Our Team

Jasmine “Jas” Respess (she/they) is a Floridian writer, editor, archivist, and researcher. They have spent half a decade as an editor in traditional publishing and have edited multiple acclaimed books. Jasmine has been published professionally in magazines, journals, and newspapers for over 12 years. They write about the intersections of their Black, Queer, Southern, and Caribbean identities in their poetry and nonfiction pieces. Their archival and research work centers on the Black diaspora, spiritual traditions, and Caribbean folktales and lore. At New College of Florida, they spent much of their undergraduate career as a journalist, so they utilize research and interviews with family and community members in much of their work. They earned an MFA in Poetry from The New School in New York in 2020. They live in North Miami with their two dogs. Currently, Jasmine serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Islandia Journal.