About Us
Formerly known as Cheat River Review, Hellbender Magazine is a literary journal run by a hardworking team of volunteer graduate students in the MFA, MA, and MA-PWE programs in the English Department at West Virginia University.
We publish biannual digital issues featuring works of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art. We especially encourage submissions from folks who are not afraid to share their unique perspectives and stories of resilience with the world.
Keep an eye on our submissions page as well as our Submittable for periodic updates as well as additional details about upcoming issues and submission guidelines. For any and all questions, please feel free to shoot us an email at hellbendermag@gmail.com!
Our Story
Dozens of academic programs at West Virginia University (WVU) faced the chopping block as plans for Phase 2 of “Academic Transformation” at the state’s R1 flagship university were revealed over the summer of 2023. Among many programs at risk of discontinuation was the MFA in Creative Writing program, in which many of Hellbender Magazine‘s staff members at the time were enrolled.
Students and faculty across the disciplines joined together to fight back. Our voices received widespread, national recognition from reputable news outlets, including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. After weeks of university-wide protest, Brian Ballentine (English Department Chair) and Mark Brazaitis (Creative Writing Program Director) successfully appealed the university’s recommendation to discontinue the Creative Writing MFA program, but many other programs across the university weren’t as fortunate.
Amidst the chaos, our program’s graduate-level literary magazine (formerly known as Cheat River Review) had fallen to the wayside—lost to the ether of expired web addresses and unpublished issues, long forgotten by the overworked and underpaid grad students who maintained it. It was decidedly time for a change that we could control.
The challenges we overcame in 2023 inspired us to rebrand and rename our literary magazine: Hellbender. We hoped this change would not only demonstrate our collective strength but would also commemorate the shared experience of overcoming our program’s potential extinction for years to come. We came to one simple, unanimous conclusion: “Writers don’t forget.” And in this spirit, we collectively acknowledged that a transformation of our own making was underfoot.
To honor the muddy water that our MFA program crawled out of, and to represent the metamorphosis we have undergone as WVU students and writers, we wanted to create a fresh start for our graduate literary magazine. Our struggles and perseverance also inspired our choice of mascot: the hellbender salamander. These not-so-little creatures undergo a metamorphosis early in life, allowing them to breathe both in and out of water. Despite recent declines in many populations, you can still find hellbender salamanders all across the Appalachian region and in various conservatories throughout the country.
Like WVU’s Creative Writing MFA program, the hellbender salamander is a symbol of resilience. And now, it’s a symbol of our lit mag and all of the amazing writers and artists who contribute to it.
Sincerely,
The Hellbender Team (Fall 2023)
Our Team
Editor in Chief
As of Spring 2026, our editor in chief is MJ O’Brien.
MJ O’Brien is an artist from Southern Appalachia, passionate about his home(s) and those who live there.
Editors and Managers
As of Spring 2026, our team of editors and managers consists of Jess Munley, Nick VanNuland, Winner Olubunmi, Penny Lane, and PJ Hogbin.
Creative Nonfiction
Jess Munley is so excited to be joining Hellbender this year as a co-editor and reader for nonfiction. She’s currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing, and hopes to become a professor after graduating. She earned her BA from Sweet Briar College, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Theater.
Fiction
Nick VanNuland is a writer from Idaho. His story “Kenny” (Outskirts Literary Journal) was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. He is a MFA Candidate in Fiction at West Virginia University.
Poetry
Winner Olubunmi is an MFA Poetry Candidate at WVU. She loves to write about music, dance, and culture, and has collaborated with musical bands to perform some of her poems. She is interested in African-American and Afro-Diasporan literature. She also collects old tribal stories and materials, which often find their way into her work. In her free time, you’ll find her cooking or taking pictures around Morgantown.
Penny Lane is a poet.
Visual Art
PJ Hogbin is an English MA student from Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. With a degree in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and American Studies from American University in Washington, DC, PJ is particularly interested in the way whiteness operates on TV.
Readers
As of Spring 2026, our team of readers consists of Dalan Nelson, Cade Mullins, HG Gruebmeyer, Andrea Starr, and Faith Lostaunau.
Dalan Nelson is a Poet from Utah. His undergrad was in Philosophy with an emphasis in ethics and aesthetics. He likes to go on long walks and stare forlornly at the river. Dalan’s favorite poets are Louise Gluck, Mark Strand, and Jack Gilbert.
Cade Mullins is a first-year MFA Candidate in Fiction from Southwest Virginia. He’s spent my entire life in Appalachia, and is very proud to call this region his home. He enjoys writing unsettling stories about the stranger aspects of life and consciousness. He’s also an avid reader. Some of his favorite books include The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, Don Quixote, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.
HG Gruebmeyer is a writer from the southern Appalachian mountains. He frequently collaborates with choreographers and writes text for performance. His work can be found in the Southeast Review, Poetry Online, and Epiphany Magazine, among others.
Andrea Starr is a master’s student studying literature who also dabbles in creative writing workshops. She enjoys baking, journaling, and yearning in her free time.
Faith Lostaunau is originally from CA. She writes essays exploring femininity and the layered relationships of family. She’s drawn to the frictions of polarizing identities and the small joys in women’s lives.
“Our Story” written by Co-Editors in Chief, Kelly Ward and Elise Zukowski, and edited by Website Co-Manager, Peter Krch.
Page last updated: November 11, 2024.
Hellbender Magazine 