Letter from the Editors

Hello Macalester English and Creative Writing family, and welcome to a new and exciting year of The Words! 

We are Callisto Martinez ’26 (they/them), Daniel Graham ’26 (he/him), Jizelle Villegas ’26 (she/they), and Paul Wallace ’27 (he/him) and we are your 2025-2026 Senior Newsletter Editors! We all bring different experiences to the job; Callisto, Daniel, and Jizelle are continuing their roles as Senior Newsletter Editors from last year, and Paul worked last year at the Macalester Writing Center. From covering new literary salons to book events, interviews, and news on our very own students and faculty, we can’t wait to bring you updates and cheer from the English department this year.

This year, we welcome back Rabi Michael-Crushshon ’26 (she/her), who has previously done amazing work with The Words, but now will join us officially as a Newsletter Editor. In addition to her projects for The Words, Rabi also manages the English & Creative Writing department’s social media accounts.

Each of us bring different experiences and perspectives to The Words. Callisto is a senior, and they aren’t ready to stop lurking around Old Main 2 after this year. They are also the news editor for The Mac Weekly, Macalester’s oldest student publication. When they aren’t running between interviews, you can find them chasing campus squirrels with their dog, Sylvester. 

Paul is a junior who serves as one of Macalester’s English Honor Society officers while continuing to tutor at the Writing Center. In his free time, he enjoys reading fiction and playwriting. Please talk to him about Chris Kraus, Christopher Durang, and Peter Shaffer’s Equus.

Daniel is a senior who can’t stop writing. He’s one of the editors-in-chief of The Mac Weekly, an editorial intern at the Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, a broadcaster and writer for Macalester Athletics, and is currently writing a novel for the creative writing capstone class. When he isn’t furiously typing, he’s concocting new creations in the kitchen.

Jizelle is a senior who also works in the WGSS department and is Co-Chair of the Latinx Student Union on campus. She is also a very proud AMC A-List member and frequents AMC Rosedale 14 most days out of the week. In their free time, they also attend concerts of many genres. 

We are so excited to bring our insights to The Words this year. We’re looking forward to carrying on everything that has made The Words so wonderful in the past, while bringing in new inspiration and perspectives.

This month’s issue is only a sneak peek of great things to come. We hope you enjoy!