Ashley Wheat/34/OKC
Born and raised in Oklahoma City, I developed a passion for all things literary throughout my childhood and into adulthood. I graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2018 with a BA in Creative Writing, with concentrations in poetry, scriptwriting, and short stories. I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do with my degree since I was working in disaster restoration at the time – totally opposite of what I envisioned myself doing. However, upon taking a creative writing capstone course at the end of my college career, I soon realized that I was highly intrigued with publications, specifically literary journals and magazines.
From 2020-2022, I served as the Editor-in-Chief and Design Director of the Oklahoma Women’s Journal, where I handpicked and edited submissions. I also designed the magazines (assisting with issues 1-2 and designing issues 3-5 entirely on my own) and am self-taught in InDesign. Upon my departure from the OWJ in July 2022, I decided it was time to create something of my own – thus, Canary Collective was born. As one of the founding members of the Canary Collective and a mama to two dogs and two guinea pigs, I see the magazine as my adopted child, one I am thrilled to share with the world.
By day, I work at INTEGRIS Health as a Talent Marketing Specialist, shaping how one of Oklahoma's largest health systems tells its story to the people it hopes to hire. That means external communications rooted in HR — writing that has to be honest, human, and compelling all at once. Before that, I spent time as a Copywriter and Web Specialist writing for local and national clients at High Five Media and as a Content Editor/Learning Content Specialist at Paycom, working on learning and development tools.
I have been published in For Women Who Roar, New Plains Review, Edify Fiction, 34th Parallel, and Unvael. I love the Ozark Mountains, spinach pizza, the Oxford Comma, and Paddington.
Want to collaborate or hire me to elevate your business?