The People

Chiara focuses on screenplays, short stories, and poems across multiple genres. In the summer of 2025, she had her first poem published in the Soliloquist Journal. She is continuing to work on getting more projects published while sharing short stories on her website. Alongside these projects, Chiara is primarily developing her first TV series titled Fear of the Gods.

Cora focuses on young adult novels but is currently writing a book of essays and poetry, which she also enjoys. Her dream is to publish young adult novels informed by her experience, and in order to help others.

Emely is a New Adult sapphic romance author and poet. She published her debut novel I Fall in Love Once A Year in 2023 and is now working on her second novel Barricade Girl, which will be published in December 2024. She is also working on her first poetry collection everything I couldn’t say.

Jussi Järvilehto (aka J. Saloheimo) is a Finnish multimedia writer. Järvilehto is a theatre graduate from the Lahti Academy of Fine Arts. Their plays, monologues, and poems have been featured in YLE and in theatres like Levoteatteri, and in festivals like the Estonian Theatre Days in Viljand. They are touring with an intimate, humorous, vulnerable monologue about generational trauma featuring a human-sized puppet. They are working on a humorous (and just a little grotesque) visual poetry collection.

Jonathan is intrigued by intercharacter conflicts and how they set the tone in a narrative. His focus is on creating villains that can drive the story forward, be it due to their master plan or complete lack thereof. He is currently planning The Old World Chronicles, a project yet to be revealed except by name.

Dannie is a creative writer and artist. She enjoys writing character-driven fantasy and fiction inspired by her Philippine culture, experiences, and imagination. Occasionally, she will draw a storyboard to visualize her work. She is currently working on her first fantasy YA novel, Dreamcatcher. When she’s not working on that, she’s developing her Filipino coming-of-age story, Project Datu.

Gwenn is a Mexican writer who seeks to merge genres and cultures, creating intriguing worlds that pose important societal questions and explore diverse themes. She loves speculative fiction and is currently working on a whimsical story about a woman who is cursed with immortality. She is currently a first reader for khōréō magazine and is learning more about what she loves to read and write.

Kristján is a writer focused on fantasy and sci-fi stories, but enjoys trying genres he’s less experienced in. The aspects of writing he loves most are building worlds and magic systems to get lost in, alongside characters that fight for their place in those worlds. He is currently working on his epic fantasy series, which remains unnamed, as well as his urban fantasy novel, The Dawn King.

Maria is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in digital and traditional media. Her work, centered on the human condition and the power of the mind, includes her debut novel, Whisper of The Wind (2023), with its sequel, City of Cyne, currently in progress. Since 2019, she has focused on commissioned character design and portraiture.

Melanee is a Mexican maximalist writer whose work explores the intricacies of the human psyche through winding, opulent prose. Obsessed with lexical richness and layered narratives, she delves into the quintessence of human experience. Her soliloquies, Vitriol & Velvet, and Elysian Reveries, have been published in literary magazines.

Miriam is a graduate of the New York Film Academy in Burbank, CA, where she studied screenwriting. Her focus is on writing books for children and teenagers to cultivate their curiosity, and to engage with them in a meaningful way. Miriam’s themes include queer representation, trauma/abuse, and the meaning of life. She writes dark fanfiction and is working on a book outline.

Matt’s work is centered around non-linear storytelling that mixes science fiction with fantasy. His sole focus is developing his Fragments series, starting with a short story collection titled Fragments of Silver, on which he is currently working while drafting his following work, a serialized story for his Patreon and website.

Emil is a screenwriter who explores the dark and mundane aspects of humanity. They are working on a horror film script set in a nursing home, a biopic documentary, and a narrative video game. Emil has written and directed several short films, such as STEPS.

Emmett's projects focus on a mix of genres and mediums with a heavy basis in traditional fantasy. He is working on four novels: The Wieldling, Heroes, Bottled Fate, and Tales of the Broken. Emmett is also writing an audio drama called Days Bygone, and a screenplay entitled IVITSA.

Johanna is interested in horror, crime, romance and symbolism. She has written a novel entitled Forbidden Love, a script entitled Hedone, flash fiction, and several short stories. Her second novel is a fairytale-retelling of The Sleeping King. Her horror short stories have appeared in The Horror Zine.

Alicia’s writing ranges from quirky fantastical middle-grade to adult fantasy, dark fairy tales, and paranormal crime. Alicia also works as the Administrative Manager at South Gate Creative Writing School.

Pauline’s projects include an adult coloring book/poetry collection and a taboo-breaking self-help book for young women. Her writing focuses on non-fiction and poetry. Her poem Hey, du was published in the German encyclopedia Frankfurter Bibliotheken 2021. Pauline works as a freelance copywriter, journalist, editor, and conceptor. She has worked with Neoh, Lukas Dürnegger, NEUNZIGGRAD, and Stanglwirt, and writes for the magazine OMNIpages.

Trine is interested in crime writing, suspense, and thriller. Her first novel is entitled Safe. Trine graduated from theater high school HF MusT. Her interests also include theater and sketching.

Jesper's writing focus at South Gate Creative Writing School is epic fantasy, poetry slamming and spoken word performance, translation, and worldbuilding. His first fantasy novel is entitled Soulbound, and Jesper has two books of poetry published: Light in Darkness and Introverted.

Maria graduated Summa Cum Laude with a specialty in Popular Fiction from South Gate Creative Writing School. She wrote Saving Hell while studying at South Gate, and she is currently working on a second YA novel. Maria’s writing interests lie in fantasy, comedy, character development, and dialogue.

Emilie graduated with a focus on Popular Fiction from South Gate Creative Writing School. Her first seven Epic-Fantasy novels are signed with Mellemgaard publisher. The first three are entitled The Newborns, The Facets of the Slum, and The Goddess of the Red Moon. Emilie is currently working on her fifth novel in the same series. Her literary interests are fantasy, literary analysis, character development, gender studies, and worldbuilding.

Samuel graduated with a focus on Popular Fiction from South Gate Creative Writing School. While at South Gate, he wrote a historical fiction novel entitled Love Your Enemy. Samuel’s interests are popular and literary fiction, philosophy, graphic design, and filmmaking. After graduating South Gate, Samuel was accepted into the Noroff School of Technology and Digital Media.

LeAnne is the director of South Gate Creative Writing School. She attended Pennsylvania State University where she earned her BA: Communications and MFA (Magna Cum Laude): Creative Writing. She has published short stories and poetry, and is currently working on a zombie screenplay, a magical realism novel, and a workbook for teachers, as well as developing a course on how to write a novel for Teachable.com. LeAnne has worked in Los Angeles in the film and music industries, in production, a motion picture literary department, and advertising and marketing. She teaches Romance, Mystery & Crime, Fairy Tales, Business, Academic Writing, Bullies, Bitches & Bastards, Writing Monsters, Screenwriting, and more. She has won awards for her screenwriting, poetry, and was awarded a writing residency at La Maison de Beaumont.

Sascha attended Aalborg University, earning a degree in Psychology (2011). She won the 2010 Orla Award for Best Young Adult fantasy for her debut novel The Humble Amulet (Den Ydmyge Amulet). She has since published The Unnatural (2010), The Witch's Heir (2011), The Frozen Temple (2012), The Witch's Helper (2014), and The Witch’s Mark (2017). Sascha is currently signed with Lindhardt and Ringhof. She teaches The Perfect Sentence, Story Structure Architecture, Creating Unforgettable Characters, and Polishing Your Work.

Amalie Frederiksen (AR Frederiksen) is a Danish author whose short fiction has been accepted by Cosmic Horror Monthly, Shortwave Magazine, Haven Speculative Magazine and independent publishers. She’s been featured in the official Nebula Reading List, and is represented by FinePrint Literary Management. She is a first reader for literary magazines Diabolical Plots, Small Wonders, and khōréō. With an MA in English and Cultural Studies from Aalborg University and Bemidji State University, she has worked professionally as a copyeditor. At South Gate, Amalie has unique insight into the business of creative writing with a focus on traditional publishing in the English-language market.

Daniel uses his higher education work experience in his role as Operations Manager for South Gate Creative Writing School. He attended Aalborg University and earned his MA in English and Media Studies (2016), where he did his thesis on narrative discontinuity in comic books. Daniel teaches Literary Analysis, Study Skills, Business, and collaborative storytelling using Dungeons & Dragons. Daniel’s interest in world-building takes inspiration from writers such as Tolkien and Sapkowski.

Ralph holds a BFA in Film from NYU and has taught writing since 1997 at schools including Vancouver Animation School, NYU, Columbia College Hollywood, and UCLA. He's an experienced story editor, animation show creator, live-action screenwriter, and feature film director, working with Disney, Warner Bros, Sony, and Universal for over 20 years.

Steen Ledet Christiansen is Professor of Culture, Media, and Aesthetics at Aalborg University, Denmark. Christiansen is interested in the aesthetic potentialities of fictions and is currently working on a project on the liberatory force of unworlding in speculative fiction. He is the author of The Morph-Image (Lexington Books 2024), Storytelling in Kabuki (University of Nebraska Press 2024), The New Cinematic Weird (Lexington Books 2021), Drone Age Cinema (IB Tauris 2016), as well as numerous articles on popular visual culture.

Victoria is the author of more than twenty books, a top writer on Medium, instructor, and consultant. With a Ph.D in electronic engineering, Victoria has background in semiconductor physics, information technology, and business development. Victoria came up with the term Self-Gamification, a playful self-help approach that brings anthropology, kaizen, and gamification together to improve quality of life.

Silke is an online content creator and book reviewer who founded the Instagram page Silkreads in 2015. She writes reviews in collaboration with a range of international publishing houses, and has produced social media campaigns for companies such as Lego and Daniel Wellington. Silke teaches Social Media, and is currently completing her BA and MA degrees in English and Cultural Studies at Aalborg University.

Dennis earned his Ph.D. in literary studies from Justus Liebig University in Germany in 2022. His work focuses on the construction of fictional worlds, and he has published on authors J. R. R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, China Miéville, and Mervyn Peake. Dennis has lectured on Haruki Murakami, H. P. Lovecraft, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the history of fantasy literature. He has taught academic writing, literary theory, and worldbuilding and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Aalborg University.

Pia attended Aalborg University where she earned her BA: History and MA: English Language and Literature degrees. Pia has edited a range of academic books and articles, and has professional experience in publishing. She is currently working on a book about UK theater and society, and a collection of erotic short fiction.

Louise is a psychologist and Danish non-fiction author who began her writing career in 2010, when she published a book about her year in Vietnam running an eco-friendly B&B with her family. Louise has explored feminist topics in Women’s Desire (2014) and Shame (2017), and has illuminated the creative process in Living a Creative Life (2018) and Write It (2019).

Phillip Stuben, a multi-nominated and 2016 Emmy Award Winner in television is an external examiner at South Gate Creative Writing School who evaluates the semester project in Transmedia. His credits include: The Bachelor, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Hell’s Kitchen, and Temptation Island.