Meet the Team
Developing
Designing
Creating
Editing
Our team at Archetype is driven by four central values: passion, curiosity, inclusion, and creativity.
Scroll over our photos below to learn more about who we are, what drives us as individuals, and the experience we each bring to Archetype.
Hailing from the shores of Nova Scotia, Ali is the son of Lebanese immigrants and a first generation Canadian. A graduate of the University of Toronto, Ali served as the Editor-in-Chief of his campus' newspaper, The Medium.
Ali is currently working on his first novel and a collection of essays on the sublime experience.
Ali Taha
Co-Founder, Co-Editor-In-Chief
Melissa first fell in love with literature when she decided to hate the English language; she had just immigrated to Canada from Peru and was readjusting to her new world when she found a reprieve in the world of books.
Today, Melissa is a writer and editor who served as the News Editor of her campus newspaper and the Managing Editor of BORGEN Magazine.
Melissa Barrientos
Co-Founder, Co-Editor-In-Chief
Paula Cho is a multimedia reporter based in New York City. She recently graduated from the University of Toronto where she served as her campus newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief.
Paula is currently a Master’s Candidate at Columbia University, studying journalism, writing long-form articles, and producing a documentary film.
Paula Cho
Audience Engagement Editor
A graduate of the University of Toronto's Professional Writing and Communication program, Sonia is an experienced writer and the author of Blood Curse, a novella about the enduring will of the Salvadorian people against an oppressive regime.
She is currently a podcast producer and social media coordinator at Spyder Works Inc.
Sonia Romero Johnson
Digital Brand Director
Elisa is a staff writer for the Fort Frances Times. Her focus is on human interest, social justice, and community wellness, especially in Indigenous populations. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a double major in Psychology and Professional Writing and Communication. Elisa has published multiple non-fiction short stories exploring her heritage as a Vietnamese-Canadian. On her free time, she enjoys Zumba classes and shopping.
Elisa Nguyễn
Contributing Editor
Melinda is a communications professional, a seasoned writer and editor, and a natural storyteller. She is always searching for messages that can be found in between the lines, a sentiment that stayed with her while she wrote and published her memoir, Honey, at the age of 21. When Melinda is not writing, you can find her enjoying a glass of wine, eating sushi, binge watching her favourite shows, and spending time with her loved ones
Melinda Mangiardi
Contributing Editor
Krista fell in love with literature when she read her first novel in Kindergarten and had her first story published in the local newspaper at the age of nine. As a graduate from the Advanced Journalism program at Mohawk College, she enjoys escaping to new worlds through the art of fiction and poetry and continues to follow her passion for storytelling as a lyricist, writer, digital marketer, and event planner. She is currently working on a dystopian novel and a series of short children’s stories.
Krista Laughren
Creative Director
Kimberlee Frederick is a Portland, Oregon collage artist who works with both cut-and-paste and digital assemblage techniques. Inspired by the natural world and the horror genre, her work contends with our bodies, our inner dialogues, and our exterior worlds. Shocks of color, dreamy scenes, and unexpected anxieties often glue her collages together.