Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief

editor@follyjournal.com

Emily is the Director of Wellington based public relations agency Heft Communications and founder of the Wellington Writers Studio, a social enterprise creating space for Wellington creatives. She spent her twenties working in the New Zealand parliament as a political staffer and press secretary, an experience which finds its way into much of her writing. Her stories have been published by small presses and overseas journals shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize and the Bridport Prize. Emily continues writing when she can, mostly fiction that hinges on the satirical and focuses on relationships.

Emily co-founded Folly Literary Journal with Tiana Jones in 2022, after a research mission to New York and much banter with counterparts across the world who have launched similar journals and literary publications.

She lives between Wellington city and the beautiful Kapiti coast with her husband and young twins.

Co-Founder, Marketing Director

marketing@follyjournal.com

Tiana is a strategic marketing and brand strategist with more than a decade of international experience and has worked for a variety of premium luxury brands including Tiffany & Co, Hastens and Atlantis the Palm Dubai. Most recently she was instrumental in implementing her marketing and brand expertise to expand NZ Sotheby’s International Realty in the Wellington Region.

Originally from California, Tiana developed a lifelong love for literature and writing from a young age. She attended a performing & liberal arts high school and went on to study English Literature, the basis of which has informed her career. She has extensive experience in writing for brands, developing ‘brand voice’, editing and strategic comms, but her core passion remains literature, writing, and championing and supporting self-expression in the arts.

She lives in Hataitai with her partner and two young daughters, and enjoys travelling, cooking and dancing in her free time.

Art Direction

art@follyjournal.com

Dana has spent ten years working in education and sustainability. In 2020 she founded Titirangi based Akna Yoga, a women’s wellness initiative created during the Covid-era to support mothers and isolated parents in West Auckland with koha based classes and retreats.

While juggling a young family she and her husband founded Tektus Consultants, a civil - environmental engineering and planning company based in Auckland. Her passion for the arts started while facilitating art excursions for local children to Auckland Art Gallery, Te Uru. Through her work in the creative-bound Titirangi community she became enthused in supporting local arts and supporting the profile of emerging artists. As the driver behind Folly Journal’s art partnerships, Dana is working closely with galleries and artists throughout New Zealand to find works that will last the distance while also portraying New Zealand art that speaks to the social environment of 2023.

Assistant Editor

editorial@follyjournal.com

Ari Prakash is originally from Whangārei in sunny Northland. She has had a lifelong interest in literature that plays with the unexpected and explores themes of human connection (or disconnection) and nature.

She has had varied experiences in writing, from short stories to poetry. Her first works were published in the 2018 edition of Re-Draft, an annual publication of young New Zealand writers. That encouraged her to pursue creative writing alongside psychology at Massey University’s Albany campus. During her time at Massey, she dabbled in journalism and was a staff writer for Massey University’s Massive magazine. During her dabbling, she won 1st place: Best Humour/Satire Writer, 3rd place: Best Creative Writing/Poetry and 1st place tie: Best Headline at the 2021 Aotearoa Student Press Awards.

Since then, she has been a freelance writer and editor who has developed a keen eye for curating the right tone and the right fiction. She has an eye for detail and aims to make literature more accessible, diverse and fun.

Managing Editor

emilyg@follyjournal.com

Emily is a freelance editor and proofreader with six years’ experience as a senior project editor at an award-winning independent publishing house. She worked directly with authors, editors, designers, photographers, illustrators and printers to produce high-quality trade publications across a range of genres including art, design, biography and memoir, poetry, short fiction, architecture and history.

Prior to working in publishing Emily gained a PhD in art history and theory, and has carried this love of art – and research – into her career, managing the production of complex and beautiful art monographs and histories that have been highly reviewed and regularly go out of print.

She lives with her partner in Whakatū Nelson, where she enjoys bikepacking, swimming and tramping.

Marketing Intern

sarah.bisacrepeters@gmail.com

Sarah is a graduate student living in Auckland. She has a BA in English and Communication and is currently working towards a marketing diploma.

Over the course of her studies she has worked as a freelance writer, penning copy for brands like Giapo and Heft Communications. She has also dedicated time to grant writing, helping low-decile schools secure grants for vital resources.

When she has a spare moment, you'll find Sarah watching a movie, listening to an audiobook or diving deep into an arts and crafts project. She is all about bright colours, messy handwriting and getting the wording *just* right.

Her internship at Folly brings together a love for literature and aspirations of a career in marketing. She is excited for the future ahead.