Khoi Tran (Thomas); Editor in Chief

Before creating Dimly Writ, Thomas was the former head of content and head of newspaper at Inspire Youth Journal. As the 2022 valedictorian of the Canadian International School, Thomas was also a part of the Creative Writing Club and chain storytelling varsity team, competing and winning 1st place at the Saigon Literary Festival in the stated category.

Thomas' accolades are varied. His activities in the humanitarian realm have been recognised by the government, the president of regional Red Cross, and the People's Committee, as he was honoured with a certificate of merit, received a personal benefaction appreciation letter, and the ‘Humane Heart of Gold' title. He won the 2024 Best Written Poetry issued by Write the World (founded at Harvard), receiving praise from poet Malika Booker. He was also the CIS subject award recipient for Vietnamese Literature, Science, and Music.

His initiative in writing is shown through researching at pharmaceutical lab at Vietnam's National University of Science (co-authored a patent) and as a research assistant for Sandy Sinn's Center For Positive Psychology & Wellbeing (co-authoring a paper). Thomas is also authoring the Quaternary Journal of Interdisciplinary Sciences and co-authoring a fantastical novella he's currently writing with Helen. He was chosen to omit the grade 9 science exam with his IB internal assessment research paper. He is also 1 of 110 superusers in one of NASA's projects.

Thomas bolstered his experience with organisation oversight by being the founder and president of Red Cross CIS, My Egret's Delivery Service (Vietnam) and the secretariat for its Taiwanese branch. Managing Bridging the Gap, he drafted correspondence to sponsors—securing successful partnerships for two bridges—and appeared on national television (BRT, Truyền Hình Hậu Giang, etc.), radio broadcasting stations (Voice of Vietnam), government portals, and foreign and domestic newspapers (Báo Mới, Báo Nhân Dân, etc.).

Recognised as one of the laureates for the Golden Milestone Program and Vietnamese-Canadian Cultural Envoy, he represented Vietnam and Canada at the “Célébration des 50 ans des relations diplomatiques Vietnam-Canada” event. Here, he received a scholarship and met the former vice-president of Vietnam and consul general of Canada. Also, he was selected for a grant from the Nam Côn Sơn Pipeline Co. gas company 4 years straight for being an exemplary student. He also won many school-level awards in arts and literature.

Helen Anderson; Editor in Chief

Helen is currently the head of newspaper for the Inspire Youth Journal, and is also a staff reader for The Quiet Reader Magazine. She has also participated in competitions at the Saigon Literary Festival, winning first place in Chain Storytelling and second place in Impromptu Speech.

She also participates in extracurricular activities such as MUN, winning best delegate in the CISS Internal Conference and a verbal commendation in ILMUNC, a conference run by the University of Pennsylvania. Furthermore, she is in the process of writing a fantasy novel with Thomas.

On a school level, Helen actively participates in promoting the arts, being a former member of the Art Council and the Creative Writing Club. She has also won first place in the short story competition, and received awards for excellence in the subjects of French, Drama, Music, and Geography.

Briana Walton; Head of Content and Design

Briana is currently pursuing a Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) in Creative Writing at Harvard University Extension School and already obtained a Bachelors (BA) in Psychology at George Mason University. She is a Content Proofing and Communications Specialist at the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, managing content flowing out of PST-VCSCS. She is also a blog writer for AmericanDreamU, a national non-profit initiative created to help veterans transition from the military to a productive and meaningful civilian life.

Previously, Briana was an early childhood educator at Oak Grove Childcare Center II¸ and a writer and editor of George Mason University. She had also published her prose titled 'A Different Kind of Doctor' on Volition Arts and Literary Journal, and is a licensed QMHP-T (Virginia Department of Health Professions).

Volunteer Staff Readers

Donna Lubrano

Xuan Nguyen

Lynitte Benitez

Palak Kumari

Henry Zheng

Fernanda Alves

Joy Aguoru