Jen Dotson
Executive Director
Age: 25
Hometown:
Mt. Vernon, Iowa
Jen Dotson, executive director, is fairly certain that life is best viewed through a lense of imagination. As such, she lives in a world where playgrounds are meant for adults and cartwheels are a commonplace occurence on city streets. She takes her greatest inspiration from her 91-year old grandmother who taught her that the most effective way to get a new perspective on life is to climb a tree.
Lauren Melcher
Managing Editor
Age: 22
Hometown:
Davis, California
Lauren Melcher, managing editor, can’t leave a bookstore empty-handed and is happiest when she is buying tickets to new places. She loves cooking and baking from scratch, especially while watching “The West Wing” and “Gilmore Girls.” Lauren can’t wait for the day she can say she has been to all seven continents (three left to go!).
Danica Myers
Artistic Director
Age: 24
Hometown:
Littleton, Colorado
Danica Myers, graphic designer, loves traveling and becoming a cultural collage of a person. She couldn’t live without nature, music that has soul and being surrounded by genuine people. Her favorite books are children’s stories that are deeply philosophic and poetic. She has a great propensity for inventing words and making simple things in life into elaborate metaphors.
Laura Lewis
Project Manager
Laura Lewis, graphic designer, is an artist in Minneapolis and a graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She can be found reading, dancing at inappropriate times, and pondering the universe. Her favorite interests are philosophy, theology, sewing and petting cute dogs. Cats are OK too.
Jordan Kammer
Artist-in- Residence
Age: 25
Hometown:
Portsmouth, Ohio
Jordan Kammer, artist-in-residence, recently moved back to Minneapolis and is a graduate of St. Olaf College. She is fond of wearing hats, esoteric old movies, swing dancing, and would like to camp at least once in every national park in the U.S. She intends to pursue her Master’s degree in education and continue to sell her soft pastel landscapes.
Kelin Loe
Poetry Editor
Age: 22
Hometown:
Denver, Colorado
Kelin Loe, poetry editor, just graduated from St. Olaf College. She moved from the contented cornfields of Northfield, Minnesota to the lakes and questionable urban planning of Minneapolis. Everyday she writes, reads and studies for the GRE! In addition to reading poetry for Alive, she interns and takes classes at the Loft Literary Center. She hopes to start an MFA program in poetry come next autumn.
Abby Zimmer
Executive Assistant / Design Department
Age: 22
Hometown:
Princeton, Minnesota
Abby Zimmer, executive assistant and designer, is a St. Joseph Worker living in community with six other women in Minneapolis. She enjoys taking the time to walk to local coffee shops, to read into all hours of the night and to dance in the rain. Abby looks forward to experiencing more of the city life around her.
Megan Foss
Graphic Design Intern
Age: 22
Hometown:
Vadnais Heights, Minnesota
Megan Foss, graphic design intern, recently moved to the Twin Cities after graduating from the University of Minnesota Duluth. She loves animals, cupcakes with pink frosting, monster truck races and the previews at the movies. She dreams of one day owning a black Chevy El Camino and traveling around the world meeting lots of fascinating people.
Anna Flaemig
Editorial Intern
Age: 24
Hometown:
Tuebingen, Germany,
Anna Flaemig, editorial intern, is from Tuebingen, Germany. She studies Media Science, and one day she wants to be a newspaper editor. Her aim is to learn new English words everyday. Anna is passionate about writing, reading historical novels, hiking and discovering Minneapolis. She is excited by the large dimensions of the States and hopes that she won’t get lost in big groceries anymore.
Karissa Wagner
Graphic Design Intern
Age: 21
Hometown:
Suamico, Wisconsin
Karissa Wagner, graphic design intern, is attending The Art Institutes International MN and is looking forward to graduating this year. She spends most of her time in a swimsuit, whether it is lifeguarding, swimming, or lying on the beach. Her other interests include traveling, rollerblading, reading, and painting.
Nicolle Westlund
Editorial Intern
Age: 21
Hometown:
Mounds View, Minnesota
Nicolle Westlund, editorial intern, is in love with everything Australian, including shrimp on the barbie, dingoes and saying “g’day mate!” She also makes excellent fruit smoothies and homemade popcorn. Nicolle studies journalism at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn. and is waiting for the day when all the seasons of “So You Think You Can Dance” come out on DVD.
Lisa Teicher
Public Relations Intern
Age: 25
Hometown:
Eden Valley, Minnesota
Lisa Teicher, public relations intern, is attending SCSU and has a passion for the arts and an obsession with Irish dancing and music. She has the ability to change any rock song into her own opera version. Lisa also finds pleasure in the simple things in life such as jumping in rain puddles, taking afternoon drives, and smelling fresh laundry.
Emily Byers-Ferrian
Editorial Intern
Age: 23
Hometown:
Minnetonka, Minnesota
Emily Byers-Ferrian, editorial intern, has spent the last three years between Spanish capital city Madrid and the country's southern coastal city Málaga. In Madrid she pursued her English major at Saint Louis University-Madrid and wrote for the magazine The Broadsheet. She loved the journey of learning to speak Spanish fluently and has fun with the complexities and play of language.
Jaclyn Rainey
Editorial Intern
Age: 20
Hometown:
Apple Valley, Minnesota
Jaclyn Rainey, editorial intern, is a junior at Bethel University in Minnesota, majoring in Journalism and English Literature and minoring in Latin. She loves riding horses, surfing, reading Jane Austen books and seeing musicals. She enjoys British humor, making her own greeting cards and singing in the car where no one else has to hear it!
Amanda CasaDeCalvo
Public Relations Intern
Age: 21
Hometown:
Chisago City, Minnesota
Amanda CasaDeCalvo, public relations intern, is a senior at the University of St.Thomas in St.Paul, Minn., majoring in Advertising and minoring in Business Communications. Amanda loves traveling, trying new delicious food, running/rollerblading, spending time with her family and meeting new people. She is obsessed with her cat Sabrina who she is now allergic to and her mom's homemade chow mein. Amanda's pet peeves are sharing milk with others and the word giggle.