About Us

The Drowning Gull was an online literary magazine that valued honest and adventurous creativity in most forms. The journal began on February 6, 2016, and our final issue was our Sea Salt Series project issue, released on July 7, 2017. You can head over to the issues page to discover the amazing work the magazine uncovered.

While The Drowning Gull could not continue to publish new works due to the important commitments of its staff members, we felt it was essential that the art we presented to the world remain online so that readers can appreciate it. The Drowning Gull staff are amazed by the writers and artists we included in the magazine’s issues, and want everyone else to have the chance to experience that wonder. So you’re all welcome to browse the website and share your favourite pieces on social media

We’re immensely grateful to those who submitted to and supported The Drowning Gull. Keep reading and writing!

— From the staff

Former Staff Members

Tiegan Dakin: Founder and Chief Editor

Tiegan was the founder and chief editor of The Drowning Gull.  Born in England but raised in Australia, her work appears in After the Pause, Up the Staircase Quarterly, Blue Bonnet Review, Weirderary, and FIVE:2:ONE Magazine, among other journals. In the past, she has enjoyed experimenting with numerous creative forms, including photography, poetry, screenwriting and fiction. Tiegan enjoys reading young adult fiction, particularly the work of Amanda Hocking and Cassandra Clare. She used to consider classics off-limits but has since reformed. Shadowhunters and Poldark are her two favourite things.

Managing Editor: Katelyn Dunne

Katelyn Dunne was the managing editor of The Drowning Gull. She is a student at a small liberal arts college in a quiet town nestled within the Kentucky mountains. Katie is in the process of earning her degree in English, with emphases in Creative Writing and Literary Studies, while also studying Business Administration and Psychology. Katelyn has been published in the journal Pensworth, current and forthcoming, and also serves as Pensworth’s student editor. She has won a scholarship for excellence in English, and is a two-time winner of her university’s Creative Writing Award. Writing is her passion, only paralleled by her love of editing. She strives to help fellow writers strengthen their craft and unleash the true beauty of writing

Shonavee Simpson: Assistant Editor/ Nonfiction Editor

Shonavee Simpson was the nonfiction editor of The Drowning Gull, and later commandeered both fiction and nonfiction submissions as assistant editor. She is a freelance writer and editor with a background in publishing, copywriting and coffee. Shonavee is currently undertaking her Bachelor of Arts – English Honours degree, focusing on online feminist writing, and is a fun-loving, cat-loving feminist killjoy! She was born and raised in Newcastle, Australia, and is a 7^th generation Novocastrian who never goes to the beach and prefers a quiet cuppa in bed with her kittigans, Coco. Yes, she calls her cat ‘kittigans’. You should too.

These days, Shonavee spends more time writing than reading. She has written reviews for the lifestyle publication Weekend Notes, news and features as the Editor for the online magazine Highway Games, and has worked on copy for a range of companies.

Rebecca Valley: Poetry Editor

Rebecca Valley was the poetry editor of The Drowning Gull. Rebecca is an avid reader, poet, freelance writer and feminist. She was born and raised in Vermont a few minutes form the Canadian border, but now calls Washington state home. She recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature and History from the Evergreen State College, but mostly nerds out over Caribbean and Latin American Literature, medieval Catholicism, magical realism and women’s history. Rebecca has published poems with a variety of literary magazines, including Rattle, M Review and Gnarled Oak. She serves as the Founder and Chief Editor of Drizzle Review, a book review site with a focus on minority authors and books in translation. Rebecca’s first chapbook, The Bird Eaters, was released by dancing girl press in the summer of 2017.

Ben Smith: Social Media Manager

Ben Smith was the social media manager of The Drowning Gull. He has been a keen reader since he was young- having been raised on the likes of Harry Potter, The Children of the Red King, and the Chronicles of Narnia- and a keen writer since he was in his mid-teens. His favourite subjects at school were English and Media Production & Analysis. After high school, Ben was accepted into Curtin University’s journalism program. During his time at university, he had his work published in the campus newspaper, The Western Independent. In his final year, he served on the editorial team for one semester as sport’s editor and chief of staff. Ben provides Twitter soccer commentary for award-winning site The Football Sack and currently serves as a music and film writer for youth media organisation, The Colosoul Group. As you may have guessed, Ben has a passion for sport, music, films, reading and writing.