History
Aura Literary Arts Review is an award-winning creative literary magazine that is published through the Student Media division of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The publication is led and run by UAB students from various departments including English, humanities, communications, foreign languages, computer science, biology, and more.
Our goal is to promote creative artists and give them the recognition they deserve. We also seek to provide opportunities for growth and learning for artists. We host events throughout the school year, feature artists’ work online, and release a literary magazine each fall and spring semester.
The pieces in our magazine are produced by UAB students, faculty, and staff as well as Birmingham artists and artists around the country. We accept entries of the following types: art, essay, music lyrics, photography, play script, poetry, and short story (fiction and non-fiction).
Now that you know about us, #ShareYourAura!
Staff
Ashley Frith, Editor-in-Chief, is a senior studying Neuroscience and Studio Art at UAB. She loves her two cats and plans to attend veterinarian school after graduation. Ashley enjoys painting, videography, and reading graphic novels. Her favorite types of art are modern and impressionism.
Kafui Sakyi-Addo, Submissions Editor, is a junior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Film and Creative Writing. On UAB’s campus, she is involved in multiple aspects of college life, being a member of the University Honors Program, a Trailblazer, and a Promoter of Wellness. Kafui deeply values storytelling in all its forms and loves writing and film photography in her free time, along with occasionally hyper-focusing on various other forms of creativity, the most recent being rug-making. As a whole, she cares deeply about mental health awareness and storytelling and hopes to one day pursue a career involving her many interests.
Olivia Blanton, Managing Editor, is a sophomore majoring in Public Health and Civil Engineering. She began her journey with Aura in early 2021 as a copy-editor and quickly worked her way up to be the current managing editor. While her interests lie in STEM, her passion is in the arts.
Anna Ulrey, Website Coordinator, is a junior majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Creative Writing, French, and Chemistry at UAB. As a member of the Early Medical School Acceptance Program (EMSAP), she is passionate about women’s & infants’ health and plans to pursue a career in obstetrics/gynecology medicine in the future. She adores studying ethics and is especially invested in Narrative Medicine, the field at the intersection of ethics, medicine, and writing. Her favorite times are those spent with family, friends, and her three precious kitties! Anna also enjoys reading and writing poetry, and her favorite poem is T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”
Emma Lewis, Social Media Coordinator, is a sophomore majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Spanish. She loves weaving and watching Rupaul’s Drag Race. Emma’s favorite type of art is impressionism.
Elena Chesnokova, Art Editor, is a junior majoring in Philosophy and Neuroscience at UAB. She is a part of the University Honors Program and Early Medical School Acceptance Program. Throughout her life, she has found an extraordinary love for writing and art and strives to incorporate them into her life. She hopes to pursue a career in medicine where she can treat and research neurological manifestation relating to gastrointestinal disorders while nurturing her love for the arts. Elena’s favorite type of art is hyperrealism.
Caylin Kyzer, Poetry Editor, is a sophomore majoring in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. She is a part of the Honors College and serves as the Public Relations Chair for She’s the First at UAB. She hopes to pursue a career as an author after graduation. In her free time, Caylin enjoys reading, writing, drawing, and watching sitcoms on Netflix.
Camryn Reese, Reader/Copy Editor, is a sophomore majoring in Biomedical Sciences at UAB. She is a member of the Honors College’s personalized path and SMART Leaders. She has a profound appreciation for various genres, as well as listening to others’ perspectives on different subjects. In her free time, Camryn enjoys creating graphite art, crocheting, and reading.
Elaina Solano, Reader/Copy Editor, is currently a junior majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Chemistry at UAB. She is a member of the Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s program, which allows her to pursue a Master of Science in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Science. She is also a member of the UAB Honors College. Since an early age, Elaina has had a passion for all forms of writing and literature; reading is one of her favorite pastimes. Her favorite book is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. She is also on the pre-med track with hopes of pursuing a career in medicine.
Lydia Lacruz, Reader/Copy Editor, is currently a sophomore at UAB. She studies social work because of her devotion to helping others and creating a better community. She has always been very passionate about the arts and enjoys oil painting in her free time. One day, she hopes to join the peace corps and travel to foreign countries to help those in need. Lydia has always been intrigued by the UAB digital media teams and is very excited to begin working.
Addie Knight, Reader/Copy Editor, is a sophomore majoring in Biology with a minor in Public Health at UAB. She is very interested in environmental issues! Addie is also involved with Sustain and the Student Arts Council at UAB, and some of her hobbies include painting, cooking, and falling off of skateboards.
Contact Us
Send Aura Literary Arts Review an email or message us on Instagram and we will respond as quickly as possible!
auraartsreview@gmail.com