What We’ve Done

Our literary magazine was the brain-child of an exceptional student named Ashley Bayer, who wanted to continue writing beyond the classroom. Ashley was supported by Dr. Emily Bobo, a professor of English and now Chair of the English Department, whose initiative and intuition grew the magazine to the success it is now. Thanks to Ashley and Dr. Bobo, the magazine became a fully self-funded entity by becoming a required text for some English classes. It outgrew the Creative Writing Club where it started and is now housed in the English Department. At the end of the 2018-2019 academic year, the model shifted; the magazine is now free to all students, and we are raising funds for our work via the Ivy Tech Foundation in Bloomington.

The first four volumes of the magazine were published under the title [sic]. After that, it was known as mê tis.The current name, root and branch, launched with Volume XI in April 2018. The name was chosen as a symbol of students’ lives at Ivy Tech: they come with solid roots but grow and branch out — intellectually and creatively — through their college experiences. The first issue of the newly renamed magazine won second place award in the 2018 Community College Humanities Association Literary Magazine Competition (Central Region, Large Colleges division), and two of our contributors also received awards from the CCHA: Rachel Batka for her photography and Salem Naylor for her art.

ALL VOLUMES click images to read:

2008
Editor: Ashley Bayer
Assistant Editor: Jeanette Stewart
Staff: Daniel Chzran, Rebecca Dille, Collin Caudell, B. Tyler Margison, Chris Johnson
Contributors: Ashley Bayer, Emily Bobo, Lee Calzadilla, Kyle Chambers, Patricia Cole, Nadia Deeb, Gina Demaree, Rebecca Dille, Robin Donaldson, Jennifer Leah Gosselin, Luke H. Hilton, Patrick L. Mann, Shelly Mason, David McGrath, Lauren Neely, Rebecca Phero, Melly Reed, Katie Reidy, Joseph Sage, Jesse Spencer, Jeanette Stewart, Joshua Volk

2009
Editors: Ashley Bayer, Tyren Edenburgh, Mathew New, Chad Redden
Contributors: Jim Amstutz, Billy Arnold, Ashley Bayer, Asher Z Craw, Clay Greer, Mark Howard, Ginger Ko, Greg Mitchell, Chad Redden, CJ Savage, Anna K Wiley, Sarah Wilson, Rachel Wright-Summerton

2010
Editors: Kyle Clayton, Jamie Vaughn
Contributors: Lauren Branam, J Scott Conyer, Matt Feaster, Clay Greer, Rebecca Hancock, Kelsey Kirk, Cynthia Long, Carralyn Owens, Emmanuel Paige, Chris Sandage, Benjamin Tomak, Madeleine Wing

2011
Editors: Kyle Clayton, Logan Davis, Nathan Erdel
Contributors: James Camden, Sam Childers, Billy Arnold Clark, Austin Davis, Cecily Dibble, Jeanne Ellen Dutton, Jason Hillenburg, Stephanie Kennedy, Carol Phillips, Daren Pitts Redman, Jessica Russell, Kayla Sims, Benjamin Warren, Lindsay Weil, Jaymes Young

2012
Editors: Biz Strother, Chase Booe, Hannah Barton
Contributors: Trisha Byers, Kyle Clayton, Caleb Hoagland, Misty Joy Hudson, Jon Holland, Elizabeth “Liddy” St. John, Sarah Alvarez

2013
Editors: Jon Holland, Noel Swain
Contributors: Vincent Beyer, Trisha Byers, James Caudhill, Nicole Cohee, Kathryn Dawidowicz, Troy Engelhardt, Molly Gleeson, Jeffrey Grounds, Christian Kemp, Alana Luttrull, Victoria Neely, Patrick Nevins, Cara Prill, Stephanie Roy, Courtney Sinclair, Biz Strother, Rabab Sultan, Cara Thompson

2014
Editors: Honesty Bunch, Rachel Torres
Contributors: Dana Allgood, Courtney Baxter, Kallie Hamm, Jonathan Holland, Chad Martindale, Victoria Neely, Kelsie Risk, Courtney Sinclair, Charles von Tagen, Jan Tilley, Isabel Vazquez

2015
Editor: Anne Ashley
Contributors: Mason Bohall, Chase Booe, Honesty Bunch, Jason Campbell, Hannah Clausman, Jeffrey Grounds, Adam High, Jonathan Holland, Logan Jefferson, Tony Minich, Anthony Morrow, Nikkia O’Bannon, Andrew Quick, Irda Sahnaz, Alex Smith, Lucas Sowders, Katrina Turk, Trista Walker, Roy Waterford, Colleen Wells

2016
Editor: Anne Ashley
Contributors: Taversia Borrelli, Alex Brown, Destiny Brown, Maryann Bush, Jason Campbell, Hannah Clausman, Ruby Devonish, Mary Frierson, Jeffrey Grounds, Jonathan Holland, Mika Liechti-Hawkins, Deserai Lucas, Nikolas Maden, Hannah McHenry, Heather Pate, Kelsie Risk

2017
Editors: Jack Dreeson, Levi Farlee, Abby Ladin
Contributors: Noura Ahmed, Matthew Begala, Troy Bigelow, Jennifer Bube, Jason Campbell, Alisha Cornwell, Kenneth Fahr, Jeffrey Grounds, Jonathan Holland, Ashley Julian, Nikolas Maden, Michael McConnell, Bethany Owens, Kirsten Owens, Brynn Parkinson, Heather Pate, Courtney Pope, Cori Smeltzer, Megan Stephens, Katrina Turk

2018
Editors: Heather Perry, Brittany Tipton
Contributors: Kyle Aiken, Rachel Batka, Jessica Brocchini, Holli Burnfield, Luisa Dugan, Victoria Englert, Kara Felton, Shelby Hill, Jonathan Holland, Taylor Jackson, Abby Ladin, Bernice Lucas, Caitlin McIntyre, Lea Melton, MacKenzie Melvin, Salem Naylor, Jessi Ottenhof, Nathan Skky, Maereed Sullivan, Nancy Jane Thompson

2019
Editors: Amanda Mabrey, Sam Rainey
Contributors: Nourh Alanzi, Jake Alexander, Amy Brier, Holli R. Burnfield, Ian McLane Collier, Emily Daugherty, Margaret Gohn, Jeffrey A. Grounds, Sam Long, MacKenzie Melvin, Salem Naylor, Jeremiah Ochoa, Laverne Oller, Heather Perry, Fitz Simmons, Liz Spaulding, Jessica Sturgeon, Kelly Sturgeon

2020
Editors: Faith Mishael Carmichael, Ian McLane Collier
Contributors: Holli R. Burnfield, Iona Burnfield, Rebecca Carmichael, Neil Frederick, Jeff A. Grounds, Carter Hays, MacKenzie Melvin, Salem Naylor, Heather Perry, Fitz Simmons, Jessica Sturgeon, Kelly Sturgeon, Quinn Sullivan, Aimee Wyatt

2021
Editors: Tyann Barrentine, Elliott Samons
Contributors: Skyla Adams, Laura Buttery, Neil Frederick, Annie Gray, Jeff Grounds, Kelly Hammond, Brian R. Kleinschmidt, Lisa Kwong, Shiloh Lane, Kayla Law, Sofia Machado, Sheila McDermott-Sipe, MacKenzie Melvin, Kurt Messick, Myca Naylor, Carol Parkinson, Heather Perry, Brett Pfingston, Sarah Ranger, Leah Rayl, Josephine Espinosa Reynolds, Shalee Rybolt, Emma Richey, Lily Schunn, Fitz Simmons, Taylor Thomas, Chapla
Verma

2022
Editor: Tyann Barrentine
Contributors: Mars Abbett, Elizabeth M. Allen, Zahavah Carter, Neil Frederick, Zipporah Breunig, Emma Golden, Jeffrey Grounds, Lisa Kwong, Avery Loren, Anastasia McDaniel, Regan McKim, Westley Penland, Chelsea Randolph, Elliott Samons, Hillary Schackmuth, Skye Winslow

2023
Editors: BJ Yoho and Wilder Mouton
Contributors: Anna Bexell, AnnMarie Adams, Bert Gilbert, Destiny Morgan, Elijah Armendariz Peavy, Elliott Samons, Floyd Boesch, Heather Perry, Holli Rebecca Williams, Jayden Dunbar, Jeff Grounds, Neil Frederick, Ryland King, Tyann Barrentine, Viktor Cullen