Readers

Elizabeth Brueggemann

Elizabeth is a sophomore creative writing and professional writing major from St. Louis. She values individuality and spends her time at Miami as a UA, a SOUL, and a writing consultant in-training. She is currently experimenting with her poetry, but takes inspiration from the work of Ocean Vuong. At all hours you can find her on Spotify, creating playlists for her friends (and, more importantly, for the Aesthetic). She prefers emoticons over emojis, loves to write letters, and exists in a relentless sense of deja-vu.  In the future, she hopes to release a collection of poetry and to start a literary company that publishes work by and about individuals from underrepresented identities. ​

Megan Copenhaver

Megan is a freshman creative writing major who hopes to be an editor and author. She is from Cincinnati, Ohio and can often be found sporting FC Cincinnati soccer merchandise. When she is not studying, she is usually binging Lucifer on Netflix, snuggled up reading a book, or writing fiction and poetry. She loves to quote Vines, talk about reality TV show Survivor, and always tries to keep up with the latest memes. In addition to Happy Captive, she keeps herself busy on campus with her involvement as a copyeditor for The Miami Student and her participation in the Choraliers, Miami’s all-female choir.

Caroline Funk

Caroline is a freshman literature major from Cleveland, Ohio. When she is not writing essays or analyzing readings for class, she is writing her favorite style of fictional short stories and poems while religiously drinking coffee. She aspires to travel to London and, really, all of Europe and become either an English professor or book publisher. In addition to Happy Captive, Caroline is a member of CHAARG, the Honors and Writing Scholars community, College Democrats, and Sigma Tau Delta, the English honors fraternity. 

Mike Hill

Mike Hill is a senior creative writing and psychology double major with no idea what he will do  once he graduates. He finds comfort in knowing that most other college students feel exactly the same. When he’s not binge-watching reruns of The Office on Netflix, he can usually be found playing basketball somewhere around Oxford. He loves reading fictional short stories and hopes to someday publish a few collections of his own, once he actually finishes a collection, that is. He spent last semester studying abroad in central Italy and misses his Italian amici, the amazing wine, and the stunning architecture of Milan and Venice. One day, he hopes to go back and be inspired by the beauty and history of Europe, writing shorts from a culturally-diverse perspective. ​

Madison Hoehn

Madison is a junior literature major with a minor in creative writing. When she’s not reading books and writing papers for class, she can be found at the pool, swimming for Miami University’s intercollegiate swim team. Outside of the water, she is often seen drinking chai tea lattes, reading all fantasy novels in existence, and watching MasterChef. Madison is also a Colorado native and feels most at home when she’s on the slopes skiing in the winter. She loves all forms of writing and plans to put this to good use and become a publishing editor when she graduates! ​

Sarah Holtz

Sarah is a sophomore creative writing major with a co-major in outdoor leadership and a minor in Arabic.  She grew up in Amman, Jordan where she first started writing at the age of twelve. Her experiences both abroad and tucked away in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, have shaped her narrative style greatly.  She hopes to help other writers make their “barbaric yawps from the rooftops of the world” heard across campus as she and her fellow readers review submissions for Happy Captive Magazine.  When she’s not writing, you can find her playing broomball at Goggin, petting her emotional support gecko, Philbert, or trekking through various hiking spots in the area with not enough water and too many things in her pack. After her time at Miami, Sarah wants to travel and devote her life to writing and helping young people grow in life skills like communication, problem-solving, and outdoor ethics.

Renee Smestad

Renee is a sophomore interactive media studies, creative writing, and professional writing triple major from Long Island, New York. When she’s not dancing in the rain, Renee can be found indoors, cozied up with a sweater, a chai latte, and a good book (or three). She loves anything that has a good story, which is why she is a huge fan of books and movies, and plans to write her own novel one day! Renee is a proud plant parent, and has two succulents in her room named George and Henry, and they are her pride and joy. Renee is all about smiles, and her primary goal in life is to spread happiness to others, through both writing novels for people to enjoy, as well as doing kind deeds on the daily! She is thrilled to be a part of the Happy Captive team, and is honored to be able to work on something that will bring smiles to all who come upon it. ​

Kendra Stiers

Kendra is a sophomore creative writing and professional writing major from Brownsburg, Indiana (where she spends her time barely escaping the cornfields). Her favorite things to write are short fictional stories and pieces of creative nonfiction, but she enjoys the occasional romp through a poem. She is a member of SPEAK, Miami’s poetry club, and is a consultant-in-training at the HOWE Writing Center. When she isn’t holed up in a campus Starbucks like a coffee gremlin, you can find her hopelessly trying to master a recipe for vegan ramen, sloppily painting with watercolors, or enjoying nature (translation: laying in the grass somewhere). She is excited to read all the wonderful and creative submissions to Happy Captive!  ​

Kate Stumph

Kate is a sophomore creative writing major with a minor TBD. When she’s not studying and drinking coffee at Starbucks, Kate is likely writing a beauty and lifestyle column for Her Campus, or opinion articles for The Miami Student. Kate also enjoys volunteering through the Honors Student Advisory Board or through Phi Sigma Sigma, her social sorority here on campus. She enjoys both the fast-paced nature of journalism and the vast amounts of caffeine that go with it, as much as she enjoys creative writing with a cup of tea in her hand. Regarding her future plans, she has less than a clue. What she does know is that she loves writing, Criminal Minds, and Steak n Shake.

Sophie Thompson

Sophie is a junior creative writing major with a rhetoric and writing minor because she sucks at math and science, much to the disappointment of her parents. In addition to combing through submissions for Happy Captive, she writes articles for UP Magazine, tutors international students at the ACE writing center, and conducts spontaneous photoshoots with her friends on campus. While it’s true that she might not become a millionaire as a writer, Sophie dreams of making a living as a bestselling YA fantasy author someday, and hopes to eventually count Sabaa Tahir, Tahereh Mafi, Sarah J. Maas, and Leigh Bardugo among her friends. Sophie loves Florence Welch, Samoyed dogs, and scrolling through pictures of ball gowns on Pinterest. It is her life’s ambition to live in a fancy castle in England.