A Free, Virtual writing retreat
WriteHive Lite
October 11 - 12, 2025
Meet the Editors
Justine Manzano
Editor
Justine Manzano is the geeky author of the geeky YA series Guardians and geeky YA novel Never Say Never. Known as a Professional-Life-Ruiner-By-Antagonist, Justine’s fiction is tough on the outside and sweet on the inside, like an M&M or a hard candy with a gooey center, delivered with sass and snark.
Also a freelance editor, Justine also serves as an Editor-in-Residence at WriteHive, a role which includes co-hosting the Word Nerd Cafe podcast and has also led to her serving on the board of the non-profit organization. An activist at heart, Justine is also the Director of Operations of the I Know Why She Stayed Initiative. She lives in Bronx, NY with her husband, teenage son, and beloved puppy. She can usually be found at her website, www.justinemanzano.com or all the usual social media haunts. If you’ve looked in all these places and can’t find her, she’s probably off reading fanfiction. She’ll be back soon. She never takes off her many hats for too long.
Keir Alekseii
Editor
Keir Alekseii’s career started as Jen Azantian’s mentee in 2021 at Azantian Literary Agency. After a year of mentorship, she became an associate agent with Azantian. She is an educator and anti-GBV activist born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, a twin island country in the West Indies. Keir is a writer, gamer, lover of folklore, and former research scientist. As a neurodivergent, queer person of color, Keir is invested in discovering engaging work with similar representation, and passionate about creating space for voices not often recognized. They are especially interested in stories from BIPOC who are born and raised in the Global South. Keir still lives in T&T with their partner and five rambunctious felines.
Chyina Powell
Editor
Chyina Powell is an award-winning author, editor and founder. She began Powell Editorial in order to help emerging writers become published authors. She offers diverse services including sensitivity reading, developmental editing, and manuscript critiques and is always happy to share her knowledge of the publishing industry with her writers. Moreover, Chyina is an advocate for diversity in publishing which led her to create the Women of Color Writers’ Circle Inc., a nonprofit organization that offers community and safe space to women of color writers globally regardless of genre or where they are in their writing career. Chyina Powell is the author of six books and always has at least three WIPs in the works. When she is not writing or working with writers, you can find her with a book in hand and a cup of tea nearby.
Rhonda Jackson Garcia
Editor
R. J. Joseph is an award winning, Shirley Jackson and Stoker Award™ nominated Texas based writer/speaker/editor. Her creative and academic work examines the intersections of race, gender, and class in the horror genre and popular culture. Rhonda is an instructor at The Speculative Fiction Academy and a co-host of the Genre Blackademic podcast. She has most recently been at work with Raw Dog Screaming Press on their new novella line, Selected Papers from the Consortium for the Study of Anomalous Phenomena.
She occasionally peeks out on various social media platforms from behind @rjacksonjoseph or at www.rhondajacksonjoseph.com.
Hannah Kates
Editor
Ever since being swooped into the secret society printing contraband pulp magazines from nineteenth-century catacombs, Hannah Kates has sworn to use her editing powers for chaotic good. As a ghostwriter, editor, story-seller, and travelling troubadour, she’s penned work everywhere from the strategic offices of the Pentagon to the haunted streets of Savannah—which are crooked due to all the rotting dead people.
With ten years of professional editing under her belt in both the traditional and indie spheres, Hannah provides bespoke, mentor-based editing services to writers in all walks of life—many of whom are now agented, published, and/or winning kickass awards. She encourages her authors to prends garde of their mental health and focus on processes rather than products.
Hannah loves editing because she knows a dirty little secret: Publishing is merely a matter of time. The real key is to keep falling in love with storycraft.
