2025-2026 Staff
Katy Didden
Katy Didden is an associate professor and director of the Creative Writing Program at Ball State University, where she teaches workshops with a special focus on poetry and creative writing and the environment.
Managing Editors
Rowan Hartje
Taylor Dennis
Promotions Team
Ava Joniec
Chloe Alexander
Emma Carlson
Savannah Anderson
Social Media Team
Daniela Cruz

Daniela Cruz is a third year Ball State Student majoring in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a minor in Spanish. This is her first time working on The Broken Plate as a part of the Social Media Team. In her free time she likes to read and write short stories, novellas, and screenplays. She also spends a huge amount of time chasing and spending time with her toddler niece. After graduation she hopes to pursue a career in the publishing industry as an editor, working specifically in the literary fiction genre.
Jade Coffey
Jade Coffey is a junior Creative Writing major at Ball State with double minors in Marketing and [second minor]. She’s part of the Social Media Team for 2025–2026. When she’s not drafting posts, Jade is probably off exploring something new, or reading and writing way more than she should. After graduation, she hopes to find a career that uses all of her skills, and maybe publish a few books.
Johanna Zamora
Mack Reed
Maela Cole
Website Team
Ashe Steiner
Jalen Batiste Waddell
Natalie Byers
Natalie Byers is a senior at Ball State University, majoring in Professional Writing with a minor in Creative Writing. She serves as the Design Team Lead and is proud to be part of the Website Team for The Broken Plate 2025-2026. Natalie likes to spend her free time listening to music, marching with the Pride of Mid-America, spending time with friends, or writing poetry. After she graduates, Natalie hopes to pursue a career in either technical writing or copy editing.
Tarek Hariri