Mastheads - meet our little ole lemonade stand...

Reyes Battaglia

Working on Bittersweet Magazine has felt like an extension of everything I had already considered a core part of who I am. I consider myself a “creative” before anything else, and more than anything, I always create with the hope that it will connect with people emotionally. There’s always something beneath my creative work that makes it deeply personal. Sometimes, that can be as simple as my specific taste in what I think is “cool” or “fun” entertainment. Other times, it’s deeply shaped by my own life experiences and the impossibly complex emotions that I've struggled with as a result—emotions I find too strong or complex to simply speak about on their own, the same emotions that are at the core of Bittersweet Magazine's mission. If I can get some idea that people are truly emotionally engaged with my work, I can know those emotions are ones I've been able to share in a way much more personal than simply describing how they feel. That connection is the one thing that, to me, makes art feel truly fulfilling.

Shania Jackson

I am a first-generation Latina college student. I make myself known with my bold, kind, empathic, and honest words. I take an interest in primarily writing fiction and poetry, but there is a special place in my heart for ceramics. Being in both the literary and art world makes me appreciate life from a different perspective due to the vast creativity that I see on a daily. I have past history of working in a different literary journal called the Acron Review where I was able to help hand-select different literary pieces. Being able to work on Bittersweet Magazine feels so natural to me because I get to experience the duality of emotions coming from all types of creative work. I look forward to being able to create these bonds with people who share their emotions with us because being able to learn from different perspectives really creates a wide range in how people become who they are.

Brad Parlapiano

Born too late to write classics such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and “Pump Up the Jam” and too early to write the “Next Song of the Summer,” Brad’s escape from these creative shortcomings is spent cooking and reading literature from across the world, particularly food from his home country, Sicily. Currently working on his bachelor’s in comparative literature, Brad’s love for interesting stories carries over to Bittersweet Magazine, where he hopes to expand the journal into something that can inspire young creatives like him to put their foot through the door.

Valeria Richardson

Literature has always been a medicinal companion for me. Currently, I am in the process of obtaining an English degree at San Diego State University with intention utilizing this study as a bedrock to pursue law in graduate school. I am having so much fun collaborating with talented colleagues and creating this empathetic and invigorating platform for college students and young adults. I hope Bittersweet Magazine opens up a space that is freeing and healing for our contributors and readers.