Who we are
As a theory, Punk Eek (punctuated equilibrium) is an evolutionary model wherein a sudden burst of change occurs after an extended period of stasis. Born from urgency, we are an online magazine dedicated to interrupting the current moment. Fast-paced, bold, and responsive. Punk Eek follows the flow of nature: sometimes steady, sometimes unexpected.
As editors, we take a broad view of what constitutes the natural world, and welcome writing that explores various interpretations and intersections. We value experimentation and innovation, opinions and research, audacity and compassion. We are dedicated to uplifting the writers behind the work we publish, acknowledging that writing is born from our different identities, experiences, and beliefs.
The core of Punk Eek is the natural world—its beauty and power, the threats it faces, and the many species and places within it. Words are the spark that ignite change.
For our submission guidelines, please click here.
Any other questions, please send us an email with “question” in the subject line.
We look forward to hearing from you!
“A word after a word after a word is power.”
Meet the Team
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David Gessner
Director & Editor-at-Large
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Justine Payton
Founding Editor
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Sara Byrnes
Founding Editor
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Jonathan Russell Clark
Into the Fire Editor
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Camille Bliss
Poetry Editor
MASTHEAD
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MASTHEAD *
Director & Editor-at-Large
David Gessner is a professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he is also the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the literary magazine, Ecotone. His own magazine publications include pieces in the New York Times Magazine, Outside, Sierra, Audubon, Orion, and many other magazines, and his prizes include a Pushcart Prize and the John Burroughs Award for Best Nature Essay for his essay “Learning to Surf.” He has also won the Association for Study of Literature and the Environment’s award for best book of creative writing, and the Reed Award for Best Book on the Southern Environment. In 2017 he hosted the National Geographic Explorer show, “The Call of the Wild.”
Founding Editor
Sara Byrnes holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. She earned a BA in strategic communications and creative writing from Elon University. She’s been published in Hobart and Oxford American.
Founding Editor
Justine Payton holds an MFA from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where she received the Philip Gerard Graduate Fellowship, the Bernice Kert Fellowship in Creative Writing, and the Robert H. Byington Award. Her writing can be found in Bellevue Literary Review, Isele Magazine, The Masters Review, Terrain, and others. She is a freelance editor, the University Partnership Director for Chill Subs, and a guest editor for The Masters Review, CRAFT, and Uncharted. She is co-editing the anthology Between Our Legs, forthcoming from University of Iowa Press in 2026.
Into the Fire Editor
Jonathan Russell Clark is the author of An Oasis of Horror in a Desert of Boredom, Skateboard, and the forthcoming Timecodes: The Conversation. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Esquire, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Vulture, Tin House, and numerous others.
Poetry Editor
Camille Bliss is a singer/songwriter in Wilmington, North Carolina, where she earned a BFA in creative writing from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. She’s been published in Witcraft and Defenestration. You can learn more about her on her website: camillebliss.com.
Our images
We wanted to shout out Wolfgang Hasselmann whose photography we found on Unsplash and perfectly fits our punk environmental image. Thanks Wolfgang, we love you! <3