The Editors
Jess Aayla Kaisk
FounderJess Aayla Kaisk is the founder and editor-in-chief of Literally Literary, an independent literary publication she launched in 2013 out of a simple conviction: literature didn't need to be gatekept to be good. Her own relationship with the written word started early — she's been published in journals and anthologies since she was 13, and in the twenty-five years since, has never stopped writing, reading, or collecting books along the way.
A graduate of the University of Akron with a degree in history and cultural anthropology, Jess brings a lifelong curiosity about culture and storytelling to her editorial work. She has been an active board member of the Fellowship of Northern Traditions since 2021, and Spirit of Wolf Shamans Intl. since 2020. Above all, she is a dedicated mother and wife.
Under her direction, Literally Literary has grown to a readership of over 28,000 and is currently undergoing a full 2027 relaunch — bringing monthly digital issues, a quarterly print magazine, and a yearly anthology to readers who've followed the publication since the beginning.
EditorI am a writer of insights and heartfelt reflections — poetry, letters, and essays flowing from a deep connection with my ancestors, my heart, and the mystical creatures I meet in the forest and mountains, alongside the lessons of travel and life itself. When I'm not writing, I sit with hospice patients, forming companion relationships and guiding others toward their next life, a paramount honor. My own lung cancer diagnosis has become an unlikely teacher, transforming struggle into wisdom and shaping my motto: "Living life to the fullest by knowing how to die." Here you'll find sentences infused with sentiment and lived experience — I invite you to join me on the pilgrimage, and to take from it whatever resonates in your own life.
Luna RavenWolf (Elizabeth)
EditorPhD., Poetry Editor of Literally Literary, psychic medium and intuitive.
EditorDad who loves to write in his "free" time. Bennett is the author of “Dark and Bright: Poetry and Prose”. @BennettEmpty