Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

Students Faculty Staff Community
University of Nebraska Omaha logo
College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media Writer's Workshop
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
Students Faculty Staff Community
  • About Us Backback to Main menu
    • Faculty Directory
    • Staff Directory
    • Faculty Mentors
    • CFAM News & Events
  • Undergraduate Programs Backback to Main menu
    • Apply
    • BFA in Creative Writing
    • Senior Thesis & Internships
    • Scholarships
  • MFA in Creative Writing Program Backback to Main menu
    • Master of Fine Arts in Writing
    • Admission Information
    • Faculty Mentors
    • Residency & Semester Work
    • Enrichment Study
    • Tuition & Fees
    • Fellowship Opportunities
  • Community Engagement Backback to Main menu
    • Writer's Workshop Reading Series
    • Community Engagement
  • Support CFAM

13th Floor Magazine

  1. UNO
  2. College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media
  3. Writer's Workshop
  4. 13th Floor Magazine

Spring 2025 Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief, Sarah Pacholski

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF—SARAH PACHOLSKI

Sarah Pacholski (they/them) is a senior at the University of Nebraska Omaha. They currently serve as the Editor-in-Chief of 13th Floor Magazine for the Spring 2025 issue. They were on the visual arts editing team for the Spring 2024 issue and were also a part of the general editing team of The Metropolitan Magazine. They specialize in poetry & creative nonfiction and dabble in visual arts in their spare time.

Spring 2025 Issue Mission: What I look forward to when receiving submissions as Editor-in-Chief is seeing how people play with the basic craft elements of their genre. I enjoy seeing the unique ways that writers play with sound and imagery by using alliteration or metaphors. Or how artists make art that challenges the expectations of focal points and tackles the pathos of its audience.

Image of Madi Palmer

CREATIVE NONFICTION—MADI PALMER

Madi Palmer holds an Associate of the Arts degree in Creative Writing from Metropolitan Community College. She is currently pursuing a BFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) and a minor in Editing & Publishing in the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Nebraska Omaha. She serves as the Creative Nonfiction Editor for UNO’s 13th Floor Magazine. In her own writing, Madi explores the stigmas around mental health and motherhood.

Spring 2025 Issue Mission: I am drawn to CNF that break down barriers and the stigmas of topics
that society often shies away from. I am looking for bold truth telling from writers who are unapologetically themselves. I want pieces that will spark conversation and create growth in those who read it.

Image of Isa Wright

FICTION EDITOR—ISA WRIGHT

Isa Wright is a Jewish author pursuing a BFA in Creative Writing (fiction) at the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Writer’s Workshop. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts from Metropolitan Community College’s Creative Writing program. This is her second time appearing on the masthead of 13th Floor Magazine.

Spring 2025 Issue Mission: In prose, I love stories that escalate, crack, and sizzle—whether that be through humor, horror, or the bizarre. I am a proponent of the short and sweet, but no matter the length I want stories that grab me and don’t let go. Surprises are always welcome, especially when they push the boundaries of form and language. The fiction team this year is hoping to read more screenplays, but we look forward to seeing your fiction in any form.

Image of Anna Lisa

POETRY EDITOR—ANNA LISA

Anna Lisa is currently a sophomore at the University of Nebraska Omaha. She is a double major in English and Creative Writing. Her work has been published in 13th Floor Magazine, and she is serving as Poetry Editor for the spring 2025 issue. She is also the current Vice President of the UNO Writing Club. Her writing explores grief through the lens of the Midwestern landscape.

Spring 2025 Issue Mission: I hope to receive work from marginalized voices and Nebraska natives. It is my goal to give space to those who feel underrepresented in the landscape and society of Nebraska.

Image of Cortney Gardner

VISUAL ART EDITOR—CORTNEY KAY GARDNER

Cortney Kay Gardner is a senior at the University of Nebraska Omaha, pursuing a BFA in Creative Writing (fiction) in the Writer’s Workshop. She spends most of her time on her novels—exploring social concepts through a fantastical lens. She was an assistant poetry editor for 13th Floor Magazine in Spring 2024 before becoming the Visual Arts Editor. She attends the monthly Omaha Fiction Workshop to continue collaborating with fellow writers and developing her craft.

Spring 2025 Issue Mission: I am often fascinated by the way artists tweak the real world and expose the unreal. This is primarily because of my interest in genre fiction, but I believe every piece of art has a hint of unbelievable. I want my knowledge and worldview to be tested through art and the exposure of something I have never, and may never, get to see.

Image of Sarah Hayden

LAYOUT & DESIGN EDITOR—SARAH HAYDEN

Sarah Hayden is a University of Nebraska Omaha student, writer, and mother of two grown children. She is the Layout Editor of the UNO student run literary magazine, 13th Floor Magazine. While working towards her BFA in creative writing, working at the public library, and volunteering for the local community theater, she spends her free time listening to audiobooks, watching Murder She Wrote and annoying her family and dogs.

Image of Elena Yanez

PROMOTIONS EDITOR—ELENA YANEZ

Elena Yanez is a junior at UNO. She is set to graduate in 2028 with a BFA in Creative Nonfiction and a minor in English. She is a librarian specialist for the Omaha Public Library. She is also on the staff for UNO’s 13th Floor Magazine as the Promotions Editor. Elena enjoys writing poetry and creative nonfiction along with painting. She is the proud mom of plants, animals, and a tiny human.

Explore 13th Floor Magazine

13th Floor Magazine is produced by the students in WRWS 3010 & 4010: Literary Magazine.

For detailed information about how to join the editorial team or about this course, please email the 13th Floor’s faculty advisor:

Dr. Lisa Fay Coutley at lcoutley@unomaha.edu or visit her office at 209 WFAB.

For detailed information about the journal’s inception, current editorial team, or reading series, visit our Facebook page here

Like us on Facebook and Instagram (@13thfloormagazine)


Submission Guidelines

Submission Period for Spring 2025

October 15, 2024 - March 1, 2025

What to Submit

  • Poetry (3-5 poems)
  • Creative Nonfiction (no more than 5,000 words)
  • Fiction (no more than 5,000 words)
  • Micro-fiction or nonfiction (500-750 words)
  • Screenplay (no more than 3,000 words)
  • Visual Art (3-5 pieces)

Feel free to submit to more than one genre and/or to send an excerpt of a longer work. You can also send just one piece of art or one poem, but sending 3-5 gives editors a wider range to consider.

We only ask that you send your best work for consideration and follow the guidelines here.

How to Submit

  • Our editors read submissions blind, so please remove all identifying material from your submission—within the body of your writing and/or on your artwork.
  • File names should include the title and genre of your work, such as "Poetry: Happy Days" (when sending art and/or poetry that includes more than one piece, please use the title of the first piece included in your submission, but do not include any part of your name).
  • All submissions should be emailed to 13thfloormagazine@gmail.com.
  • Include, in the body of your submission email, a third-person bio as outlined at the bottom.
  • We accept written work in Word .doc/x or PDF and art in PNG or JPEG (at least 300 dpi).

Poetry: submit no more than 5 poems per submission with all poems in one file (one poem/page).

Prose: submit one story/essay/play per file. Be sure to double-space and to use page numbers.

Visual Art: please send high-resolution, quality images free of glare and distractions, and indicate your medium in the body of your email (e.g.: oil on canvas).

In your submission email, be sure to include a 50-word bio, written in the third person and noting your affiliation to UNO, as we only publish students, alumni, faculty, and staff of the university.

13th Floor Launch Party - May 9, 2024

Contact Us

  • Email: lcoutley@unomaha.edu
  • Office: WFAB 209

College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media

Contact Us
  • College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media
  • 314 Weber Fine Arts Building
  • 6505 University Drive South
  • Omaha, NE 68182   map
  • 402.554.3857
  • cfam@unomaha.edu
Social media
College Resources
  • School of the Arts
  • School of Communication
  • School of Music
  • Writer's Workshop
  • Art Gallery
  • Speech Center
  • UNO Theatre
  • KVNO
Weber Fine Arts Building

Next Steps

  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)

Just For You

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List

Popular Services and Resources

  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • The Maverick Store
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence

Affiliates

  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • ©  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • MavsReport

Social Media


Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.