Brandi R. Spann, M.A.

Writer | Editor

Brandi is a writer, editor, and English instructor with a master's degree in English literature from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She has served as the Opinion Editor for The Alestle where she became an award-winning journalist, copy editor, and designer for print and digital publication. Brandi’s experiences span across industries such as journalism, marketing, and academia.

Publications

Academia

Brandi graduated with her M.A. in English Literature in May 2026. Her thesis on menstrual literacy is available as open access through ProQuest.

• Menstrual Literacy | M.A. Thesis

^{Spann, Brandi. Menstrual Literacy: Discredited Women’s Knowledges and Methods of Recordkeeping. May 2026. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, MA Thesis.}

Journalism

Brandi has three years of experience as an award-winning journalist reporting on campus news, lifestyles, opinion, and sports. She has won state and national awards for investigative journalism, cultural criticism, film review, and design.

• INVESTIGATIVE NEWS: SIUE Using Salary Money to pay off deficit

• EDITORIAL OPINION: Fight for Queer Liberation

• FILM REVIEW: 'Saltburn' is a return to the Elizabethan period

• EVENT COVERAGE: Mississippi River Festival Returns

Marketing

Brandi served account team executives at Cork Tree Creative, Inc during her copywriting internship in 2025. She wrote press releases, blog copy, social media copy, attended client brainstorming meetings and off-site client photoshoots.

• BLOG: Customer Experiences with Omnichannel Marketing

• PRESS RELEASE: Arthur Williams Joins The Gori Law Firm

• BLOG: Why You Need a Website Redesign

Creative Writing

Brandi studied creative writing during her undergraduate degree. She was published in The River Bluff Review in 2022, 2023, and 2024. She served on the editorial board in 2024.

• SHORT STORY: So Many Slices

^{Spann, Brandi. “So Many Slices.” The River Bluff Review, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 2024, https://www.riverbluffreview.com/somanyslices.}

• POEM: Photosynthesis

Design

First Place, Opinion Page Design, Illinois College Press Association, 2026

First Place, Critical Review, Illinois College Press Association, 2026

First Place, Investigative Story, National College Media Association News Pinnacles, 2025

Winner, Cultural Criticism, Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence, 2025

First Place, Opinion Page Design, Illinois College Press Association 2025

Contact

217-210-1877
[email protected]Springfield, IL