Rising Stars: Meet Allyson Nichols of North Canton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allyson Nichols.

Hi Allyson, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The year was 2024 and I was out at dinner with one of my close friends, Isabel Brinegar. One of the biggest things Isabel and I have in common, aside from being Kent State University alumni, is that we are both writers. Her passion is in fiction and mine is poetry. Naturally, our writing made its way into our conversation. At the time, she was preparing to move to Oregon to be a professor in a fiction writing course, and we started dabbling with the idea of starting a literary magazine together.

Due to my background in journalism with a specialization in magazines and years of experience writing creatively, the conversation sparked something in me. It was almost an obvious path. The minute I arrived home, I picked up my laptop and started coming up with the concept.

Greek mythology always interested me and the idea to name it after a goddess was something that was pretty set in stone for me, but I wasn’t entirely sure which one. I had recently gone through a period of time where I severely struggled with my mental health and was finally reaching the other side of it. This magazine was apart of the “light” I was finding in my life.

After more thought, I remembered Persephone, Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld; the ultimate epitome of light and dark. Her duality was something I wanted to represent in the pages of my literary magazine. The human experience itself is fully made up of moments we wish we could turn away from and moments we can’t imagine could get anymore beautiful. This idea is how the concept was fully created. Two weeks later, Persephone Literary Magazine opened up for its first round of submissions, and two months later, the inaugural double issue was released.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. I’m a very creative person, so learning the business side of things has had its difficult moments. I’ve had to make decisions that may have made people angry but allowed me to keep the magazine running and stable, such as incorporating a submission fee.

Another struggle has been trying to build a reader base, which truly requires a lot of marketing. I work full time in the nonprofit marketing industry. It’s what I do 40 hours a week, and by the time I get home, I’m admittedly a little burnt out. Finding balance of doing the work for Persephone Literary while still allowing myself the relaxation and time I need away from creating social posts, flyers, and more, has been immensely important.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Persephone Literary Magazine is a quarterly publication showcasing the light and dark of the human experience through poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and the occasional photography narrative. It is submission-based and has published the work of an estimated 106 creatives in eight issues.

The thing I am most proud of is the community it has built. Through this magazine, I have met some of the kindest, most intelligent, empathetic people. The creative community is one I am so proud to be involved with. Additionally, the growth the publication has experienced in a year and a half has been tremendous. It has officially hit 1k followers on Instagram, made its way into a super cool brick-and-mortar— Wonder Witch Boutique—in Pittsburgh, and the design quality of the magazine just keeps getting better.

I think what truly sets this literary magazine apart from others is that I don’t want this to simply be your regular, old lit mag. I want this to be something that gives voice to the voiceless, to people in varying levels in their lives, to those experiencing happiness, grief, fear, love, heartbreak, anything and everything. We don’t usually go based off of a theme for this reason, unless it’s a speciality issue like our upcoming one.

The Medusa Issue is set to be released in April in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It is open to all writers and photographers, and we are seeking work that fits themes of survival, rage, transformation, reclamation of power, consent, and more. Submissions may be literal or metaphorical, inspired by the Medusa myth or by lived/emotional experiences representing these themes.

Submissions are open now, with a deadline of March 9, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. As part of this specialty issue, we will be donating 10% of overall profit to RAINN, supporting survivor-centered resources and advocacy.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Always remain open to learning. Persephone Literary has grown because I’ve been willing to research, ask questions, and adjust as I go, rather than assuming I already had all the answers.

Pricing:

• $5 Submission Fee
• $4.99 Digital Subscription/Quarterly
• $80 Print+Digital Subscription/Yearly

Contact Info:

• Website: https://persephoneliterary.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/persephoneliterary/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558868618479
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@persephoneliterary