Experience the pages of Allium: A Journal of Poetry & Prose (https://allium.colum.edu/)come alive as Columbia College Chicago students from the School of Communication and Culture (https://www.colum.edu/academics/communication/) give voice to this bold, multi-genre publication.
My Cherished Liability – Bo Kerr
Episode Description: “As much as it hurt me to do that, it needed to be said and done. Walter’s getting completely out of control.” Two brothers sit down after the younger’s late night recklessness and have a transformative discussion.
Author Bio: Bo Kerr is a fiction writer that likes to write complex familial dynamics, creating suspense solely through power struggle.
2 Oct 2026
Born of Blood and Holy Water
Episode Twenty-One, Maison Syder, “Born of Blood and Holy Water”
Episode Description: “‘Devil child, abandoned, useless, unwanted, Antichrist.’ Maybe they’re right, but he needs to know for sure.” Nico has been having visions of hell, and when he confesses to them, he’s left feeling more guilty than ever before.
Author Bio: Maison Syder is a Columbia College Chicago graduate and is currently working on the manuscript of their first novel. They are an aspiring author whose writing centers around queer stories and often explores the intersection between queer theory and horror.
18 Sept 2026
Episode Twenty, Adam – Finn D’Alessio
Episode Twenty, Adam – Finn D’Alessio
Episode Description: “The next thirty days are going to be hell. And then, Adam meets his roommate and promptly decides that he’s in love with him.” Adam, a recent high-school graduate, finds irrefutable love in a deafening place.
Author Bio: Finn Myles is a Butch writer and theatre-maker originally from Cleveland, Ohio. He has previously had poetry published in Fruitbatz magazine and Bloodlust Magazine.
29 May 2026
DO YOU KNOW WHERE THEY ARE?
DO YOU KNOW WHERE THEY ARE? by Maxwell Bushey,
“Finally, they snapped, and their fantasies became blueprints. So they packed up their rucksacks and walked down to the station at 5:00.” Twin brothers plot an escape on a train, leading them on a journey and the possibility of unknown danger.
Maxwell Bushey is an undergraduate studying creative writing at Columbia College Chicago.
27 May 2026
Poems
“I am dancing through the shadows of the shimmering depths/ Where silver scales whisper and darkness wept.” Marty Pavlik’s poems explore the collision of our natural and inner states.
Marty is a poet and musician studying creative writing at Columbia College. Their poems blend the intimate rhythms of daily life with dreamlike longing, turning ordinary moments into feelings of freedom.
Written by Marty Pavlik and Narrated by Vivienne Casaletto
29 Apr 2026
The Exalted Mage
“Juno,” the people would cry. “Our crops have withered and died, please help us.” And Juno would bring the crops back to life, more robust than ever before. “Juno, my house has caught flame, please save it.” Juno, a young magic-user, forms a complicated relationship with a witch.
David Gonzalez is a lifelong Chicagoan and the youngest of six children. For as long as he can remember, he's been drawn to stories and storytelling and has always loved experiencing them through books, movies, and video games.
Read by Sydney Richardson
17 Apr 2026
The Host
“He was lying. Kaori may have been a regular, but she was still a customer like everyone else.” Ashe, a host at a host bar, is forced to negotiate a demanding customer and his other responsibilities.
Written by Marshall Harmon, a sophomore Creative Writing student at Columbia College Chicago. He has a love for all things fiction. When he isn't working on world building for his characters, he is drawing or playing RPGs instead.
Narrated by Dallas Michaelis
31 Mar 2026
The Space Between Us
“She laughed under her breath but there wasn’t any humor in it.” When Lucky is offered a job in New York, he and Cleo must confront the end of their relationship.
Sia Tsiranidis is a junior B.A. student studying Communications and Design Management at Columbia College Chicago. Her work focuses on intimate storytelling that explores love, change, and the emotional in-between moments of growing, letting go, and moving forward. This piece invites readers into reflective spaces shaped by distance, ambition, and becoming.
Photo by Kevin Escate (https://unsplash.com/@hf_photography?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/photos/grayscale-photo-of-persons-hand-GAnIg1YA_Vc?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)
31 Mar 2026
The Weight of Quiet
“Pages fanned out like a white flag. She had given up before she had started.” Layla attempts to convince her mother, Monique, about her plans for the future.
Nicole Stanton is a Journalism minor student at Columbia College Chicago. Her nonfiction piece, "The Weight of Quiet," explores the trials and tribulations of a young woman entering college and the uncertainty of her future.
Photo by freestocks (https://unsplash.com/@freestocks?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/photos/open-book-beside-white-ceramic-teacup-on-saucer-OfaDD5o8hpk?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)
20 Feb 2026
Extraterestrial
Extraterrestrial
“This night was sure to be awful.” The shift at the restaurant is going well enough until coworker Mitsi arrives, bringing drama and the potential for conflict suddenly skyrockets.
Victoria Cornelson is an ASL-English Interpreting BA at Columbia College Chicago. Victoria writes fiction stories to explore life outside of her own eyes.
6 Feb 2026
The Way Things Go
The Way Things Go
“But never did the boy I walk with imagine the girl he loved and his friend would end up together.” A young man and young woman negotiate the complexity of their ever-changing relationship.
Vianca Zagal is a Mexican-American writer born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. They are a senior at Columbia College Chicago and will be graduating with a degree in Creative Writing in Spring 2026.
26 Dec 2025
The Most Sparkly Girl You Know is Probably Not the Antichrist
“Wendell's saving grace is the morning bell, signaling the end of homeroom.” A young high schooler named Wendell—annoyed by a pair of outgoing students—finds himself unexpectedly drawn into their lives.
Autumn Rogers is currently a third-year creative writing student at Columbia College Chicago. In her writing she focuses on pulling from previous social experiences in hopes of providing a comedic approach to the often-gloomy points of life.
28 Nov 2025
Vivienne’s Brief Amusement
“I had watched the unused takes of Lionel and my sister enough times to know that when he kissed me for the first time, under that dead tree, he did so in a manner most similar to take number twenty-seven.” An emerging filmmaker finds herself becoming obsessed with the young man she’s chosen as her leading man in an independent film.
Joshua Hoover is a Chicago-based writer originally from Chesterton, Indiana. He is a student at Columbia College Chicago, pursing a dual major in Creative Writing and Stop Motion Animation.
Author: Joshua Hoover Narrator: Eleanor Linder
14 Nov 2025
The Girl and the Bird
Kaylie Kehoe grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and is currently a screenwriting student at Columbia College Chicago. Although she has a focus in film and television, she's passionate about all forms of storytelling.
In this work The Girl and the Bird
Author: Kaylie Kahoe Narrator: Quinn Caltrider
1 Nov 2025
The Fae and the Owl
What dangers must Fae face in order to provide for her family? In this folkloric short story, a young girl must confront the terror of the nearby woods.
Xochitl Marines is majoring in animation at Columbia College Chicago. She says, "I adore story telling I used to wrote stories all the time centered around my life. I've always been drawn to creepier stuff and love to tackle morality and character relationships even those less than pleasant I hope to one day create a story people can find comfort and recognize themselves in as I've found myself in many I've enjoyed."
17 Oct 2025
Paradiso
How do you find your future? In the late seventies, a young woman faces the challenges of high school and his small town when a rumor takes hold.
Chris Derek Van currently studies film and television at Columbia College Chicago. From Chris: "I come from a Cambodian background and am a queer artist/filmmaker in Columbia College Chicago. Through the years of being in this institution I've developed skillsets such as networking, and independence. I maintain that I've unlocked self-sufficiency and am always creatively driven to do the things that aesthetically interest me with other or on my own."
3 Oct 2025
Sirens
Inspired by myth and fantasy, this suspenseful story explores the frightening allure of the unknown.
Katie Peters studies in the undergraduate creative writing program at Columbia College Chicago. She’s currently an acquisition editor for Allium, seeking to promote impactful literary voices.
19 Sept 2025
California Love
Heartbreak and twisted ankles. Mary discovers the complicated truth about her relationship with her best friend, Sasha.
Estela Miranda is from Los Angeles, California. She says, "I’ve lived there all my life and I’m hoping to create bigger and better things for myself and my family."
Check out our award-winning writings at Allium Journal (https://allium.colum.edu/)
4 Sept 2025
A Place I Know
Backstage drama knows no bounds. Alex King’s hilarious, dramatic short story details the secret world of high school theatre students and their mercurial relationships.
Alex King is a young writer and artist from Missouri who is also a creative writing major specializing in fiction at Columbia College Chicago.
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