our team

 

Our staff comes from all corners of the publishing industry, with experience in traditional and indie publishing. With backgrounds in marketing, publicity, bookselling, writing, editing, and design, our team knows what it takes to produce award-winning books and stellar content. We’re passionate about storytelling, social justice, and supporting changemakers.

For recent press and events featuring the Wise Ink team, visit our press page.

Book a Wise Ink Staff Member to Speak
 
 
 

Dara Beevas (she/her) has been in the publishing industry more than a decade. She is the author of The Indie Author Revolution and Amina of Zaria, the first book in the Li’l Queens children’s book series. She has a master's degree in publishing from George Washington University. Dara was selected as an emerging writer by the Givens Foundation for African-American literature and was named a 2016 Bush Foundation Fellow. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, daughter, and son.

DARA BEEVAS

COFOUNDER & CHIEF STRATEGIC OFFICER

 

Amy Quale (she/her) has been in the publishing industry for fifteen years and has worked with large and small presses and coached hundreds of authors. She co-founded Wise Ink Creative Publishing in 2012 as a boutique independent publisher with a focus on publishing books to make a difference. She has an MA in English, is a 2017 graduate of Yale School of Management's Leadership Strategies in Book Publishing, and was a 40 under 40 honoree in 2022 through the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. She lives in the Twin Cities with her family.

AMY QUALE

COFOUNDER & CHIEF PUBLISHING OFFICER

 
 

Hanna Kjeldbjerg (she/her) was raised to be a polka dancer but works in publishing instead. With over a decade of experience in publishing, she has helped almost two hundred authors bring their sizable stories to life. Hanna is the cofounder of Err Artist Collective, which curated monthly variety shows and zines for over six years. Her installation art has been a part of the Art Shanty Projects, and her writing has been featured in Publishers Weekly and Paper Darts.

Hanna Kjeldbjerg

VICE PRESIDENT

Victoria Petelin (she/her) is a creative director and project manager. She’s managed award-winning projects for Fortune 500 executives, scientists, educators, and nonprofit leaders. She served a term as treasurer of the Minnesota Book Publishers’ Roundtable, where she organized events and resources for the local publishing community. She is also on the board of the Nucleus Clinic, a nonprofit reproductive healthcare clinic. Prior to her work at Wise Ink, she worked in communications at the nonprofit Frogtown Park and Farm, helping plan and host their grand opening. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, where she majored in Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature and minored in French. Her writing has appeared in the Minnesota Women’s Press and the Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal. Victoria’s favorite book genres are investigative nonfiction and self-help.

Victoria Petelin

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Crown Shepherd (she/her) is an author and reading advocate. Shepherd is the owner of Liberate Your Bookshelf, a mobile bookstore that specializes in diverse books from independent authors. Shepherd is also the author of Crown Comics and the What Do You See? children’s book series (Black Boy, Black Boy and Black Girl, Black Girl). Shepherd has dedicated her life to closing the illiteracy rate within the Black community. Shepherd believes if you can read, you can learn, if you can learn, you can grow, and if you can grow, you can be anything!

Crown Shepherd

MARKETING MANAGER

 

Lindsay Bohls (she/her) is a publishing project manager that has guided over one hundred books from manuscript to publication, including Amazon, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestsellers. Coming to Wise Ink with experience in both hybrid and textbook publishing, Lindsay has mentored authors across genres and backgrounds, providing expertise and insight to bring their stories and ideas to the right audience in a way that feels authentic to both writer and reader. With a BA in English Literature from Gustavus Adolphus College, Lindsay is passionate about helping books reach their full potential to make a lasting impact. She currently resides in Austin, TX with her family.

lindsay bohls

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER

 

Eden Aphrodite Unger (she/her) is a Los Angeles-based poet and writer. She is Wise Ink’s newest editorial intern, and the author of We, Who Have Always Been Beautiful, a self-published poetry chapbook.


After graduating from Emerson College in 2024 with a BFA in creative writing and publishing, Eden moved across the country to the City of Angels. She has since contributed editorial expertise and articles, ranging from personal essays to album reviews, to numerous issues of Fruitslice and its sibling publication, Noise Made By. Earlier this year she was selected to participate in the Los Angeles Review of Books’ Publishing Workshop, which culminated in the publication of PubLab Issue 8.0, an online magazine produced entirely by the members of the workshop. In everything she does, she is committed to uplifting art as a means of connection and community building.

Eden Unger

EDITORIAL INTERN

 

Kprecia Ambers (she/her) is not just an artist, but a beacon of love and inspiration as the owner of Kp Inspires. Her brand defies stereotypes, celebrates diversity, and promotes wellness through her vibrant figurative illustrations that beautifully capture the essence of each individual, sparking feelings of joy and confidence. Graduating with a BFA in graphic design from Concordia University St. Paul in 2015, Kprecia's creative journey has led her to establish partnerships with renowned entities like The Minnesota Vikings, Target Room Home Essentials, and Alina Mother Baby Center, with aspirations for even greater collaborations. With a mission to touch hearts worldwide, Kprecia believes in the limitless power of illustration to amplify messages and empower communities. Her passion truly shines when she sees her art come to life in various forms such as billboards, packaging, commercial licensing, videography, and more. Viewing the world as her canvas, Kprecia takes joy in sharing stories, uplifting individuals, and spreading love through her art.

Kprecia Ambers

DESIGN PUBLISHING FELLOW (2023 - 2025)

Vivian Steckline (she/her) is a Minneapolis-based graphic designer and illustrator. She is the lead designer at Wise Ink Media and a partner designer with Minnesota Dance Theatre.

Professionally, she specializes in typesetting, website development, brand identity design, marketing collateral, and product design. Artistically, she uses both digital and traditional techniques to create pieces with strong movement, emotive color, and thoughtful visual metaphors. Her artwork has been featured in Paranoid Tree Press and the Weisman Art Museum’s Art Rental Program.

Her foundations in academic research and writing alongside trend forecasting bolster her creative work to best help authors and businesses connect with their audiences. Learn more about Vivian and her portfolio of work here.

VIVIAN STECKLINE

LEAD DESIGNER

 

Khalisa Rae is an award-winning poet, author, journalist, and arts organizer, newly joining Wise Ink as a fellow. She is the author of Ghost in a Black Girl’s Throat and is the co-founder of Griot and Grey Owl Black Southern Writers Conference in Durham. She is working to find a home for her queer YA novel-in-verse, Unlearning Eden, along with forthcoming poetry and fiction projects exploring Black Southern memory, faith, desire, and inheritance. She is most passionate about supporting and amplifying underrepresented writers through an ethical, community-rooted publishing process.

KHALISA RAE THOMPSON

MARKETING FELLOW

 

Ariana Benson was born in Norfolk, Virginia. She received the 2020 Graybeal-Gowen Poetry Prize and the 2021 Porter House Review Poetry Prize. Her poems appear or are forthcoming in Copper Nickel, Colorado Review, Indiana Review, Black Warrior Review, World Literature Today, Tinderbox, Shenandoah, Great River Review, Auburn Avenue, where she serves as the nonfiction editor, and elsewhere. Ariana is completing an MA in Scriptwriting in London, England as a Marshall Scholar, and is a Prestigious Fellowships Advisor at her alma mater, Spelman College. She is the 2022 Eliza Moore Fellow for Artistic Excellence at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. Through her writing and editing, she strives to fashion vignettes of Blackness that speak to its infinite depth and richness.

ARIANA BENSON

EDITORIAL PUBLISHING FELLOW (2020 - 2022)

Ngân Huynh (she/they) is a Vietnamese illustrator based in Minneapolis. They recently graduated from MCAD with a BFA degree in illustration and an advertising minor. Ngân was awarded the Van Derlip Award by MCAD due to their outstanding creative ability along with multiple merit-based scholarships. They have also participated in many community art events and local gallery exhibitions.

Ngân has skills in narrative illustration, concept design, creative ideation, and a passion for whimsical and colorful drawings with hidden narratives. The world is enriched with beautiful messages and stories and Ngân enjoys decoding them through their unique lens of hues and symbols.

When not working away on their tablet or sketchbook, you can find Ngân walking around discovering a new favorite coffee shop or vintage store.

Ngân Huynh

DESIGN ASSISTANT

 

Alex Guerra (he/him) is a Mexican designer and illustrator. He is originally from the Chicagoland area, but moved to Minneapolis to pursue a career in publishing. He graduated with a BFA in Illustration from the Cleveland Institute of Art.

Alex draws most of his creative inspiration from plants and the natural world. He self-published a two-book series (Tarolixir: 2022, Books 1 & 2) that combine the symbolism and iconography of the Tarot with medicinal plants. 

Outside of work, Alex enjoys reading, video games, and spending time with friends and family. 

Alex Guerra

DESIGN ASSISTANT

 

Interested in joining our team? Check out the current openings at Wise Ink.