Founder/Managing Editor: H. A. Spector resides in the suburbs of beautiful Portland, Oregon, where he serves as the Co-Chair of the Horror Writers Association, Oregon Chapter. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. As managing editor of Northern Shadows Magazine, he is seeking stories that remind us that the shadows creeping in the woods are always watching, waiting, and plotting–whether they be fantastical or realistic. You can find him at haspector.com, on IG at @h.a.spector, or on BlueSky at @haspectorwrites.bsky.social.
Lead Editor: Brandi Shaffer has always embraced the shadows—so when the magazine came calling, she answered. A Nebraska-based author and founder of Prose & Cons Editing, she draws on decades of experience in the publishing industry as a writer, editor, and book award judge. Armed with an MFA in Creative Writing and a specialization in speculative fiction, she has a clinical eye for the uncanny. As Lead Editor, Brandi is hunting for stories that earn their place in the dark—narratives that feel a bit “off” in a way that she can’t quite put her finger on, ones that get under her skin and stay long after the last line. Think you have what it takes? Go ahead and send in your story. She’s waiting. You can find her at www.proseandconsediting.com.
Editor: Seriah Black is an author and editor of fantasy in the secret hollows and shifting pockets of other worlds, enchanted by antiheroes and swashbucklers who can’t quite bear to give you a fair deal. From dark fairy tale twists to creatures who are dying to be real, Black’s favorite part of reading is discovering the inner workings of characters who would rather no one know. Black can be found in rainy, forested habitats sipping too many cups of tea, as @seriahblacksheep.bsky.social on BlueSky, or at seriahblack.com.
Editor: Amber Finnegan grew up in the foggy San Francisco Bay Area, settling among the forests surrounding Portland, Oregon. Her podcast is Dusk to Dawn: Reading Horror and Weird Fiction; she handles social media for the Oregon chapter of the Horror Writers Association and focuses her editing work on horror, among other genres. She loves stories with characters and prose that leave her saying, “Oh, shit!” She has MAs in Book Publishing and German from PSU and a BA in History from SFSU. Find her at finneganeditorial.com.
Poetry Editor/Slush Reader: Brittany Johnston is a published author of dark romantic fantasy and narrative poetry, as well as an editor and educator with an MA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing. Her background includes years of editing and teaching experience with poetry and genre literature, as well as working with literary publications. As a poetry editor, she is drawn to work that tells a story, lingers in uncomfortable emotions, and uses imagery and language to make the familiar feel hauntingly new. She especially loves poems rooted in mythology, grief, transformation, the uncanny, and the darker spaces where beauty and sorrow tend to meet. You can find her at brittany-johnston.com or across most social media at @ liter8ure.
Slush Reader: Cate Csillag has worked as a children’s librarian, a research assistant, and an ASL tutor. She has an MFA in creative writing and a BA in history, where she focused on the history of witchcraft and the evolution of folk-religion. As a slush reader, she’s especially interested in stories that evoke a strong sense of place and provide rich sensory experiences.
Slush Reader: Iris Harris has a sweet spot for superb slashers and dark humor. Always looking for stories with interesting plot twists, whether a slasher, paranormal, or supernatural. Educator of children, freelance writer. Put a chill down my spine.
Slush Reader: Raven Graham is an avid reader and short story writer who loves all things dark. Graham holds a BS degree in Anthropology and has a background in technical writing, which gives her a unique lens through which she views the world. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest and brings an analytical eye to the editorial team at Northern Shadows Magazine.
Slush Reader: Will Boechler is an author from Fargo, North Dakota, now living in Portland, Oregon. His work primarily deals with themes of memory and the past reemerging to haunt the present. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University. When it comes to stories, he loves ghosts, folk horror, werewolves, and haunted landscapes.
Slush Reader: Jo Gratz is a recent transplant from Asheville, North Carolina to Portland, Oregon. She loves to write weird fiction focused on strong female characters and rural settings. She likes all kinds of horror, but has a special interest in anything gothic, southern gothic, cosmic, religious or LGBTQ.
Artist: Madison Shaffer is an artist whose chosen focus of creation is illustrative imagery. She has published work with Utopia Science Fiction Magazine, has sold artwork at local bookstores, and is actively looking to broaden her horizons even more so. Madison’s style is a bit of everything, as she is constantly learning how to create in new, diverse ways—nowadays focusing more on the creepy and unsettling things you may find in the back of your mind. You can find her at instagram.com/burntbiscuit02.
Social Media: Julia Shaw is a social media manager by day and a horror author and poet by night. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, daughter, dog, and an ever-expanding number of plants.
Webmaster: Drew Csillag is a Software Engineer who once lived part-time in a house across the street from a cemetery. He has spent more than 30 years building software for everything from small devices that get wired into closets to running large clusters in the cloud. He’s worked at Google, Spotify, Dropbox, and is currently a Staff Engineer at Datadog. You can find him at drew.thecsillags.com