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July 7, 2016

July 2016 "Freedom" Issue #24


This issue wells up from the heart of humanity. Poets and authors from many different countries, including the USA, give us a glimpse of their life, their hopes, their cries for justice, and their struggles for freedom. Topics are as diverse as racial stereotyping; intolerance for gender identity; immigration; elections; the horrors of rape, war, poverty, and genocide. But there is also an exuberant cry rising up from the many voices: one of gratitude, joy, compassion, and...humor. I apologize for the delay with the July issue, but I promise you, it is worth the wait. 

Special thanks to Joan Leotta, Ken Allan Dronsfield, Cindy Bousquet Harris, and everyone else who offered their kindness, prayers and assistance during this mad rush to publication.

Huge shout out to IVJ editors Jennifer Criss and David Allen for putting in "late hours" to get this issue "live"-I'm buying lunch! ~Janine Pickett



NONFICTION/ESSAY

 Donal Mahoney: "My Parents Were Illegal Irish Immigrants in the United States"
Bear Jack Gebhardt: "Consequences that We Rue: An optimistically contrary view of the American Revolution"
Sharon Fame Gay: "4th of July at Birch Lake, Michigan"  


FICTION

Muhammad Nasrullah Khan: "Eternal Freedom"
Tom Sheehan: "I Am What I Am Not"
Jay Faulkner: "Shave"
J.L. Higgs: "Something About Her"
Michael Anthony: "Glendora Mississippi-1953"
Donal Mahoney: "Jesus, Can We Talk?"
Godfrey Green: "This Is Your Chance"
Lakesha Landrum: "Don't Look Back"
Stacy Post: "Desperate Pomegranates"
JD DeHart: "Snub"
Lisa Reily: "Into the Sky"
Susan P. Blevins: "Crossing"


VISUAL ART/PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography by Steph Kay 

POETRY 


Bruce Owens: "Quiet Within" and "Taking a Walk"
Dan Jacoby: "Fort Holabird," "tay ninh 1970," and "national anthem" 
Mercedes Webb-Pullman: "The Harbour of Freedom" and "The Dairy-woman's Dance"
Jeff Burt:  "Election" and "Independence Day"
Jessica Goody: “Unanswered Prayers” “War Declared” and  “Liberty Ladies”
Robert Beveridge: "Freedom," "Liberty" and "Liquid Prisoner"
Prerna Bakshi: "Coming Out,"  "This Morning," and 'What's the Name of your pind?"
Judy Moskowitz: "Born Into Freedom"
Lazola Pambo: "I Am of This Gender," "Sexual Discourse," and "The Dignity of Human Rights"
David Allen: "What is Freedom," "Freedomland" and "Preparing for the Reunion"
Donal Mahoney: "When My Wife Is In Her Garden," and "The Whole Mad Swirl"
Denise Segal Umans:"The Limestone Quarry," "A Township after Apartheid," and "Gaudi's Parc Guell"
Vincent Francone: "When We Are Not Together...," "Announcement," and "Butter and Bread"
Kara D. Spain: "Era of the Hills," "A Wish: Written on occasion during a stormy day," and "On Dumping Tea in the Boston Harbor"
Candice Louisa Daquin: "Suffrage"
Don Beukes: "Existential Consequential"
Jennifer Hambrick: “Andy Dufresne Speaks at TEDx Zihuatanejo,” “Leaving,” and “Inside Out” 
Ken Allan Dronsfield: "1775 Finally Homeward 1783", "Hand to Heart", "Let Freedom Reign"
Jo Barbara Taylor: "Flight," " Finding Your Way," "Liberation," and "Spring Chiamus"
Ruth Sabath Rosenthal: "For Want of Green," "This Parrot," and "You're Free,"
Ryn Holmes: "All-American," "Gray Socks," and "Isolata"
Michael Marrotti: "One Of Life's Lessons"
Pramila Khadun: "The Land of Freedom"
P.J. Reed: "World in a Suitcase" and "Haiku Regarding Freedom"
KJ Carter: "Alas, to be Truly Free" and "A LIfe in the Great War"
Marcia Conover: "Independence Rings," "Summer Visitors," and "Seasons of Color"
Helmi Ben Meriem: "Ara Veug"
Patrick Daniel Read: "The Patriot"
Sherry Howard: "In Memoriam"
Jude Walsh Whelley: "Loose"
John Mark Brown: "Cold Season" and "a burial"
Angel Edwards: "Old Flame"
Lynda McKinney Lambert: "Book of Remembrance in Lidice"
Stephen Regan: "URGH! They have a problem," "Red-bricked," and "Freedom at a price."
Tim Philippart: "Feel Free to Mourn"
Zoe Maynard: “The Shire Horse”
Elizabeth P. Brooks: "Cry Out," " My Freedom," and "Oh Freedom."
Joan Leotta: "Bridge to Freedom."
Mikel K: "I'm a challenge to the process."
Andy Brown: "Freedom Lost," "Death's Freedom," and "Is this Freedom?"

Editorial by Cindy Bousquet Harris: "Let Freedom Ring"

Cindy Bousquet Harris is a poet and a licensed marriage and family therapist. Her poems can be found in Indiana Voice Journal, Blue Heron Review, Eclectica, Inlandia: A Literary Journey, and an anthology from Poetry Contests for a Cause. Cindy has given poetry readings at the Claremont Library and at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Venice, CA. She’s had the pleasure of working with adults and children in a variety of settings, including as a visiting writer at juvenile hall through Women Wonder Writers. You can contact her at: cmbharris@netzero.net

An essay by Bear Jack Gebhardt: "Consequences that We Rue: An optimistically contrary view of the American Revolution"

Bear Jack Gebhardt says:  I'm an old guy living in the foothills of northern Colorado with wife of a hundred years. I’ve been a free-lance writer for many decades. I’ve published nine books, two of the latest being, A Wave of Thanks, and Other Human Gestures: 31 Quick Stories and The Potless Pot High: How to Get High, Clear and Spunky without Weed I’ve also published hundreds of articles, stories, essays and poems in known and little known places. 

Nonfiction/Essay by Donal Mahoney: "My Parents Were Illegal Irish Immigrants in the United States"

Donal Mahoney lives in St. Louis, Missouri, an immigrant from Chicago. Amid the hubbub in the United States today over illegal immigrants, he remembered that his parents were illegal immigrants from Ireland a long time ago. They came because of the freedom the United States offered. Technically they were illegal but his father had no choice but to come and his mother likely did not know she was illegal. This is their story.

An essay by Sharon Frame Gay: "4th of July at Birch Lake, Michigan"

Sharon Frame Gay grew up a child of the highway, playing by the side of the road.  Her work can be found in several anthologies, as well as BioStories, Gravel Magazine, Fiction on the Web, Literally Stories, Halcyon Days, Frontier Tales, Mid American Fiction and Photography, Write City, Literally Orphans and others.  She is a Pushcart Prize nominee.

Fiction by Muhammad Nasrullah Khan: "Eternal Freedom"

"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 Tom Sheehan: "I Am What I Am Not"

Tom Sheehan has published 23 books and has had multiple work in most of the following publications: Ocean Magazine, Rosebud, Linnet’s Wings, Serving House Journal, Eclectica, Copperfield Review, KYSO Flash, La Joie Magazine, Soundings East, Vermont Literary Review, Literary Orphans, Indiana Voice Journal, Frontier Tales, Deep South Magazine, Western Online Magazine, Provo Canyon Review, 3 AM Magazine, Vine Leaves Journal, Nazar Look, Eastlit, Rope & Wire Magazine, The Literary Yard,  KYSO Journal, Green Silk Journal, Fiction on the Web, The Path, Faith-Hope and Fiction, The Cenacle, etc.

Fiction by Jay Faulkner: "Shave"

Jay Faulkner resides in Northern Ireland with his wife, Carole, and their two boys, Mackenzie and Nathaniel.  He says that while he is a writer, martial artist, sketcher, and dreamer he's mostly just a husband and father.His work has been published widely, both online and in print anthologies, and was short-listed in the 2010 Penguin Ireland Short Story Competition.  He is currently working on his first novel. Jay founded, and edits, 'With Painted Words' - www.withpaintedwords.com - a creative writing site with inspiration from monthly image prompts, and 'The WiFiles' - www.thewifiles.com - an online speculative fiction magazine, published weekly.  He can also be found as a regular co-host on the Following The Nerd radio show–www.followingthenerd.com

Flash Fiction by J.L. Higgs: "Something About Her"

J L Higgs is a recently retired financial services executive. His short stories focus on the lives of black Americans. In addition to writing short fiction, he spends his time drawing people and places both home and abroad. J L and his wife currently reside outside of Boston. Their adult son and daughter live nearby.

Fiction by Michael Anthony: "Glendora Mississippi-1953"

Michael Anthony is a writer and artist currently living in New Jersey. He has published fiction, poetry and illustrations in multiple literary journals including The Opiate, SQ Magazine, and The Wilderness House Literary Review. Michael’s photojournalism essay on the waning of the textile industry in Paterson, New Jersey was exhibited by the American Labor Museum.

Fiction by Donal Mahoney: "Jesus, Can We Talk?"

Donal Mahoney has worked as an editor for U.S. Catholic Magazine, Loyola University Press, and The Chicago Sun-Times. Retired now, he keeps busy writing poetry, fiction and nonfiction. One of the most important aspects of “freedom” for him is freedom of religion and the opportunity in this country to practice it or not practice it. Some of his work can be found at http://eyeonlifemag.com/the-poetry-locksmith/donal-mahoney-poet.html#sthash.OSYzpgmQ.dpbs=

Fiction by Godfrey Green: "This Is Your Chance"


Godfrey Green resides in new York.

Fiction by Lakesha Landrum: "Don't Look Back"


Lakesha Landrum lives in Atlanta, Georgia 

Fiction by Stacy Post: "Desperate Pomegranates"


       A Midwestern writer in multiple forms: plays, poetry and fiction www.stacypost.com



Flash Fiction by JD DeHart: "Snub"

JD DeHart is a writer and teacher.  His chapbook, The Truth About Snails, is available from RedDashboard.

Flash Fiction by Lisa Reily: "Into the Sky"



Lisa Reily is a former literacy consultant, dance director and teacher from Australia. She is now a full-time budget traveler with two bags, one laptop and no home. You can find out more about Lisa at lisareily.wordpress.com

Flash Fiction by Susan P. Blevins: "Crossing"

Susan P. Blevins was born in England, where she spent the first twenty years of her life, followed by twenty-six years in Italy recovering from the first twenty, and fourteen years in Taos, NM.   She had a weekly column on food for a Rome newspaper, and since living in the USA, has written for various garden magazines both here and in Europe.    She now lives in Houston and is writing and publishing stories based on her many life experiences.

Visual Art/Photography by Steph Kay

Steph is, and she states this boldly, a Hoosier at heart. Raised in the west side, attended college in the north, and now living in the tip of Broad Ripple, she's caught the bug of being a Midwesterner. Well, she was born in Ohio, but we can ignore that.

Two poems by Bruce Owens: "Quiet Within" and "Taking a Walk"

Bruce Owens has been writing poetry for 50 years. One of his poems appeared in the Robinson Jeffers Newsletter (No. 93 & 94, Winter & Spring) in tribute to friend, and fellow poet William Everson. He has been a guest lecturer at various colleges in California, lecturing on the nature of the creative process, and he has conducted poetry workshops, mainly with young adults, especially those struggling with various addictions or having come from an abusive household, using poetry as an instrument of discovery for both self, and as an entry into the world around us. His collection of poems: Eddies in the Rush (ISBN 0-971256-0-0 [149 pg.]) was endorsed by C.C. Bailey and poet William Stafford (1914-1993) a "National Book Award recipient."

Three poems by Dan Jacoby: "Fort Holabird," "tay ninh 1970," and "national anthem"

Dan Jacoby is a graduate of St. Louis University, Chicago State University, and Governors State University. He lives both in Beecher and Hagaman, Illinois. He has been published in many magazine, including Anchor and Plume(Kindred), Arkansas Review, Belle Rev Review, Bombay Gin, and Indiana Voice Journal. He received the "Western Writers Spur Award" from Cowboy Poetry Press-Unbridled 2015. He is a former principal, teacher, coach, and former counterintelligence agent and green beret. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2015. He is currently looking for a publisher for a collection of poetry.

Two poems by Mercedes Webb-Pullman: "The Harbour of Freedom" and "The Dairy-woman's Dance"

Mercedes Webb-Pullman graduated from Victoria University Wellington with an MA in Creative Writing 2011. Her poems and stories have appeared in Turbine, 4th Floor, Swamp, Reconfigurations, The Electronic Bridge, Otoliths, Connotations, The Red Room, Typewriter, and Cliterature, among others, and in her books. She lives on the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand.

Two poems by Jeff Burt: "Election" and "Independence Day"

Jeff Burt works in mental health and has been published in Amarillo Bay, The Nervous Breakdown, Atticus Review and forthcoming in Per Contra and Clare Literary Journal. He has work published previously in Indiana Voice Journal.

Three poems by Jessica Goody: “Unanswered Prayers” “War Declared” and “Liberty Ladies”

Jessica Goody writes for SunSations Magazine and The Bluffton Sun. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Reader’s Digest, The Seventh Wave, Really System, Event Horizon, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and The Maine Review. Her poem “Stockings” was awarded second place in the 2015 Reader’s Digest Poetry Competition.

Three poems by Robert Beveridge: "Freedom," "Liberty" and "Liquid Prisoner"

Robert Beveridge makes noise (xterminal.bandcamp.com) and writes poetry just outside Cleveland, OH. Recent/upcoming appearances in Chiron Review, Riverrun, and Third Wednesday, among others.

Three poems by Prerna Bakshi: "Coming Out," "This Morning," and 'What's the Name of your pind?"

Prerna Bakshi is a writer, poet and activist. Her work has been published widely, most recently in Indiana Voice Journal, Off the Coast, TRIVIA: Voices of Feminism, and Peril Magazine: Asian-Australian Arts & Culture.  She is a Pushcart Prize nominee and the author of the recently released book, Burnt Rotis, With Love, which was long-listed for the 2015 Erbacce-Press Poetry Award in the UK. More of her work can be found at: http://prernabakshi.strikingly.com/

A poem by Judy Moskowitz: "Born Into Freedom"

Judy Moskowitz started playing piano at the age of three and became a professional jazz musician. She has performed throughout the New York City area and was part of the jazz scene in New York. Judy started writing poetry three years ago and has been published by Michael Lee Johnson in Midnight Dreamers Of The Yellow Haze, The Poet Community.com, Whispers Of The Wind. Leaves Of Ink, Robin Hislop editor of Poetry Life & Times. She currently resides in Boca Raton Florida where she continues to play jazz and write poetry. They live side by side in her veins and soul.

Three poems by Lazola Pambo: "I Am of This Gender," "Sexual Discourse," and "The Dignity of Human Rights"

Lazola Pambo is a South African poet, novelist and essayist. His poems have been published in “The Kalahari Review,” “Aerodrome,” “New Coin,” “Nomad’s Choir,” “Black Magnolias Literary Journal,” “Sun & Sandstone,” and “Aji Magazine,” among others. You can follow him on Twitter @LPambo.

Three poems by David Allen: "What is Freedom," "Freedomland" and "Preparing for the Reunion"

David Allen is a freelance writer and poetry editor of Indiana Voice Journal. He was born in South Carolina and raised on Long Island, NY, which is enough to make anyone a bit crazy. He is a former sailor, war resistor, and journalist, writing for newspapers in Virginia, Indiana, and the Far East before retiring to Central Indiana. His poems and short stories have been published in several journals and he has two books of poetry, "The Story So Far," and "(more)," both available from Amazon.com. He has a blog at www.davidallen.nu and is an active member of the Last Stanza Poetry Association in Elwood, Indiana.

Two poems by Donal Mahoney: "When My Wife Is In Her Garden," and "The Whole Mad Swirl"

Donal Mahoney has worked as an editor for Loyola University Press, The Chicago Sun-Times, and the Center for the Study of American Business at Washington University in St. Louis. Retired now, he keeps busy writing poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Some of his work can be found at http://eyeonlifemag.com/the-poetry-locksmith/donal-mahoney-poet.html#sthash.OSYzpgmQ.dpbs=

Three poems by Denise Segal Umans:"The Limestone Quarry," "A Township after Apartheid," and "Gaudi's Parc Guell"

Denise Segal Umans grew up in South Africa and now lives in the Boston area. She is a consultant in applied linguistics and teaches English as a second language. Her poetry has been published in Poetry Quarterly, Clementine Poetry Journal, Clementine Unbound, and The Avocet: A Journal of Nature Poetry. 

Three poems by Vincent Francone: "When We Are Not Together...," "Announcement," and "Butter and Bread"

Vincent Francone is a writer from Chicago whose memoir, "Like a Dog," was published in the fall of 2015. He won first place in the 2009 Illinois Emerging Writers Competition (Gwendolyn Brooks Award) and is at work on a collection of poems and stories. Visit www.vincentfrancone.com to read his work or just to say hi.

Three poems by Kara D. Spain: "Era of the Hills," "A Wish: Written on occasion during a stormy day," and "On Dumping Tea in the Boston Harbor"

Kara D. Spain says she's an "indie poet with a style that is reminiscent of the Romantic poets of the 18th century, with a bit of an upgrade." She's previously published under a pen name by several publications (Red Fez, The Lightkeeper, The Tattooed Buddha, Women's Spiritual Poetry, and Felan). You can find her at her blog: http://lyrical-discovery.blogspot.com/

A poem by Candice Louisa Daquin: "Suffrage"

Candice Louisa Daquin is of Sephardic origin and immigrated to the US. She currently lives in the American Southwest. She is a long time editor, reviewer and writer of poetry, and has published three books. Her forth will be available this year. Daquin is an ardent supporter of equality and immigration reform.

A poem in three parts by Don Beukes: "Existential Consequential"

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 

Three poems by Jennifer Hambrick: “Andy Dufresne Speaks at TEDx Zihuatanejo,” “Leaving,” and “Inside Out”

Jennifer Hambrick has been honored with a Pushcart Prize nomination, and her chapbook, Unscathed (NightBallet Press), has been nominated for the Ohioana Book Award.  She won the Ohio Poetry Association’s 2013 Ides of March contest, was a prizewinner in The Poetry Forum’s 2011 William Redding Memorial Poetry Contest (Columbus, Ohio), and has received many other recognitions for her work, which has been published in Third Wednesday, Modern Haiku, Pudding Magazine, Barbaric Yawp, WestWard Quarterly, A Narrow Fellow, The Crisis Chronicles, and elsewhere, and is forthcoming in many other journals and anthologies.

Three poems by Ken Allan Dronsfield: "1775 Finally Homeward 1783", "Hand to Heart", "Let Freedom Reign"

Ken Allan Dronsfield is a Published Poet and Author originally from New Hampshire, now residing in Oklahoma. He enjoys thunderstorms, walking in the woods at night, 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 Reviews throughout the Web including: Indiana Voice Journal, Belle Reve Journal, Peeking Cat Magazine, Dead Snakes, Bewildering Stories and many others.

Four poems by Jo Barbara Taylor: "Flight," " Finding Your Way," "Liberation," and "Spring Chiamus"

Jo Barbara Taylor lives in North Carolina, but is an Indiana farm girl at heart. Her poems and academic writing have appeared in journals, magazines, anthologies and online, most recently in Grey Sparrow and Boston Literary Magazine. She has published four chapbooks, and a full-length collection is forthcoming in from Chatter House Press. She leads poetry writing workshops for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute through Duke Continuing Education.
My website is:  Jo Barbara Taylor

Three poems by Ruth Sabath Rosenthal: "For Want of Green," "This Parrot," and "You're Free,"

Ruth Sabath Rosenthal is a New York poet, well published in the U.S. and internationally. In October 2006, her poem “on yet another birthday” was nominated for a Pushcart prize. Ruth has authored five books of poetry: “Facing Home” (a chapbook), “Facing Home and beyond," “little, but by no means small,” “Food: Nature vs Nurture” and “Gone, but Not Easily Forgotten.” The books can be purchased from Amazon/U.S.A. Please feel free to visit Ruth’s websites: www.newyorkcitypoet.com and www.poetrybyruthsabathrosenthal.com.

Three poems by Ryn Holmes: "All-American," "Gray Socks," and "Isolata"

Ryn Holmes is an award-winning poet and photographer, originally from California and now residing along the Gulf Coast of Florida. She is a published writer with works appearing in the Emerald Coast Review, Syzygy Poetry Journal, Four and Twenty zine, and Longleaf Pine magazine.

A poem by Michael Marrotti: "One Of Life's Lessons"

Michael Marrotti is an author from Pittsburgh using words instead of violence to mitigate the suffering of life in a callous world of redundancy. His primary goal is to help other people. He considers poetry to be a form of philanthropy. When he's not writing, he's volunteering at the Light Of Life homeless shelter on a weekly basis. If you appreciate the man's work, please check out his blog:www.thoughtsofapoeticmind.blogspot.com for his latest poetry and short stories.

A poem by Pramila Khadun: "The Land of Freedom"

Pramila Khadun is a poetess from the island of MAURITIUS she had four collections of poetry entitled "Rajnee", "Priyumvada", "Kavi" and "Igniting Key". Igniting Key was a joint publication with Dr Ampat Koshy and Dr Bina Biswas. Currently her next collection entitled "Le Shangrila" will soon be under print. she has also written a novel entitled "When love speaks" and a book on Food and Nutrition. she has been the winner of International Reuel Prize for Writing and Literature for year 2015. Married to Raj, she lives with her children Dr Rajnee and Priyum and Captain Kavi. 


Two poems by P.J. Reed: "World in a Suitcase" and "Haiku Regarding Freedom"

P.J.Reed, of Devon, England, is a writer of speculative fiction, dark romantic poetry and emotive natural haiku. He has three books of poetry available on Amazon: The Wicked Come , Haiku Nation, and Frozen Haiku. Professional Memberships: The United Haiku and Tanka Society Twyford Writers
 Websites: Deliciously Wicked Poetry    and     P.J. Reed - Facebook

Two poems by KJ Carter: "Alas, to be Truly Free" and "A LIfe in the Great War"

Kathy Jo Carter is a nurse and life resident of Madison County. The Arts are a passion, but her biggest passion is her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is a member of Last Stanza Poetry Association of Elwood, Ind., and St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Three poems by Marcia Conover: "Independence Rings," "Summer Visitors," and "Seasons of Color"

Marcia Conover was born in Indiana and grew up in a small farming community in northern Madison county. She has been writing short stories and poems since grade school, but didn't share her poetry until her mother's death in 2015. She is married with 2 grown children and lives on a small farm where she has owned and operated a state-licensed child care center since 1984.

A poem by Helmi Ben Meriem: "Ara Veug"

Helmi Ben Meriem is a researcher of Somali literature at the University of Sousse, Tunisia, where he is finishing his PhD dissertation under the direction of American fiction writer and professor of Anglophone studies, Edward Sklepowich. Mr. Ben Meriem focuses in his creative writings on marginalized segments of the Arab and/or Muslim world such as women, homosexuals, atheists, and religious minorities among others. Mr. Ben Meriem has an unpublished novel entitled "Good Night Letters: An Epistolary Novel" and is currently working on a new novel by the title "Helmi's Corner". He can be reached on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/St.John.Larch. Read his scholarly works at: https://independentresearcher.academia.edu/HelmiBenMeriem

A poem by Patrick Daniel Read: "The Patriot"

A poem by Sherry Howard: "In Memoriam"

Sherry Howard lives in Kentucky in a house full of people and dogs. She enjoys writing prose and poetry. She says she's "an educator by trade, I'm a writer by choice. I like to say that our busy household is two dancing bears short of a circus, but I still find time to write."

A poem by Jude Walsh Whelley: "Loose"

Jude Walsh Whelley has been journaling since she was twelve years old and has more than 90 journals to prove it. After loving her 33-year education career, she is now mining those journals and her experiences to write personal essays, poetry and memoir. Her work has appeared in the anthologies: Real Women Write: Sharing Our Stories, Sharing Our Lives (2016), True Words from Real Women (2010, 2015), Anthology of Tragedies & Triumphs (2014), Anthology of Christmas Memories (2011), The AWW (Antioch Writers'Workshop) Collection (2014, 2015), and the literary magazine Mothers Always Write (2016). More of her writing can be found at: www.judewalshwhelley.com

Two poems by John Mark Brown: "Cold Season" and "a burial"

John Mark Brown is a Southern Illinois native, a senior Creative Writing student at Eastern Illinois University, and a cardigan enthusiast. His writing has appeared in the Indiana Review.

A poem by Angel Edwards: "Old Flame"

Angel Edwards, a member of SOCAN, BMI and VMA owns a small music publishing company. A dozen of her songs are published by Saddlestone Publishing. She currently performs as a solo acoustic electric singer songwriter guitarist. Her poems have been published in numerous magazines and journals. Angel is preparing her first book of poetry and short stories and has one completed fantasy novella. She is seeking a publisher for her works. http://www.reverbnation.com/angeledwards


A poem by Lynda McKinney Lambert: "Book of Remembrance in Lidice"

Lynda McKinney Lambert is the author of “Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage” published by Kota Press. It is a book of poetry and short essays Lynda wrote over several years while spending her summers in Salzburg, Austria where she taught a course in writing and art each summer. She is a retired professor of fine arts and humanities from Geneva College in western Pennsylvania. Lynda currently authors two blogs on writing, the humanities, art, and faith.

Three poems by Stephen Regan: "URGH! They have a problem," "Red-bricked," and "Freedom at a price."

Stephen Regan is a journalist and the founder of the Liver Bards poetry group in Liverpool, England. His poems have been published in: Envoi; Best of Manchester Poets Vol 2 anthology, Reach Poetry, Killing the Angel, and other publications. His poem ‘Unhappy Valley Sunday’ won the runner-up prize in the Sefton Writing Competition of 2011. His flash fiction has been published in sevral e-zines and his play, "Tim: an ordinary boy’" (about the bombing of Warrington in 1993) was staged as part of the Wirral Festival of Firsts in 2014. 

A poem by Tim Philippart: "Feel Free to Mourn"

Tim Philippart sold his business, retired to explore, write and discover he wasn’t very retired at all. He ghost blogs, writes poetry, nonfiction and an occasional magazine piece. He loves writing and wishes he had not waited decades to pick up the pen. He sees baseball as a metaphor for…. Oh, he’s sorry, he keeps promising not to do that. Send emails to timphilippart@yahoo.com.

A poem by Zoe Maynard: “The Shire Horse”

Zoe Maynard is currently a UK student studying English at the University of Northampton. She has studied critical theories, American contemporary literature, post-war literature, and has gained knowledge of different creative writing approaches. Her poetry has recently been featured in "The Poeteer: A 21st Century Poetry Publication."
https://zoepoetry.wordpress.com/

Three poems by Elizabeth P. Brooks: "Cry Out," " My Freedom," and "Oh Freedom."

Elizabeth P. Brooks is originally from Trinidad and Tobago and now calls Tampa Bay home. She is deeply concerned about human dignity and the need for social justice. She is outgoing, loves the sound of laughter and the power of the word. She is a performance poet and has had several poems and two non-fiction essays published in Indiana Voice Journal. She is the author of a recently published chapbook ,“You May Applaud Now and other poems” and she is currently working on a novel and many other projects. She is a reference librarian at Saint Leo University in Dade City, Fla., and volunteers as an adult literacy tutor in Tampa. 

A poem by Joan Leotta: "Bridge to Freedom."

Joan Leotta has been playing with words since childhood. She has four novels, a collection of short stories and a picture book in print with three different publishers. She has won awards here and abroad for her writing and performing. Her poetry and essays area in Gnarled Oak,Red Wolf, A Quiet Courage, Eastern Iowa Review, Hobart Literary Review, Silver Birch, Postcard Poems and Prose and others. Her second picture book, Summer in a Bowl, comes out in September 2016 Joan also performs folklore and one-woman shows on historic figures. She lives in Calabash, NC where she walks the beach with husband Joe. More about Joan at: www.joanleotta.wordpress.com and on FACEBOOK

A poem by Mikel K: "I'm a challenge to the process."

Mikel K is a poet and memoirist living in Atlanta, Ga. Mikel K was voted best Atlanta Poet, the last three years in a row, by readers of Creative Loafing, Atlanta's weekly newspaper. He has a BS in English with a minor in Journalism from Georgia State University. Poetry by Mikel K has appeared in: Subtle Tea, Inbetween Hangovers, Dissident Voice, Dead Snakes, Poeticus, and other literary journals. He was a music columnist for a number of years, covering the Atlanta music scene and worked as a freelancer for The Atlanta Journal Constitution. You can buy a book by Mikel K at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/mikelkpoet

Three poems by Andy Brown: "Freedom Lost," "Death's Freedom," and "Is this Freedom?"

Andy Brown is an ex-prisoner, recovering addict and winner of community regeneration awards. He performs spoken word under the alter ego of The Grandad from Knowle West, relating his experiences of living in an area ranked within the worst hundred to live in within the UK.