Madeline Voelkel (she/her) is a documentarian and activist from Columbia, South Carolina. Now based in Chicago, she is still interested in telling stories about the American South, artists, and community, and advocating for reproductive justice and LGBTQ rights, prison reform, and class equity. Graduating from DePaul University this June, she is gearing up to complete her senior thesis “Peaches”, a documentary capturing the importance and poetic nature of girlhood experiences in the American South, alongside an analysis of the parallels between Lost Cause imagery and conservative Southern policy.

Matthew is a young native of Chicago’s South Side writing journalistically since high school. He’s deeply focused on community-based issues, looking to bridge the gap between the media and the people living in the various neighborhoods across and around Chicago. Having grown up in Beverly, he’s lived between the suburbs and the city, having journeyed from Lincoln Park to Harvey and Palos to Englewood and Bronzeville. Find his work in 14 East Magazine at DePaul University, where he’s working toward his bachelor’s degree in journalism.