Mackenna Phister was born in Maryland but spent the majority of her childhood on a small farm in Canton, Ohio. Her love of reading started at a young age, and if she wasn’t in the barns, tending to the animals, or exploring in the forest she was reading. One would be hard pressed to discover her anywhere without the company of a book. Naturally, her love of reading and combined with her overactive imagination developed into a love of creating stories of her own. Mackenna chose to study English and Literature through the International Baccalaureate program and graduated from Glenoak High School.

She continues to study English with a Creative Writing minor at Kent State University to learn the craft so that she may one day bring her stories to life as a published author. An Editor’s Insight into Publishing is Mackenna’s introduction to professional editing and the field of magazine production. When she is not obsessing over her current project, she works as a camp counselor during the summer and as an assistant teacher at the YMCA in the winter. She loves to recommend the books she grew up reading to the kids as well as observe how the industry has changed between generations. She aims to help them gain a better understanding of the English language as well as inspire them to read on their own. Aside from academics, when she is not writing or working, Mackenna loves practicing yoga, painting, consuming too much tea and expanding her book collection.