iō has two distinct origins

Greek Mythology: iō’s role in Greek mythology represents both transformation and displacement. She was first altered from her physical form into a white heifer and later wandered the world after being exiled from Argos, her home. Her bodily and spatial banishment speaks to iō Lit’s focus on the theme of marginalization and those considered “other” who inhabit the sociopolitical outskirts.
Gemology: The mineral iolite has many interpretations, some of which include its ability to release creativity. Iolite’s physicality also attests to its multifaceted nature; when one turns this gemstone, it exhibits three colors in three different directions.
The Editors: Crystal, Isabelle, and Laura met while as undergraduate English students at the University of South Florida. Their friendship blossomed over years and, under the tutelage of a great mentor, so did their love for multicultural literature. After a few years of talking about running a literary journal, they finally took the plunge in 2018.
iōLit aims to embrace all forms of creative writing and artistic expression, even those works that expand the genre beyond the conventional interpretations. In doing this, we hope to showcase the spectrum of experience of all people, especially those in underrepresented groups whose voices are silenced in mainstream culture. Diversity is present on the surface but it isn’t until perspectives are bent that inequality becomes visible. Three diverse women came together in 2018 to found iōLit, an annually published journal that will highlight the voices that do not conform to traditional expectations of creativity.

Founding Editors
Meet the women behind the journal
Crystal Bonano
Crystal just returned to Tampa, FL, where she's enjoying some much needed time with her nephews and video games after graduating with her master's in Teaching English as a Second Language in May 2019. She works as a full-time college ESL instructor and focuses on iō in her spare time. Current Read: Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez.
Isabelle Cavazos
Isabelle recently graduated with her master's in Teaching English as a Second Language and currently resides in Tampa, FL, where she enjoys running, reading creative nonfiction, writing, and going on long, breezy walks with her pup, Nadia. Current Read: The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende.
Laura Flores
Laura holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of South Florida, with a concentration in Latin American and Caribbean studies. She currently lives in California, where she will be starting law school in the fall of 2019 at the University of California, Irvine.