June 2016, Issue #23

"Jester" courtesy of Gretchen Ford

IVJ would like to wish everyone a happy, safe summer. Make time to read-The features in this issue are outstanding! Special thanks to Gretchen Ford for the use of her stunning visual art. 

Please scroll down to browse or click on the author's name to go directly to their feature. Enjoy!

CREATIVE NONFICTION/ESSAY'S 

Toti O'Brien, Lynda McKinney Lambert, Bernie Brown, Jeremy DaCruz

FICTION

Bill Pruitt, Charles E.J. Moulton, Raymond Greiner, Nicholas Bridgman, Muhammad Nasrullah Khan, Howard Richard Debs, Raima Larter

VISUAL ART
 

Gretchen Ford

POETRY

Tony Brewer, Adam Levon Brown, Ken Allan Dronsfield, Wayne Russell, Shirley Jones-Luke, Martin H. Levinson, Karen Berry, Marianne Lyon, Steve Klepetar, Andrew Hubbard, Ayesha Fayyaz, Lynda McKinney Lambert, Adam Sedia, Karlo Sevilla, Judy Young, Joseph S. Pete, Jenny Kalahar, James Keane, Ilhem Issaoui, Heath Brougher, Godspower Samson Oboido, Duane Vorhees, Damian Rucci, Dominic J. Scopa, Patsy Barbara Rahn, Namrata Pathak, Don Beukes, Patrick Daniel Read, Blanca Alicia Garza

Three Poems by Blanca Alicia Garza: "Words as Weapons, Rev 2", "Crimson Faith", "Shake the Ashes"

Blanca Alicia Garza is a published poet from Las Vegas, Nevada.  She is a nature and animal lover, and enjoys spending time writing. Some of her poems are published in the new Poetry Anthology, "Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze", now available at Amazon.com. Other published work can be viewed at: www.thepoetcommunity.com, www.whispersinthewind333blogspot.com, www.winamop.com

Three Poems by Patrick Daniel Read: "Where Is Home", "Speaking Out (Poets United In Verse)", " The Real You"

Patrick Daniel Read is a 45 year old disabled army vet, and has written poetry for 30 years. He is an author and poet, and runs several groups on Facebook, the main one being Starving Poets Tour
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1519461429/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1464725961&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=the+written+work+by+patrick+read

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/151743100X/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr2_1?qid=1464726029&sr=8-1-fkmr2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=changing+the+world+for+the+better+through+poetry

Three Poems by Don Beukes: "Derelict," "Erutan Mai," and "Broken"

I was born, raised and educated in Cape Town, South Africa in the last two decades of Apartheid and also have British and EU citizenship. Now a retired teacher of English, I am following my passion to write poetry and hoping to share my literal mentality with our global village, hoping to make global citizens check their moral compass now and then in an ever changing world. As a person of mixed race heritage, I want to share my experiences whilst growing up, living  and working in a totalitarian racist regime. https://about.me/donbeukes

A Poem by Namrata Pathak: "Devi in a Metropolis - I."

Namrata Pathak's book,Trends in Contemporary Assamese Theatre (2015), maps the contours of experimental theatre in Assam. She has been published in journals like Aneekant: A Journal of Polysemic Thought, DUJES, Muse India, North-East Review, Protocol, Ruminations, and Negotiations etc. Currently she is working on a women’s writing series, Writing from the Periphery: Women's Writing in the North-East.

A Poem by Patsy Barbara Rahn: "The Ten Teeth of Death."

Patsy Barbara Rahn is a poet and prose writer. Her work has appeared in various journals and anthologies. She has read her work in Toronto, Los Angeles, and Bloomington, Indiana. She is a founding member and chairperson emerita of the Writers Guild at Bloomington.

Two Poems by Dominic J. Scopa: "Seventh Birthday" and "Photo of an Excavated Grave."

Domenic J. Scopa is a three-time Pushcart Prize nominee and the 2014 recipient of the Robert K. Johnson Poetry Prize and Garvin Tate Merit Scholarship. His poetry and translations have been featured in Poetry Quarterly, Reed Magazine, Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, Reunion: The Dallas Review, and others.

Three Poems by Damian Rucci: "Finding Fire," "Gone," and "I've Been Writing."

Damian Rucci's work has appeared in the the Yellow Chair Review, GFT Press, Lehigh Valley Vanguard, Tracer Publishing and Five 2 One Magazine.

Three Poems by Duane Vorhees: "Airy Poppings," "Deign Not to Name," and "Bones."

Duane Vorhees was born in Germantown, Ohio, near the Indiana border. He moved to nearby Farmersville when he was 10 and spent his adolescence there -- or, rather, his adolescence spent him! After high school he briefly attended "The" Ohio State University before graduating from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio with a degree in American Studies. And then, predictably enough, he left Ohio for good (or bad, of course, depending on one's preference). He has spent most of his life abroad, mainly teaching in Korea and Japan for the marvelously redundantly named University of Maryland University College. Now he is happily retired in Khon Kaen, Thailand, where he publishes a daily creative arts magazine, duanespoetree.blogspot.com

Three poems by Godspower Samson Oboido: "When I Meet You in Dallas," "New York," and "The Cacophony of Silence."

Godspower Samson Oboido, of Nigeria, is the author of a previous collection of poetry, Songs of a Chicken Bone, and has been published in numerous literary journals. He was a 2016 runner-up in the Queen’s Young Leaders Award by Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Oboido’s follow up poetry collection, Wandering Feet on Pebbled Shores, is due out in 2016.

Three Poems by Heath Brougher: "Rusty Wheels," "Constant Mutation," and "On Display"

Heath Brougher is the poetry editor of Five 2 One Magazine. His first chapbook A Curmudgeon Is Born is forthcoming from Yellow Chair Press. His work has appeared or is due to appear in Diverse Voices Quarterly, Chiron Review, SLAB, Main Street Rag, Crack the Spine, Third Wednesday, Of/with, Dissident Voice, Inscape Literary Journal, eFiction India, and elsewhere. When not writing he helps with the charity Paws Soup Kitchen which gives out free dog/cat food to low income families with pets.    

Three Poems by Ilhem Issaoui: "Untitled Poem 1," "Untitled Poem 2," and "Accabadora’s Steps."

Ilhem Issaoui is a 23 year old Tunisian translator, poet, and short story writer. Some of her poems and short stories have appeared both online and in print in magazines including: Three Line Poetry, Salis Online Magazine, Mind Magazine, Mad Swirl Magazine, and Danse Macabre. She has one book of poetry entitled "Fragments of a Wounded Soul."
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ilhemissaoui

Three Poems by James Keane: "Are There No Words," "On My Way," and "You Live."

James Keane resides in northern New Jersey with his wife and son and a shrinking menagerie of merry pets. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English Literature 100 years ago at Georgetown University. His poems have appeared recently in Contemporary American Voices, Wilderness House Literary Review, Blue Monday Review, Firewords Quarterly, Verse-Virtual, Atavic Poetry, and the Tipton Poetry Journal. In 2013, his first poetry chapbook, "What Comes Next," was published by Finishing Line Press. In addition, he still can’t cook to save his life.

Three Poems by Jenny Kalahar: "Confessions of a Paper Doll," "The Neighbor," and "The Portraits in Our Backyard."

Jenny Kalahar, a used & rare bookseller, lives in Elwood with her husband and pets in an old schoolhouse full of old books. She is the author of three novels, Shelve Under C: A Tale of Used Books and Cats, its sequel, The Find of a Lifetime, and This Peculiar Magic. She also has published a collection of poetry, One Mile North of Normal and Other Poems. She the treasurer for the Indiana State Federation of Poetry Clubs and writes a twice-monthly humor column/blog in Tails Magazine. She helms Last Stanza Poetry Association in Elwood and is at work writing a fourth novel.

A Poem by Joseph S. Pete: "The Metal Fabrication Shop."

Joseph S. Pete is an award-winning journalist and Iraq War veteran who once won second place for poetry in the PBR Art Contest, a feat that Chaucer chump never accomplished. The Indiana University graduate's work has appeared in Zero Dark Thirty, Spirits, Punchnel's, Flying Island,
Gutzine and elsewhere. He's on Twitter at @nwi_jsp.

Five Poems by Judy Young: "Birthday," "Future of My Past," "Silver Threads," "Innocence," and "The Resting Place."

Judy Young lives in Elwood with ties to Brown County, Indiana. She is a member of Last Stanza Poetry Association. Her work has been published in Tipton Poetry Journal, Poetry Garden, Healer Spieler, Underneath the Juniper Tree, and in the book Poetic Portions. She released a collection of poetry, Wild Wood, in 2014.

Two Poems by Karlo Sevilla: "The Truths of the Blind Elephant," and "The Agricultural Worker's Ode to Labor."

Karlo Sevilla resides in Quezon City, Philippines and writes for The Philippine Online Chronicles. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in I am not a silent poet, Spank the Carp, Pilgrim, Philippines Graphic and in other publications. In his spare time, he coaches in wrestling and does volunteer work for the labor group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (Solidarity of Filipino Workers). His personal blog is at karlosevillaofquezoncity.blogspot.com.

Three Poems by Adam Sedia: "Vision," "The Seashell," and "They."

Adam Sedia was born in 1984 in Lake County, Indiana, where he currently lives and practices law. His practice primary focuses on civil and appellate litigation, and he has argued numerous cases before Indiana and federal appellate courts. In addition to his legal career, he self-published a volume of poetry in 2013 titled The Spring’s Autumn. Three of his poems were featured in the October 2015 edition of IVJ. Adam lives with his wife, Ivana.

Two Poems by Lynda McKinney Lambert: "How Vivaldi Learned to Dance" and "The Molau."

Lynda McKinney Lambert, a retired professor of fine arts and humanities, taught at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. She authored the book, “Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage,” by Kota Press. she is currently working on two books for publication in late 2016 – one book of poetry; one book of creative non-fiction essays. Lynda resides in the Village of Wurtemburg in western Pennsylvania with her husband, Bob, and their 2 dogs and 5 cats.  Lynda writes 2 blogs on arts, literature and humanities topics.
www.lyndalambert.com

Three Untitled Poems by Ayesha Fayyaz

Ayesha Fayyaz is a young poet from Pakistan. She is member of International Association of Professional Writers and Editors and is studying medicine. She also works as a freelance writer and hopes to publish her debut poetry anthology soon. Link to her my facebook page at: www.facebook.com/TunicaJay/.

A Poem by Andrew Hubbard: "Carnival Games"

Andrew Hubbard recently moved back to Indiana after ten years in Houston, Texas.  He has had five books published, including, most recently, his first book of poetry, "Things That Get You," which was produced by Interactive Press. He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2015.

Three Poems by Steve Klepetar: "You come upon a house in the woods," "Regret," and "Appetite."

Steve Klepetar’s work has appeared worldwide, in such journals as A New Ulster, Boston Literary Magazine, Deep Water, Expound, The Muse: India, Red River Review, Snakeskin, Voices Israel, Ygdrasil, and many others. Several of his poems have been nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize . Recent collections include My Son Writes a Report on the Warsaw Ghetto (Flutter Press) and Return of the Bride of Frankenstein (Kind of a Hurricane Press). His ninth collection, The Li Bo Poems, has just been published by Flutter Press.

Three Poems by Marianne Lyon: "Love Affair with the Moon," "I Burn,"and "A Poet is a Comet."

Marianne Lyon has been a music teacher for 39 years. After teaching In Hong Kong she returned to the Napa Valley and has been published in various literary magazines and reviews such as Colere 2015, Crone 2015, Trajectory 2014, Earth Daughters 2015, Feile-Festa 2015 Whirlwind 2014-2105. She spends time each year teaching in Nicaragua. She is a member of the California Writers Club, Healdsburg Literary Guild.

One Poem by Karen Berry: "Working in Old Town."

Karen Berry is a poet and novelist. She lives and works in Portland, Oregon, where she is aided in her writing endeavors by excellent coffee, small dogs and the constant sound of rain on her roof.

A Poem by Martin H. Levinson: "All that Jazz."

Martin H. Levinson is a member of the Authors Guild, National Book Critics Circle, and the book review editor for ETC: A Review of General Semantics. He has published nine books and numerous articles and poems in various publications. He holds a PhD from NYU and lives in Forest Hills, New York.

Three Poems by Shirley Jones-Luke: "Inquiry," "Question," and "Visible from Space."

Shirley Jones-Luke is a poet, writer and educator from Boston, Massachusetts.
She has an MA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing and is an Emerson College alum.
When not writing, she enjoys browsing bookstores, visiting art galleries and making jewelry.

One Poem by Wayne Russell: "The Grand Finale (nothing matters)"

Wayne Russell is a creative writer born and raised in Florida, and, even though his travels have carried him around the world, some strange force keeps pulling him back again. He has been published in Nomadic Voices Magazine, Zaira Journal, The Bitchin' Kitschs', and others. 

Three Poems by Ken Allan Dronsfield: "A Comely Dare," "The Long White Path," and "Of Sky and Blood."

Ken Allan Dronsfield is a Published Poet and Author originally from New Hampshire, now residing in Oklahoma. He enjoys the outdoors, playing guitar and spending time with his cats Merlin and Willa. He is the Co-Editor of the new Poetry Anthology titled, "Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze" available at Amazon.com. His published work can be found in Journals, Magazines and Blogs throughout the Web including: Indiana Voice Journal, Belle Reve Journal, Peeking Cat Magazine, Dead Snakes, Bewildering Stories and many others.

One Poem by Adam Levon Brown: "S" for Save My City

Adam Levon Brown is a poet and student residing in Eugene, Oregon.
He enjoys the outdoors, meeting new people, and playing with cats.
You can contact him via Facebook or at his blog at: www.AdamLevonBrown.com

Three Poems by Tony Brewer: "Agents," "¿Dónde está el baño?," and "Fifth World Problems."

Tony Brewer is a poet, spoken word performer, screenwriter, and sound effects artist from Bloomington, Indiana. He is chair of the Writers Guild at Bloomington (www.writersguildbloomington.com) and Executive Director of the Spoken Word Stage at the 4th Street Arts Festival, as well a member of the poetry performance troupe Reservoir Dogwoods. He is also a regular reader and literary consultant for Books Unbound on WFHB community radio (wfhb.org/booksunbound). Tony has three books of poetry: The Great American Scapegoat (2006), Little Glove in a Big Hand (Plan B Press, 2010), and Hot Type Cold Read (Chatter House Press, 2013).

Visual Art by Portrait Artist Gretchen Ford

Gretchen Ford is a Los Angeles based portrait artist. She uses a variety of techniques/mediums to create her paintings and artwork. Spray Paint, Graphite, Color, Landscapes, Animals...you can see more of Gretchen's art here:  http://www.gretchensportraits.com/

Flash Fiction by Raima Larter: "Deathwatch"

Before moving to the metro DC area, Raima Larter was a college chemistry professor in Indiana who secretly wrote fiction and tucked it away in a drawer. Since moving to Washington to work for the government, she has taken lots of workshops and is now sending those stories out. Her work has appeared in Gargoyle, Writers Journal and the Grace and Gravity anthology series. She’s published one short story collection, The Gate of Heaven and Other Story Worlds. She teaches yoga these days, instead of science, and is nearing completion of her MA in Writing at Johns Hopkins.   RaimaLarter.com

Fiction by Howard Richard Debs: "The Watch in the Pawnshop"

Howard Richard Debs is a poet, writer, photographer, sometime artist, musician, singer/songwriter. At age 19 he received a University of Colorado Poetry Prize; after some 50 years in the field of communications with recognitions including a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Educational Press Association of America, he resumed his creative pursuits. A finalist and recipient of the 2015 Anna Davidson Rosenberg Poetry Awards, his latest work appears in Blue Bonnet Review, Yellow Chair Review, Crack The Spine, Silver Birch Press, InkStain Press, Scarlet Leaf Review, and Clear Poetry Magazine 2015 Anthology, among others. 
Author listing Poets & Writers Directory: https://www.pw.org/content/howard_debs
Author website: http://communicatorsandcommunications.com/muse-ings/

Fiction by Muhammad Nasrullah Khan: "The Last Storyteller"

"Muhammad Nasrullah Khan is from Pakistan currently living in Saudi Arabia, where he is Lecturer in English at Taif University. Writing is his passion and teaching his profession. His 15 years of experience in the field of writing has honed his capacity to compose basic fascinating stories about the human experience. Enlivened by the stories of great English and Russian writers, he has taken a pinch of fact and a cup of fiction to weave an embroidered creative work of adoration, trust, and agony in his stories. His work has appeared in Indiana Voice Journal,Newtopia Magazine, Gowanus Books,Offcourse literary Journal University at Albany, The Raven Chronicles, and many others. He exists on twitter as @nasar_peace ,at nasar_peace@hotmail.com, nasar_peace@yahoo.com, and https://www.facebook.com/nasar.peace "

Fiction by Nicholas Bridgman: "To Know"

Nicholas Bridgman holds two bachelor’s degrees from U.C. Berkeley in Rhetoric and Ecology.  He currently lives in Southern California. His website is at http://www.nicholasbridgman.com, Facebook author page is at https://www.facebook.com/nbridgmanauthor/, and Facebook personal page is at https://www.facebook.com/nicholas.bridgman.3.

Fiction by Raymond Greiner: "Finding Level"

Raymond Greiner's writings include short stories and essays published frequently in various literary journals and magazines:  Branches magazine, La Joie Journal, Literary Yard Journal, Nib Magazine, Canary Literary Journal, Bellesprit Magazine, Freedom Journal, Grace Notes Literary Magazine. His latest book, "Queenie; a novella" is available on Amazon. Raymond lives in a remote area of southern Indiana in a cabin far off a lightly traveled road with his two dogs Orion and Venus. 

Fiction by Charles E.J. Moulton: "Those Who Still Incarnate"

CHARLES E.J. MOULTON has been a stage performer since age eleven. His trilingual, artistic upbringing, as the son of Gun Kronzell and Herbert Moulton, lead to a hundred stage productions, countless cross-over concerts, work as a bandleader and as an acting teacher. He is a regular contributor for Idea Gems, has written for Shadows Express, Cover of Darkness, Vocal Images and Pill Hill Press. He is a tourguide, a big-band-vocalist, a filmmaker, a painter, a voice-over-speaker, a translator, is married and has a daughter. Charles E.J. Moulton's passion is creative versatility. His short story collection, Aphrodite's Curse: 21 Tales of Love and Terror can be purchased by clicking the link. Homepages: http://www.reverbnation.com/charlesejmoulton/ 

http://moultoniancreativity.weebly.com

Fiction by Bill Pruitt: "Damnation"

I am a fiction writer, storyteller and poet, and an Assistant Editor with Narrative Magazine. I have published poems in such places as Ploughshares, Anderbo.com and Cottonwood and in upcoming issues of Off Course, Otis Nebula and Literary Juice; two chapbooks with White Pine and FootHills; and self-published Walking Home from the Eastman House. I have told stories in various places in Rochester and upstate New York, including the National Women’s Hall of Fame. My story “My Cousin Gabe” appears in a recent issue of Crack the Spine Literary Magazine.

Essay by Jeremy DaCruz: "The Econlockhatchee River"

I am a recent graduate of the University of Central Florida with a degree in Psychology. I am currently living in Managua, Nicaragua working at a community center for people with disabilities. My days are divided between working at the disabilities center, writing and exploring the beautiful complicated country that is Nicaragua. My work has been published in Mountain Xpress and The Drunken Odyssey.

Essay by Bernie Brown: "Pray for Me: Memories of Bible Camp at Lake Okoboji"

I am blissfully retired in Raleigh, NC where I read, write, cook, and watch birds. I have had several short stories and essays published in print and online journals, most recently Moderrn Creative Life, Clever, Tales from a Small Planet, and The Raleigh News and Observer. My most ambitious goal is to publish at least one novel in the next few years. bablossom.wix.com/bernie-brown-writer

Essay by Lynda McKinney Lambert: "Girl on a Bench Sees Visions of Butterflies"

Lynda McKinney Lambert is a retired fine arts and humanities professor from Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA.  She resides in a small village in western Pennsylvania with her husband, Bob, 6 cats and 2 dogs (all rescues). Even though our 5 children are grown and gone, the house is still full with all the little furry friends we care for.

Lynda is the author of Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage, published by Kota Press. She writes articles on the humanities,  contemporary poetry and inspirational human interest stories.  Her teaching career took her to Europe  each summer where she taught  drawing and writing to college students. She also taught a course in Puerto Rico every spring semester. . Lynda lost her vision in 2007 due to Ischemic Optic Neuropathy. Many of her stories give an inner view of her personal life experiences since that life-altering event.

Lynda loves to write, knit. and travel. Lynda holds earned degrees in fine arts (BFA and MFA)  and English literature (MA). 

CNF/Essay by Toti O'Brien: "The Salmon and the Bear"

Toti O’Brien’s work has appeared in Intrinsick, Alebrijes, Entropy and Random Sample, among other journals and anthologies. More can be found at totihan.net/writer.html