New American Legends was founded by writers Riana Simone & Matt Barnsley with the purpose of giving a platform to everyone. We want to showcase minority and underrepresented voices in the genres of Sci-Fi, Horror, and Fantasy. Bring us your mythology, your adventures, your nightmares and we’ll publish it.

About Us

Matt Barnsley is the editor and co-founder of New American Legends, an online literary journal aimed at uplifting underrepresented voices in the genres of sci-fi, horror, and adventure. He is also the author of several plays, most notably The Play My Mother Hates, which garnered positive reviews from City Pages, A/V Club, and others. He holds an M.F.A. from Concordia University and his work has also been featured in SPIRES, Writers Resist, NGY Review and others. As a freelance copywriter, his words have been featured on product packaging, social media platforms, and advertisements. He recently completed his second novel. He resides in Minnesota with an assortment of domesticated animals.

Riana Simone has a B.S. in Family Social Science and will receive an M.F.A. in creative fiction writing later this year. She’s the author of several short stories and she’s working on her debut novel, The Best With What We Don’t Have. After a decade or so in social services, she realized that she never really liked people and had probably chosen the wrong path. She lives in Minnesota with her partner and 3 sons.