The Literary Tarot: Creators
Dani Hedlund
CEO of Brink, Editor-in-Chief of F(r)iction
Tarot Lead & Art Director
After the publication of her first novel at the age of eighteen, Dani Hedlund founded the international literary nonprofit Brink Literacy Project (formerly Tethered by Letters). Over the course of the last decade, Brink has grown into one of the largest independently-funded literary nonprofits in the nation, with bases across the US, UK, and Southeast Asia. She is also the founder and Editor-in-Chief of F(r)iction, an art and literary collection specializing in boundary-defying work. Since its inception in 2015, F(r)iction has risen to critical acclaim, becoming one of the fastest growing literary journals in the world. In her ever-elusive free time, Dani lectures about the ins and outs of the publishing industry, writes very weird fiction, and runs a strange little board game company called Bad Hipster Games.
Helen Maimaris
COO of Brink, Managing Editor of F(r)iction
Tarot Taskmaster
With a background in writing and a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, Helen joined Brink in 2016, soon rising to the rank of COO. When she’s not madly consuming any comic she can get her hands on, she also serves as the Managing Editor of F(r)iction, overseeing the submission pipeline, senior editor team, volunteer training, and production of the journal. She also frequently speaks on panels and at events, specializing in discussing positive and ethical internships in the publishing industry, increasing accessibility, and how to manage a volunteer taskforce ethically and effectively. Helen lives in Bristol, UK, and has traveled extensively, with past adventures including training as a professional scuba diving guide, participating in scientific fieldwork with humpback whales in Ecuador, and assisting at a rainforest animal rehabilitation center in Bolivia.
Ejiwa ‘Edge’ Ebenebe
Suit of Ink Artist and Assistant Creative Director
Ejiwa ‘Edge’ Ebenebe is a queer Nigerian-Canadian artist based in BC, Canada. Frustrated by a lack of positive representation, Edge strives to create work that is unapologetic about Black joy and existence, explored through a lifelong love of ethereal, whimsical fantasy. In combining all these influences Edge hopes to create work that is uplifting and resonant, a respite from life’s rigors. Edge has worked with varying clients including Scholastic, Wizards of the Coas,t and Marvel, and has featured in publications such as ImagineFX Magazine, Infected By Art, and Brink’s very own F(r)iction. See Edge’s work at ArtOfEdge.com, peek behind-the-scenes on Patreon, and connect on Twitter or Instagram.
Shan Bennion
Suit of Light Artist
Shan Bennion is a queer illustrator and graphic novelist working freelance on everything and anything while they work on their own original comics, exploring fantasy/sci-fi, monsters, and figuring out just how gay they can make a narrative. Their art has been showcased in the Alleyman’s Tarot, Cosmic Mirror games and The Adventure Zone Graphic Novel Crystal Kingdom, and as a colourist in Transmissions and various currently unpublished works. You can find their work via their website, or connect on Twitter or Instagram.
Isabel Burke
Suit of Quills Artist
Isabel is an illustrator and comic artist from Austin with a love for visual storytelling. This is her first professional illustration job! After graduating from school in 2022, she hopes to work and illustrate for publishing-related projects. Her artistic trademarks/guilty pleasures are complex line-art, as well as researching and drawing historical settings and costumes. When she’s not drawing, she’s probably procrastinating drawing, watching, or writing something, spending time outside with friends, or cooking. Take a look at more of her work via her website.
Bradley Clayton
Suit of Parchment Artist
Bradley Clayton is an illustrator living in Brooklyn. He lives with his cat and makes comics. He most enjoys drawing superheroes, monsters, and period fashion. When not drawing he is snowboarding or playing video games (he is never not drawing).
Sam Dow
Major Arcana Artist & Tarot Creation Consultant
Sam Dow is an illustrator, graphic novelist, and tall ship sailor from coastal New England. Their work, which explores themes of the fantastical meeting the mundane, includes the 101-card foil-accented Gold Normal Tarot; Elsewhere University, a collaborative storytelling project; and Cornerwitches, a series of short comics, two of which–Twelve Dancers and Cursed—have been published in F(r)iction. Their art also appears in several projects published by 7!13 Books and Cosmic Mirror Games, including Normal Horoscopes, Publishing Goblin’s Oracle Dice, and the recent record-breaking Alleyman’s Tarot. You can see more of their art on Instagram or at samanthabdow.wixsite.com/samdowillustrations.
Nate Ragolia
Lead Tarot Advisor & Content Creator
Nate Ragolia is an author, editor, publisher, and podcaster. He’s published two books, There You Feel Free (2015) and The Retroactivist (2019), and hosts the comedy trivia podcast A Vague Idea and the roleplaying podcast Roll For Blank. He has also dabbled in webcomics, e-zines, and music blogging, and works in community wealth development and nonprofit strategy. When he’s not doing the things listed above, he’s playing pub trivia, walking his dogs, and playing video games.
Seven Asmund
Tarot Advisor
Seven is a queer author and publisher of poetry, fiction, roleplaying games, card games, tarot, and more under their business, Publishing Goblin, LLC. Their biggest project yet, the Alleyman’s Tarot, brought together 130 artists to create a truly unique divination deck. They live in Colorado with two friends and two cats, one soft but sharp, the other soft but stinky.
Dominic Loise
Tarot Advisor & Content Creator
Dominic is a bookseller living in Chicago, Il., with his librarian wife and three rabbits. He is open about and advocates for mental health awareness in his writing. Before coming to Brink Literacy Project, Dominic was the Store Manager at Open Books, Chicago’s first literacy nonprofit bookstore. He was also on the planning committee and created virtual sessions for the Ray Bradbury Experience Museum.
Emily Brill-Holland
Tarot Production & Editorial Assistant
Emily is a proud Kiwi, hailing from Aotearoa New Zealand. She is a real-life professional Bard, spending her time immersed in stories, whether it be reading, editing, writing, running ttrpgs professionally, her podcast Please Fix This By Friday, or acting/producing/directing stage and film. She is a Sir Julius Vogel finalist, published in Dually Noted and Year’s Best Aotearoa New Zealand Science Fiction & Fantasy.
Thomas Chisholm
Tarot Proofreader
Thomas Chisholm is a freelance editor, creative writer, and an alumnus of The Evergreen State College. He received a year of formal copyediting training from the University of Washington’s editing certificate program, though he especially enjoys cracking a story open and getting into developmental edits. Originally from suburban Detroit, he’s called Seattle home since 2009. His creative work has appeared in Inkwell, Drizzle Review, and Vanishing Point Magazine.
Bianca Fogah
Video Voice Talent
Bianca Fogah is a voice actor currently residing by the seaside in sunny Brighton, UK. She has worked on a plethora of projects including Mayhem Mirror Studios, Xerxes: Shadow (a Sci-Fi video game), and Brink’s very own F(r)iction series as well as The Literary Tarot. She is also, in her spare time, dabbling with her first novel and coming to grips with the phrase all writers hate. Writer’s block. Connect with her on Instagram.
Matt Peadon
Photographer and Art Direction Consultant
Matt Peadon is a character artist and art director working in film and video games. As the only blonde Australian that can’t surf, he pivoted and opted for a more digital medium. He was part of productions like Game of Thrones, Aquaman, Underworld, and Ghostbusters and has collaborated with organisations like Weta Workshop, NASA, KikkiK, Epic Games, and Magic Leap. Matt pursues his interest in photography and Hedlund’s quips by camera-slinging for Brink.