A Magazine for All
Women, by Bad Bitches.
Women's ideas, opinions, and voices have been overlooked for centuries, their stories shoved under the rug in fear of retaliation. But if we don’t share our stories - who will?
Pretty Things is a magazine dedicated to sharing women’s stories. A welcoming space for those cast aside by a "less feminist" magazine , we accept all genres and formats—whatever form or shape your work takes, our publication aims to capture your experience of being a woman in today’s world, no matter what that entails.
Whether your story is
JOYFUL
dishearteningor
painfully complex
We Want to Hear It.
Masthead
Lauren is a graduate of the University of Iowa with B.A. in English and Creative Writing, certificate in Publishing, and minor in Translation. Her love of feminist literature came from immersing herself in the works of Toni Morrison, Virginia Woolf, Clarice Lispector, and countless others. You can find her work in Boundless, Cave Writing, Catharsis, and The Broken Clock magazines. When Lauren’s nose isn’t in a book, you can probably find her teaching men basic communication skills.
Founding Editor-in-ChiefLauren Downs
Marketing DirectorElizabeth Schmidt
Elizabeth is a student from Milwaukee, Wisconsin completing her BA in English at the University of Iowa. Currently in her final year, she has a love for history and believes in writing as a means of connecting and building community. In her free time, you can usually find her by the water or on a walk with no particular destination.
Senior CopyeditorElizabeth Pellerin
Elizabeth is a graduate of St. Thomas University, holding an Honors in English Literature, a Concentration in Creative Writing, a major in Digital Media and Creative Arts, and a minor in Journalism. She's always been fascinated by the power of storytelling, and writes to inspire others to imagine, learn, and discover more about themselves and the world around them. Whenever she's not reading or writing, you can find Liz hyper-fixating, rambling to her friends, or playing video games that range from cozy to unhinged.
Senior CopyeditorAlexandra Valentine
Alexandra is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a BA in English and Creative Writing and a minor in Art History. She enjoys exploring different feminist works with her current favorite writers being Audre Lorde, Angela Carter, and Carmen Maria Machado. She loves to be engaged with a wide array of artistic and creative pursuits. If Alexandra isn’t curled up with a book or craft, she’s dragging someone off for a dip in the river.
Ashley Davids
Social Media DirectorAshley is a student from Burnsville, Minnesota who is completing her BA in English on the publishing track, and a minor in Communication Studies at the University of lowa. She has been a fan of storytelling since she got her library card at three years old. She enjoys reading thriller and contemporary fiction, and well as feminist literature. When she's not studying for classes, you can find her reading at a coffee shop, and spending time with her friends.
ArtistAva O’Neil
Ava is a student from the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri who is completing her BSN at the University of Iowa and a senior year internship in the Burn and Trauma ICU unit. Ava has a passion for art and advocates for human-made design. In her free time, you can likely find her reading an overdue library book in a coffee shop or kayaking along the Missouri River.
Ava Klassen
ArtistTBD