GJ Gillespie
Menu Current Volume Archive About Us Submit Categories GJ Gillespie GJ Gillespie is a collage artist living in a 1928 farmhouse overlooking Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island, WA. A prolific artist with 22 awards to his name, his work has been exhibited in 65 shows and appeared in more than 167 publications. Beyond his studio practice, Gillespie channels his passion for art by running Leda Art Supply, a company specializing in premium sketchbooks. Whether conjuring vivid collage compositions or enabling other artists through exceptional tools, Gillespie remains dedicated to the transformative power of art. Artist Statement: Blood Orange GJ Gillespie, artist statement corrected In “Legend Of Xanadu” and “I Go to Pieces,” GJ Gillespie explores the rich legacy of mid-century abstraction through a contemporary mixed-media lens. These works draw inspiration from two distinct masters of the era: Arshile Gorky and Paul Burlin, respectively. “Legend Of Xanadu,” influenced by Gorky’s biomorphic style, features cryptic figures and glyphs emerging from a layered composition. In contrast, “I Go to Pieces” channels the spirit of Burlin’s work, offering a different interpretation of mid-century abstraction. Gillespie’s artistic process unifies these diverse influences through a thoughtful amalgamation of materials: charcoal, collage tissue, spray paint, and unconventional elements like spackle and repurposed newspaper advertisements. This approach not only pays homage to the abstract expressionist tradition but also infuses it with a distinctly contemporary sensibility. As both an award-winning artist and the founder of Leda Art Supply, Gillespie’s work reflects a lifelong dedication to the transformative power of art, whether through his own creations or by providing tools for other artists to realize their visions. Website: jgjgillespieartistic.com Instagram: @garygillespie7 I Go to Pieces Legend Of Xanadu
Holly Willis
Menu Current Volume Archive About Us Submit Categories Holly Willis Holly Willis is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker who moves between Maine and California exploring landscape, color, movement, and material. Her writing and photography have appeared in journals such as River Teeth, carte blanche, Ponder Review, and The Normal School. Website: hollywillis.com Instagram @hollylwillis Camera Obscura: Afternoon Flowers Island Grasses
Celeste Colarič-Gonzales
Menu Current Volume Archive About Us Submit Categories Celeste Colarič-Gonzales Celeste Colarič-Gonzales (she/her) writes/arts/mothers in Oakland, CA, on unceded Chochenyo Ohlone land. A dual M(F)A candidate at SFSU, she’s the recipient of several awards, including the Marcus Fellowship. When not wording, she paints, does old-school photography, or otherwise crafts. Find her words+ in Tinderbox Poetry Journal, NELLE, Woodcrest Magazine, The Ana, and Transfer, where she’s served as Poetry Editor and EIC. Instagram: @celestecolaricgonzales Šljivovica Šljivovica
Theo LeGro
Menu Current Volume Archive About Us Submit Categories Theo LeGro Theo LeGro is a queer Vietnamese-American poet and Kundiman fellow whose work has earned nominations for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best New Poets. Their poems appear or will appear in Brooklyn Poets, diode, Honey Literary, Plume, The Offing, Raleigh Review, and elsewhere. Their debut collection DON’T LET IT KILL YOU won the 2025 Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize, and is forthcoming from Persea Books in 2026. They live in Brooklyn with a cat named Vinny. Twitter: @theolegro. Instagram: @theolegro Heart Heart
Keegan Lawler
Menu Current Volume Archive About Us Submit Categories Keegan Lawler Keegan (he/him) is a writer currently living in Washington State with his family. His writing has appeared or is forthcoming from the Los Angeles Review, Salon, The Offing, Michigan Quarterly Review, Fourteen Hills, phoebe, and Tahoma Literary Review, among others. His chapbook, My Own Private Idaho, is forthcoming from Red Bird Chapbooks. His book, Fairyboy: Notes on Growing Up Queer in Rural North Idaho, was selected as the runner-up for the 2024 Autumn House Press Nonfiction Prize. Instagram: @lawler.keegan Sayantani Dasgupta Interviewed by Keegan Lawler Sayantani Dasgupta Interviewed by Keegan Lawler
Sayantani Dasgupta
By way of introduction to former BOR contributor Sayantani Dagupta’s…
k kuulz
Menu Current Volume Archive About Us Submit Categories k kuulz k kuulz, legally Kaden Umaña, is a queer latine multimedia artist born and raised in Los Angeles California. As a multimedia artist, kuulz enjoys taking an interdisciplinary approach by collaging multiple disciplines into their work. A lover of learning, kuulz enjoys exploring various mediums from drawing to dance and incorporating education into their work whenever possible. kuulz’ work, as a whole labeled as kuulz wrld, utilizes principles of storytelling to weave concepts and individual pieces together into a larger realm of work. kuulz wrld explores the multifaceted relationships between the artist’s marginalized identities and experiences that result from the spaces in-between identities and stages of life. Website: keuofficial.my.canva.site/kuulz-wrld Instagram: @k.kuulz Cuddlebuddy
Jennifer Mones
Menu Current Volume Archive About Us Submit Categories Jennifer Mones Jennifer Mones (b. 1993, Pacoima, CA) creates deeply personal and evocative oil paintings that explore themes of psychology, philosophy, spirituality, and humanity’s complex relationship with nature. Influenced by artists like Soey Milk, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Remedios Varo, her work delves into the surreal, often touching on the occult feminine and figures such as Persephone and Artemis. A lifetime of searching for belonging and healing has left an indelible mark on her artistic practice. It’s actually what got her interested in art, philosophy, and psychology. Connecting and learning about the world this way has been her go-to solution to navigating the grief that comes with the human experience and gaining a deeper spiritual relationship. Over the past two years, Jen has exhibited in over 40 shows throughout Detroit- including three solo exhibitions at Congregation in Detroit, New Dodge Lounge in Hamtramck, and Two James in Corktown. Her work has been featured in venues such as Playground Detroit, Gallery 46, Garage Cultural, and the Detroit Artists Market. Jen’s oil paintings, marked by her technique of translucent, layered colors, bring light and vibrancy to dark and deeply emotional subjects, offering a window into both the beauty and pain of human existence. The vibrant colors and tropical flora in her work are influenced by her roots in Colombia and the Dominican Republic, where her parents are from. She looks forward to growing her career and artistic practice. Artist Statement: My work delves into the deep currents that shape the human experience— psychology, philosophy, spirituality, and our ever-evolving relationship with nature. Influenced by thinkers like Diogenes and Emile Cioran, I explore the existential themes of death, interconnectedness, and the profound mystery of existence. Central to my practice is a fascination with the occult feminine, particularly through the figures of Persephone and Artemis, whose stories embody cycles of life, death, and rebirth. My paintings also engage with feminism, honoring the strength, mystery, and wisdom inherent in these archetypal female figures. Through the lens of surrealism, I weave together elements of dream and reality to confront urgent environmental issues, portraying humanity’s strained yet intrinsic bond with nature. My vibrant color palette brings these themes to life, offering both tension and harmony in their juxtaposition. I work with thin layers of oil paint, sanding in between each layer to create a translucency that allows colors and forms to interact subtly through sfumato, evoking a sense of depth. The smooth, luminous surfaces invite viewers to look closer, revealing hidden connections and layers of meaning, much like the subjects I portray. In every piece, I aim to explore the fragility and resilience of life, highlighting the delicate balance between destruction and renewal, chaos and order, individuality and universality. Website: jennifermones.com Instagram: @senomneart Roscian Fantasma
James Kelly Quigley
Menu Current Volume Archive About Us Submit Categories James Kelly Quigley James Kelly Quigley oscillates between a writer who paints and a painter who writes. Instagram: @jameskellyquigley She Knows
Addy Gravatte
Menu Current Volume Archive About Us Submit Categories Addy Gravatte Addy F. Gravatte (they/them) is a queer + trans experimental collage artist/poet/screenwriter in the Bay Area whose work concerns body horror, sexuality, and translation. They are currently working on a text-image hybrid thesis centered around the body as material as part of the MFA program at California College of the Arts. Hailing from Virginia, where they grew up in the north and received their BFA from VCU in Richmond, they spent two years in France teaching English before moving to San Francisco, where they currently teach at SFSU. They spend their free time with their dog, Teddy, avidly consuming pop culture. Instagram: @adddddy37. Gub Dog Gub Dog