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 returned to Tampa, FL, May 2019 after graduating with her master's in TESL. She works as a college ESL instructor and focuses on iō in her spare time. An avid gamer, Crystal also streams gameplay on Twitch when she's procrastinating.  Current read: The Prom by Saundra Mitchell. Current games: Ghost of Tsushima & Paper Mario: The Origami King
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. 

Interns
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Ellianie
Ellianie Vega is a poet and editor currently based in Pennsylvania. She is a recent graduate of Gettysburg College, where she studied English, queer theory, and Japanese. Since last year, she has been a member of the Academy of American Poets. She loves summer thunderstorms more than anything else in life. ​
Kristin
Born in Orlando, Florida, Kristin Urban is a writing tutor and ghost writer. She drinks copious amounts of tea, eats an unhealthy amount of chocolate, and spends most of her time wandering around the woods or swimming in the sea. Kristin has a Harry Potter tattoo, and would always rather be in Scotland. She has two cats with her human partner, but prefers dogs. 
Natalia
Natalia A. Pagán Serrano is a poet from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. She has an MFA in Poetry from Oregon State University, and her narrative-based work is obsessed with memory, colonialism, identity, and home-ness. She currently resides in Oregon with her fiancée and her cat.
Raquel
Raquel is a senior at the University of Michigan majoring in creative writing & literature, and is currently living in Ann Arbor, MI. When they're not studying or working they draw, write short stories and poems, and develop interactive fiction for tiny video games.