Quilted was founded in January 2026 with a goal of discovering new voices and unique pieces. We love work that pushes the boundaries of form, has a unique voice or gripping story. Quilted publishes poetry, short stories and non-fiction essays with personalised artwork created by our in-house artists. We are excited to announce that we will be opening up for submissions for our second issue on the 15th of May, with the theme of Unravelling.
Meet the Team
Editor-in-Chief
Johnny Roche is a writer from Cork. His work is concerned with silence and the moral weather of rural Ireland. A Creative Writing MA student at UCC, his fiction has appeared in Irisín and Motley and Tintreach and has been awarded a Kylemore Writing Residency with Mike McCormack. He is currently writing a literary crime novel, Taranis.
Submission Reader
Leo Ortelt is a fantasy writer from the Black Forest in Germany, where he can usually be found cuddling his cats or being a menace to the local Nazis. He is currently attending the Creative Writing MA programme at University College Cork.
Business Manager
Sinéad McKeown is a fantasy and short story writer from Ireland. Her writing has been previuosly published in Motley And The Quarryman VI. She is currently working on her debut novel while completing her MA in Creative Writing at UCC.
Lead Editor / Social Media Lead
Annabel Hilgeman is a writer from the Netherlands. She is a graduate of Leiden University and is currently earning a master’s degree in Creative Writing at University College Cork on a VSB Fonds Scholarship.
Poetry Editor
Lucy Olsman (she/her) is a 24 year old Dutch student of MA Creative Writing at UCC. She has also completed her English Literature master in Groningen in the Netherlands. Her work has appeared in Motley Magazine, and, forthcoming, in Double Dutch, Abyss Literary Magazine, Still Here, the Reprise, and House of Arcanum. She is currently based in Ireland, and is finishing up her novel Little Princess.
Creative Director
Malaika Jawed is a Pakistani-American writer, poet, and academic. She holds an MS in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University, and is currently a Creative Writing MA Candidate at University College Cork. Her work is forthcoming in Reflexions.
Submission Reader
Emilia Wysocka is a writer from Kerry, Ireland. She writes fiction and focuses on short stories. She is currently studying an MA in Creative Writing at UCC which she started after completing a BA in English also at UCC. She is working on a collection of short stories at the moment.
Featured Artist
Danielle Sgambati(she/her) is a 25 year old writer from New York. Graduated from Pace with a BA in journalism and communications, she is now studying her MA in creative writing at UCC and has been featured in the Ladybug zine and the Pace Press.
Copy Editor
Caoimhe Cooney (she/her) is a Cork native who has always been fascinated by the natural world around her, which can be seen throughout her fantasy writing. She has completed her BA in English Literature in UCC and has gone on to a Creative Writing masters in the same college.
Operations Manager
Ali Dobbs is a 23 year old poet from Philadelphia who is studying at UCC for her masters. Her experience in Anthropology and interest in the effects of religion feature heavily in her poetry. She is published in Fordham's Mode Magazine and is, like all writers, working on her novel.
Submission Reader
Caroline Foltz is a writer from the United States. She is currently a postgraduate student in the MA in Creative Writing at University College Cork.
Fiction Editor
Bryce Russell (he/him) is a fiction writer from Louisville, Kentucky, and is currently an MA student in Creative Writing at University College Cork. His creative work and journalism work has been featured in Orpheus Literary Magazine, Polaris Literary Magazine, LEO Weekly, and Cincinnati CityBeat.
Production Lead
Bana Aassy is a writer of short stories, aspiring novelist, and essayist doing her MA in creative writing at UCC. Brought to Cork by the amazing writing community, she searches for a safe space to explore speculative fiction and to write about the lesser known part of Palestinian identity: being a Palestinian citizen of Israel.
Graphic Designer
Emma Righter (she/her) is a current student at UCC pursuing her masters in Creative Writing. She is from Dunedin, Florida and writes poetry and nonfiction. Her work has been featured in Snaggletooth Literary Magazine and The Portland Press Herald.
Non-Fiction Editor
Roisin Connolly (they/them) is a fiction writer from Portland, Oregon. They are currently living in Cork and pursuing a MA Creative Writing at UCC. Their writing has been featured in Motley Magazine.
Featured Artist
Reese Hurd is a current Creative Writing student at UCC as well as a recent graduate of their Film BA program. She is from Boston, Massachusetts. Hurd is also an aspiring screenwriter and filmmaker. Her most recent work includes Flare, a short film that she wrote and directed. The film was awarded “Best Picture” by UCC and shown at Fastnet Film Festival in 2025.
Fiction Editor
Donnacha Óg is a writer from Cork, Ireland, and a current MA Creative Writing student in UCC. His work mainly concerns the weird and mundane horror of everyday life, inspired by his own experience in isolated communities.
Mascot
Mama Bear is an eldritch being formed within the twisted hive mind of UCC's MACWE students. Her moral compass is a roulette wheel.
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