiction and creative nonfiction pieces, plays, and poems, discussing topics of family dysfunction, love and Mexican American culture. Her poem, "Waving the Last Flag" was published in the Bayou Review Fall 2023 issue. She is also the assistant editor of The Dateline and has been writing and editing news articles for the student-run newspaper since September 2022. In her free time, she likes to play video games on her PC, crochet and paint, read and critique trending books, and work on the manuscript of her first novel.
Kenya Coffman
Kenya Coffman (she/her) is an English major who will be graduating in Spring 2025. She is the proud winner of the Lorenzo Thomas Creative Writing Award . She dabbles in creative non-fiction, poetry, and prose. Her favorite aspect of writing is indulging her imagination in world building. Aside from her love of writing and literature she is also a big fan of K-pop sensation BTS, and a long-time weeb or anime fan. She is a devout Christian who loves experiencing other cultures, and is learning many languages.
SETH CORNELL
Seth Cornell (he/him) is a senior at UHD set to graduate with a B.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing in 2025. Outside of school, he enjoys reading, playing video games, and helping in a community garden in a local park. Some of his favorite authors are Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, and Margaret Atwood. He is also a big lover of all animals.
Vincente Luzardo
Vincente Luzardo (he/him) is a senior at UHD, graduating Spring 2025 with a B.A. in English and a concentration in Creative Writing. He specializes in creative fiction and focuses on genres such as horror and fantasy (especially where those two intersect). When Vincente is not reading or writing, he enjoys crocheting things such as bags and clothes to dress his cat, Raven.
Emmanuel Oluseye
Emmanuel Oluseye (he/him) is a student who goes to UHD, studying abroad for his English major. His goal throughout the upcoming semesters is to find his spark and passion relating to the English topic while at the same time finding fulfillment in his everyday activities. He likes watching movies and reading novels that relate to suspense, irony, mystery and character development. His favorite genres are action, adventure, drama and thriller. He also likes to watch educational videos that surround the situation of the youths and the impacts of social media. He is very creative with a keen mindset of independence.
Thomas Tice
Thomas Tice (He/Him) is a junior at the University of Houston downtown and is set to graduate in December 2025 with a bachelor's degree in English. He is an aspiring writer with a focus on horror. Thomas is the recipient of the Lorenzo Thomas Creative Writing Award.
NICKOLAS TOPP
Nickolas Topp, usually going by Nicky, is a Creative Writing major with interests in literature and high fantasy, especially world building and deconstruction of themes. He looks up to many writers in the creative and video game field, growing up with the works from Christ Metzen, he aspires to be a prolific writer, however it may happen in the future, he’ll work relentlessly toward his goals, making friends along the way.
ANGELITA VILLALON
Angelita Villalon (she/her) is a junior at UHD set to graduate in 2026 with a B.A. in Humanities with a minor in history. Outside of school, she enjoys watching Formula One racing and dancing. Her favorite genres of books are historical, fantasy, romance, and classics. Her favorite authors are S.E. Hinton, Julia Quinn, George R.R. Martin, Jane Austen, Jenna Evans Wench, and Mary Shelly. Fun fact: she’s a massive Scuderia Ferrari fan and aspires to be a motorsports journalist for Formula One and is excited to be a part of the team!
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Stalina Villarreal (she/they) currently works as an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at University of Houston-Downtown. Their debut collection of poetry Watcha is out now from Deep Vellum Publishing. Her poetry can be found in the Rio Grande Review, Texas Review, The Acentos Review, Spoon River Poetry Review, Defunkt Magazine, and elsewhere. They are the translator of Enigmas by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Photograms of My Heart, Absolutely Blind by Minerva Reynosa, Kilimanjaro by Maricela Guerrero, and Postcards in Braille by Sergio Pérez Torres. She is the recipient of the Inprint Donald Barthelme Prize in Poetry.
Dr. Stalina Villarreal
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