Issue 156 Lead Editors
Jane Berg
Managing Editor
A photographer and writer working in the SF Bay Area and beyond, Jane has lived in Brazil, the UK, and South Africa. She has a BA in Journalism and Media Studies specializing in multimedia photography. Her work has appeared in numerous publications online and in-print, and she has been a content strategist for various brands and non-profits.
Lana La Framboise
Fiction Editor
Lana holds a BA in English and is currently pursuing an MFA in creative writing at SJSU. She is the author of two fiction novels and has published poetry and creative nonfiction in other literary journals. Lana works as a dance instructor and Teaching Associate.
Ryan Steel
Nonfiction Editor
Originally from San Clemente, CA, Ryan Steel is an MFA in Creative Writing candidate at SJSU. Ryan previously worked as a production assistant in the entertainment industry before changing gears to pursue a career in literature and academics. Outside Reed, Ryan also works at Peet's Coffee and recently started playing Badminton.
Addie Mahmassani
Poetry Editor
Addie Mahmassani is a poet based in Santa Cruz. She recently successfully defended her dissertation for a PhD in American Studies from Rutgers University-Newark this summer. At SJSU, she is a Teaching Associate and MFA student in creative writing. Her work can be found in Visual Anthropology Review and weekly in Metro Silicon Valley.
Sierra Simkins
Art & EVC Editor
Sierra Simkins, who first joined the staff of Reed Magazine in 2021, is a student at San José State University. With a passion for storytelling in all forms, Sierra holds an AA in Studio Arts, and is currently working toward earning a BA in Creative Arts.
Helen Meservey
Editor-in-Chief
Helen Meservey is a journalist and essayist who teaches writing at Menlo College in Atherton, California, and at San José State University. The editor-in-chief of Reed Magazine, Meservey in 2018 received
the first-place James Phelan Literary Award and a Solas Award from Travelers’ Tales for humor writing.