At Chrysalism,
our mission is simple: transform the poetry and publishing landscape for new and emerging writers by providing a supportive and ethical place for them to submit work. We define a new writer as any individual who is in some way new to the creative writing world, whether they are unpublished after years of effort, young and/or new to writing in general, or an avid writer who has yet to submit their work anywhere. We define an emerging writer as any individual who may have work published or self-published but does not have a full length manuscript published by a nationally recognized press. These target groups—new writers and emerging ones—are integral to our mission of being a career-launching publisher as we seek to emphasize and celebrate new voices through everything we do.
In this vein, we hope to work towards bettering the creative writing landscape by not only contributing to the robust and thriving creative writing community but also by fulfilling a promise to ourselves and writers like ourselves, that if we ever get to a place where we are able to influence others, we will use that influence for good. For us, that “good” looks like doing everything we can to provide a refuge for new and emerging writers by establishing a supportive, accessible, community-oriented, and responsive lit mag amidst a publishing world of hyper-competition, paywalls, lengthy response times, and form rejection letters.
The pillars upon which we’re working to build our journal—community, accessibility, and transparency—are at the forefront of every decision we make. At the root, we will always be a home for new and emerging artists. This cannot and will not change!
Origins
The word “chrysalism” was coined in John Koenig’s The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. We understand it to mean the safe and tranquil feeling of being inside during a thunderstorm. While we take no credit for inventing the term, we do value its meaning in relation to our mission; thus, after reading this term and thinking, a very bothered poet (Robert Laidler), with the help of his friend (Matt Del Busto), began Chrysalism: A home for new and emerging writers with the hopes of providing the feeling of chrysalism to all who come in contact with our journal.
Interns
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Alex Freeman loves to read, spend time in the sunshine, and travel. She recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in English and is now pursuing her master's degree in Library and Information Science. Volunteering at Chrysalism has inspired her own writing, and allowed for her to grow familiar with new words from people who love reading and writing just as much as she does.
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Sam Gillmore is a poet, editor, and double major in English and Psychology at the University of Detroit Mercy. They serve as a writing tutor at the university’s Writing Center and as an editor for its literary magazine, [sic]. Sam is the first-place recipient of the 47th Dudley Randall Poetry Award, honoring excellence in creative writing at the University of Detroit Mercy. Their work centers on helping others find and refine their voices, guided by the belief that writing and education are powerful tools for empowerment and advocacy. They plan to attend law school, continuing to bridge creative expression with justice and human connection.
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Kateri Sollars is a recent graduate from the University of Detroit Mercy with a BA in Psych and two minors, Women and Gender Studies and Creative Writing. She loves to write, help authors with their writing, and attend readings! She also loves to paint and listen to music; her favorite song right now is “Dreamcatchers” by Metro Boomin. She is currently working towards her MA for journalism.
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A recent Wayne State University Bachelor of Arts graduate with a minor in creative writing, Devin Lewis-Green was the 2023 first-place recipient of the Phillip Lawson Hatch Jr. Memorial Award. His work has been published in Arboreal Literary Magazine (Issue 3), Poets' Choice ("Quintessential City Life" poetry anthology), Gabby & Min's Literary Review (Issue 5), and WILDsound (2024's Festival for Poetry). He was also the 2024 Fiction Editor Intern at Oyster River Pages, assisting in curating their seventh issue.
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Emmett Flinkman is a writer, illustrator, and aspiring copyeditor who is a fan of language in all its forms. He is pursuing a BA from Wayne State University in English and linguistics. He is passionate about education and currently finds employment teaching creative writing to students K-12.
Past Interns
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Lana Elzein is a Lebanese American poet who studied English and Sociology at Wayne State University, and whose work often centers around grief, interpersonal relationships, and the experiences of a young adult in diaspora. She is the recipient of the 2024 Ibex Art Award Scholarship in Poetry, and served as both a social media assistant and reading intern for Chrysalism’s first issue; she was ever-fulfilled discovering the work of so many fellow writers, and is excited to once again act as a reading intern for the next issue. She also enjoys oil painting – particularly portraits – and is involved in the local acting scene, having led multiple short films and commercials over the past couple of years.
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Alexis "Lex" Ball is a senior pursuing an English honors and creative writing degree at Wayne State. They express their creativity through writing, makeup, and fashion. Lex’s poetry captures the world around them while working in a whimsical twist, often toying with sound and movement. They have participated in several poetry readings and are constantly trying to discover new spaces and minds within the scene.
Makenna Crossley | Brendan Howells | Jeremy Kominek | Ava MacDonald | Adeline Navarro | Rich Phillipson
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Cam King is an undergrad writer originally from Maryland going to Wayne State and studying physics, creative writing, and African American studies. He uses writing to display the jumbled wires that are his mind using creative liberties, pushing his point across with a new perspective of expression. Taking inspiration from music and life experience, Cameron aspires to present the rawness of his perspective with a melodic foundation.
The Founders
Robert Laidler
Robert Laidler is an assistant professor as Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan, a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writing Program, and the author of a poetic libretto, The Fallen Petals of Nameless Flowers, which premiered at Chamber Music Detroit in 2022. Most recently he was a finalist for the 2023 National Poetry Series and the Adrift Chapbook Contest. His poems can be found in Missouri Review, Ilanot, Driftwood, Oxford, and elsewhere.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Matt Del Busto
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Matt Del Busto is a poet from Indiana. He works at the Purdue OWL in West Lafayette, IN as a Professional Writing Specialist. He received his MFA from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program, where he was also a Zell Postgraduate Fellow in Creative Writing. His work has appeared in Copper Nickel, Image, The Cincinnati Review, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere.