Meet the Willow Springs Staff

Faculty Director:

Johnathan Johnson (He/Him)
Jonathan Johnson is a poet, author, and MFA professor at Eastern Washington University. His poems have been published widely in magazines and anthologies, appeared in Best American Poetry, and heard on NPR. His previous works include three books of poetry, Mastodon, 80% Complete, In the Land We Imagined Ourselves, and May Is an Island, as well as two memoirs and a play. He migrates between his hometown of Marquette, Michigan; the coastal Scottish Highlands; and the American Northwest.

Managing Editor:

Emily Ladd (They/Them)
Emily Ladd is a long-time Spokanite and a second year fiction student in EWU’s MFA program. When they aren’t running the press, Emily can be found organizing local writing meet ups, moonlighting as a dog trainer, and exploring different ways to cook potatoes.

Fiction Editor:

Sam Fiore (He/Him)
Sam Fiore is a 2nd year MFA candidate at Eastern Washington University and Fiction Editor for Willow Springs Books. Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, he lived previously in Seattle, WA and Washington, D.C. before ending up in Spokane. When not sweating over the latest Willow Springs release, he spends his days trying to get his own novels published, writing poetry, DJing at an amateur level, and spending time with his wife and their two cats: Mia and Voodoo.