Masthead

Claire Bowman (she/her) is the Editor in Chief and co-Executive director at Host Publications, where she also produces the literary podcast, The Host Dispatch. She is the author of Dear Creatures (Sutra Press, 2017) and her poetry has been published in Narrative Magazine, PANK, Black Warrior Review, A Dozen Nothing, and elsewhere. She was the recipient of a fellowship from the Michener Center for Writers, where she served as Assistant Poetry Editor for the Bat City Review. She moonlights as a tarot reader with Typewriter Tarot.

Sophia Li (she/her) is the BIPOC Publishing Fellow at Host Publications. She is a recent graduate of Bowdoin College, where she studied English with a focus in diasporic Chinese fiction. She is based in Austin, Texas, where she also works as an academic technology systems administrator. In her free time, she enjoys practicing calligraphy, weightlifting, and taking pictures of her dog.

Austin Rodenbiker (he/him) copyedits for Host Publications. He lives on the coast of Maine, where he works as a legal editor. His poetry has been published in Gulf Coast, Poetry, Tin House, Pleiades, and Foglifter. He received his MA in gender studies from the University of Texas at Austin and his MFA from the New Writers Project.

Aneesa Needel, Chair

Aneesa Needel (she/her) is a results-driven tech professional and produced playwright. She has broad expertise in building and leading effective strategies in sales, marketing, and product for B2B software companies. She has been on and led many professional organizations based in Central Texas, for over 10 years. As an artist, Aneesa has had many 10-minute plays produced including, Game Night, Pour Me Another, Notifications, and The Stakeout. She's currently working on full-length plays incorporating genres like sci-fi and noir. 

Annie Tate Cockrum, Vice-Chair

Annie Tate (she/her) is an Austin native and a bookseller at First Light. She loves to read books about strange young women. In her free time she likes hanging out with her dog Hartsel, playing tennis, and going on road trips. She lives in Hyde Park with Hartsel and her fiancé, Michael.

Lily Someson, Treasurer

Lily Someson (she/they) is a Black and queer poet, educator, and activist based in Madison, WI. She is the author of Mistaken for Loud Comets, winner of the Host Publications Spring 2021 chapbook prize. She is a winner of the Academy of American Poets Eileen Lannan poetry prize, and is also forthcoming/has been published in A Dozen Nothing, Poetry Daily, Underblong, and Court Green among others. She graduated with her MFA in Poetry from Vanderbilt University.

Taisia Kitaiskaia, Secretary

Taisia Kitaiskaia (she/her) is a Russian-American writer of fiction and poetry. She is the author of several books, most recently The Nightgown and Other Poems. Her work has been published widely. Her story, “Engelond,” was chosen by Lauren Groff for inclusion in the Best American Short Stories 2024. She is the recipient of fellowships from the Michener Center for Writers, Yaddo, and MacDowell.

m. mick powell, Board Member

m. mick powell (she/they) is a queer Black Cape Verdean femme, an artist, an Aries, and author of the chapbook threesome in the last Toyota Celica published by Host Publications in 2023. Their debut full-length poetry collection, DEAD GIRL CAMEO, is forthcoming from Penguin Random House in Summer 2025. An assistant professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Connecticut and 2024 Torch Literary Arts Fellow, mick enjoys chasing waterfalls and being in love.