September 13, 2017


Photograph Courtesy of Ken Allan Dronsfield

With this issue, we're sending thoughts, prayers, good vibes, and positive energy to our poetry editor, David Allen as he recovers from surgery, and to Jennifer Criss, our art editor, as she has made the decision to leave Indiana Voice Journal. We are going to miss her, and we appreciate all the hard work she has poured into IVJ. For now, all visual art and photography should be sent to indianavoice@gmail.com. I've updated our guidelines page to reflect that change and a change concerning reprints and multiple category submissions as well. Be sure to check before submitting.

If you haven't heard of Twitter-famous parenting comedian James Breakwell, be sure to check out our interview, and an excerpt of his first book "Only Dead on the Inside: A Parent's Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse." His story is inspiring, and his humor, hilarious!

A huge thank you goes out to all the poets, artists, and writers in this issue who continue to lift us with their wisdom and their words. Thanks, everyone, for truly making this a wonderful edition of Indiana Voice Journal. Best of the Net and a few other announcements are coming soon. ~Janine Pickett


SPECIAL FEATURE

Interview and Book Excerpt with James Breakwell 



POETRY











James Breakwell, an Indianapolis-based comedy writer behind the viral Twitter account @XplodingUnicorn built up nearly a million followers by writing family-friendly jokes about his four daughters, ages 7 and under.


James parlayed this meager (his words) internet accomplishment into a book deal. His comedy book, "Only Dead on the Inside: A Parent's Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse" comes out October 10th. It's being published by BenBella Books, and is available for pre-order.

James Breakwell is a professional comedy writer and amateur father of four girls, ages seven and under. He is best known for his family humor Twitter account @XplodingUnicorn, which has more than 700,000 follow- ers. The account went viral in April 2016 thanks to a feature article on the front page of Buzzfeed. The resulting attention from media outlets around the world transformed Mr. Breakwell from a niche comedy writer into one of the most famous dads on social media.

Blanca Alicia Garza is a Poet from Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a nature and animal lover, and enjoys spending time writing. Her poems are published in the Poetry Anthologies, "Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze", and "Dandelions in a Vase of Roses" now available at Amazon.com. Blanca's work can be found in The Poet Community, Whispers, The Winamop Journal, Indiana Voice Journal, Tuck Magazine, Raven's Cage Ezine, Scarlet Leaf Review as well as Birdsong Anthology 2016, Vol 1.

Henry Ahrens lives, writes, and teaches a variety of high school English classes in the leafy hills of Cincinnati, Ohio. His work has appeared in Tipton Poetry Journal, From the Edge of the Prairie, and Pudding Magazine.

Sarah Henry is a former student of two U.S. Poet Laureates at the University of Virginia. Today she lives near Pittsburgh, where her poems have appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Poetry Review and The Loyalhanna Review. Farther afield, Sarah's work was published by Soundings East, and The Hollins Critic. Her poems have been included in six recent anthologies. CheapPop and Donut Factory featured her humorous prose.

Michael Griffith began writing poetry to help his mind and spirit become healthy as his body recovered from a life-changing injury. His works have recently appeared both online and in print in The Good Men Project, the Starving Poets Tour anthology book, Stanzic Stylings, Degenerate Literature, NY Literary Magazine, and Wild Words. He teaches and resides near Princeton, NJ.

Joan McNerney’s poetry has been featured in numerous literary magazines and anthologies , including Seven Circle Press, Dinner with the Muse, Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze, Blueline, and Halcyon Days. Three Bright Hills Press Anthologies, Journals, and others..Her latest collection is "Having Lunch with the Sky." She has four Best of the Net nominations.

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 in Indiana Voice Journal, Midnight Dreamers Of The Yellow Haze, The Poet Community.com, Whispers Of The Wind, Leaves Of Ink, and 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.

Edilson Afonso Ferreira,73, is a Brazilian poet who prefers to write in English rather than Portuguese. He began his literary life when he was 67 and has been published in numerous literary journals. Ferreira lives in the small town of Formiga with his wife, three sons and a granddaughter. His first Poetry Book, “Lonely Sailor,”is scheduled for publication in 2018 by Olympia Publishers, London, UK. He was been nominated for The Pushcart Prize 2016.

Soodabeh Saeidnia lives in NYC but originally is from Persia. She has a PhD in Pharmacognosy and has worked as a researcher, assistant and associate professor in the Kyoto University (Japan), TUMS (Iran), the University of Saskatchewan (Canada). She is interested in English literature and poetry, and has published a collection of her poems, "Words for Myself," in Farsi. Her English poems have been published in various American and Canadian anthologies and literary magazines including Pharmacognosy Magazine, Great Weather for Media, Squawk Back, Indiana Voice Journal, Sick Lit Magazine, Tuck Magazine, Duane's PoeTree, and others. Her first collection of contemporary poems, “Street of the Ginkgo Trees," and  several anthologies where she is  both the editor and contributor, are available on Amazon.  Visit her blog at  https://soodabehpoems.wordpress.com.

Rafik Massoudi was born in Tunisia iand now lives in Oman. He received an M.A. in English Language and Literature in 2008 from the Higher Institute of Languages in Tunis. Currently, he is Lecturer of English Language, English Language Unit, Arab Open University-Oman Branch. He is also a researcher in English literature and published an article entitled “The Impure Identity in Neruda`s Poetry: Plural Identities” in the International Journal of Literary Humanities. He recently published another article titled "Narrating Irish Identity: Retrieving Irishness in the Works of William Butler Yeats and Seamus Heaney." His research interests include, among others, post-colonialism and postmodernism and their deal with identity, culture and history.

Simon Perchik is an attorney whose poems have appeared in Partisan Review, Forge, Poetry, Osiris, The New Yorker and elsewhere. His most recent collection is The Osiris Poems published by box of chalk, 2017. For more information, including free e-books and his essay titled “Magic, Illusion and Other Realities,” please visit his website at www.simonperchik.com.

JD DeHart is a writer and teacher. His work has appeared recently at Oddball Poetry and Cacti Fur, among other places. He blogs at jddehartpoetry.blogspot.com

Lynn White lives in north Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality. Her poem  "A Rose For Gaza" was shortlisted for the Theatre Cloud"'War Poetry for Today" 2014 competition. This and many other poems, have been widely published, in recent anthologies such as - "Alice In Wonderland" by Silver Birch Press, "The Border Crossed Us" and "Rise" from Vagabond Press, as well as many other online and print publications. Find Lynn online at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynn-White-Poetry/1603675983213077?fref=tsand lynnwhitepoetry.blogspot.com

Sreyash Sarkar , is a poet, painter, practicing Hindustani Classical musician, and an aspiring researcher in Microelectronics and Nanotechnology. Educated in Kolkata, Bangalore and Paris, he has been a student correspondent at The Statesman, Kolkata from his school, South Point. In 2012, in an international poetry competition organized in memory of Yeats, his poem was shortlisted among 40 other poets from all over the world.  He has been featured in “Five Poetry Magazine,” “Muses,” “El Portal,” “Tagore for Us,” “The Country Cake-Stall,” “The Orange Orchard,” among others. He is also editor-in-chief of Kalomer Kalomishak, a bilingual magazine, which he founded in 2013. He currently divides his time between Kolkata and Paris.

Ken Allan Dronsfield was nominated for The Best of the Net and two  Pushcart Awards for Poetry in 2016. His poetry has been published world-wide in various publications throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. His work has appeared in The Burningword Journal, Belle Reve Journal, Setu Magazine, The Literary Hatchet Magazine, The Stray Branch, Now/Then Manchester Magazine, and many more. He loves thunderstorms, walking in the woods at night, and spending time with his cat Willa. Ken's new book, "The Cellaring", a collection of haunting, paranormal, weird and wonderful poems, has been released and is available through Amazon.com. He is the co-editor of two poetry anthologies, Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze and Dandelion in a Vase of Roses, both available from Amazon.com.

Laurie Kuntz is an award-winning poet and film producer. She taught poetry in Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines. Recently retired, she lives in an endless summer state of mind.

Sergio A. Ortiz is a two-time Pushcart nominee, a four-time Best of the Web nominee, and 2016 Best of the Net nominee. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in FRIGG, Tipton Poetry Journal, Drunk Monkeys, and Bitterzeot Magazine. He is currently working on his first full-length collection of poems, Elephant Graveyard. He lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Teresa Roberts is a writer and a wanderer. She's the author of "Finding the Gypsy in Me," "Tales of an International House Sitter and Creative Paths to Freedom," "How to Live Your Dream Life ASAP."  Her latest book, "Have We Been Screwed? / Trading Freedom for Fairy Tales" is available on Amazon. Teresa has lived all over the world and now resides during the winter in Spain. She notes: "I was bitten by wanderlust many years ago. I was also born with an independent spirit. That might explain my gypsy soul."

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

Ken Williams worked as a social worker for the homeless, primary the mentally ill, but including veterans, women, the elderly, drug and alcohol addicted and the physically disabled in Santa Barbara CA, for over thirty years. His dedication to his clients has been acknowledged by the Board of Supervisors, the State Senate, State Assembly, A.C.L.U. Santa Barbara Chapter, Housing Authority, California chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, and other organizations. His work was  highlighted in the documentary, "Shelter," and his writings have appeared in Columbia University’s: Columbia Journal, Cecile’s Magazine, the Huffington Post, The Potomac,  Mobius, Better Than Starbucks, The Criterion, and other journals.  He is a disabled combat Marine veteran of the Vietnam War. "Fractured Angel," is his most recent novel. His blog is at: Kenwilliams-writer.com.

Ann Christine Tabaka was born and lives in Delaware. She is a published poet, artist, chemist, and personal trainer. She loves gardening, cooking, and the ocean. Chris lives with her husband and two cats. Her poems have been published in numerous national and international poetry journals, reviews, and anthologies.

Jordan Krais is a tall windblown poet from the suburbs of Long Island. He comes from a long line of liars, poets, and story tellers.

In the fall of 2008, Lynda McKinney Lambert retired from her teaching career at Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA where she was Professor of Fine Arts and Humanities. She now divides her days between writing, knitting and creating mixed-media fiber art. She exhibits her art in national & international exhibitions. Lambert’s writing focus is poetry and creative non-fiction. Currently, she has three new books in development. One is creative non-fiction essays, and two are poetry books. She is the author of "Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage," published by Kota Press.

Goutam Karmakar is a PhD Research Scholar at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at National Institute of Technology Durgapur, India. He is a bilingual writer and his articles and research papers have been published in many International Journals. He has contributed papers in many edited books on Indian English Literature. He loves to read and write poetry and his his first book of poetry is planned for later this year. He is interested in Indian English Literature, especially poetry, and Postmodern and Postcolonial literature.

G. Louis Heath, Ph.D., Berkeley, is Emeritus Professor at  Ashford University. Clinton, Iowa. He enjoys reading his poems at open mic events and often hikes along the Mississippi River, stopping to work on a poem pulled from his back pocket, His books include :Leaves Of Maple," "Long Dark River Casino," and "Redbird Prof: Poems Of A Normal U, 1969-1981." He has published poems in a wide array of journals, including Eunoia, Episteme, Black Poppy Review, Lunaris Review, Whispers, Dead Snakes, Raw Dog Press, Weird Reader, Literary Yard,and Houseboat Literary Magazine.

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/

Anshu Choudhry holds degrees of Masters level in Mathematics and English. She is based in New Delhi, India and works for the Government of India. Her poems and short stories have appeared in several Indian and international magazines and journals, including Kritya, Ken*again, Full of Crow, Asian Signature, Muse India, East Lit, Hans India, Setu Journal, Silver Birch Press, and anthologies amongst others.

Todd Outcalt lives in Brownsburg and is the author of over thirty-five books in six languages. His  recent titles include "All About Martin Luther King, Jr.," and "The Seven Deadly Virtues." These poems will be included in an upcoming book entitled "Circus."

Lisa Keifer is a writer, blogger, and stay-at-home mom who enjoys life in Indiana with her husband and son. She has recently been published in Indiana Voice Journal's March 2017 Women's issue and also TWJ Magazine's April 2017 issue. Her work of short fiction entitled "Pre-Calc Predicament" was included in the June 2017 issue of Silver Pen's Youth Imagination. Lisa blogs about family, relationships, and mental health issues at www.stepbackandbreathe.com.

Denny Kolakowski has had short stories, essays and poetry published in numerous outdoor magazines, literary journals, and periodicals throughout the 70’s and 80’s. Writing throughout the past ten years has included screenplays currently in pre-production and development. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and a mechanical engineering graduate of Pennsylvania State University, serving as operations manager for the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh Filmmakers, the University of Pittsburgh Applied Research Center and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Please see www.sleepingdragonproductions.com.

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. Nominated for the Pushcart Prize 2016. She is a member of the California Writers Club, Healdsburg Literary Guild. She is an Adjunct Professor at Touro University Vallejo California

John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident. Recently published in the Tau, Studio One and Columbia Review with work upcoming in Naugatuck River Review, Abyss and Apex and Midwest Quarterly.

Gretchen Ford is a Los Angeles based artist. She paints public space murals as well as smaller works.   Website: www.gretchensportraits.com, Instagram: harlequinjester99, 2protectandserve, dtlafaces.



Amy Nemecek lives in northern Michigan with her husband, son, and two cats. Her poetry and prose have appeared in The Windhover,Topology, The 3288 Review, Mothers Always Write, Foliate Oak, and Indiana Voice Journal. When Amy isn’t working with words, she enjoys taking long walks along country roads and watching baseball. She shares her thoughts on writing and life at www.beloveddelight.wordpress.com.

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."



Poetry in the Dark


Where there is no Light, Darkness Lives

The darkness; some of us flee from its macabre peculiar shadows, while others fall right into the fiery arms of its boundless abyss; where there are zilch traces of light and chambers of repulsive undesirable secrets! And Author Ken Allan Dronsfield unveils them all! But there are not just skeletons hiding inside the closet of a shadowed mind in this riveting chillers edition; there are also poetic vessels stowed with centuries of twisted tales and gluttonous nightmares, containing unfathomable evils of iniquities that harvest and grow the black, dark seeds of infinite sin and transgression, birthed with warped roots. So beware, don’t ever become a lost soul of the cellaring, it’s nothing like being lost in the dark. No. It’s much, much worse.

Author Ken Allan Dronsfield numbs our hearts, literally, with his bone-chilling poetic narrations from, The Cellaring; where we read of the explicit terror that vengefully rapes the earth of lost souls and deliberately opposes the light. The author extracts these morbid depictions directly from the depths of what he references to as, a Shadowed Mind; the perfect host to accompany you as each poem travels beyond the blackness of the universe, and deeper than the blank silence that exists at the depths of the sunless ocean!

To begin, the title seems to signify someone possibly confined to a cellaring, hence the title of the book, which happens to also be the name of his first featured poem. Now, what’s in this cold underground crypt-like place is the important question! Normally, it is used to store wine, but this cellaring holds something a bit more sinister!

Close your eyes and imagine…an anonymous and strange character standing ‘in a burial dress with a purple lilac purse and Easter bonnet’. Your nose struggles to breathe as you try your best to avoid suffocation, as the cellaring reeks of disintegrating bodies! Oddly enough, the clandestine character in the poem can actually bear the foul aroma! Considering the theme of this book, whoever, or better yet, whatever it is…must not be human. Perhaps, the hidden warning in this poem is: beware of what may exist in the cellaring!

Many of his poetic thrillers are written in brevity, yet do not lose the moment or eliminate useful detail; because of this, the result is mini poetry-tales of horror with a beginning, middle, and end. Moreover, the arrangement and clever writing style identified with the horror genre perfectly! He made every word count and relate to the specific cadence the poem presented, crafting metaphors that incite graphically striking and realistic imagery that is unsettling to any good spirit. Reading selected poems make you feel as if you are becoming lost in the thick, cloudy, blackness of the noxious smoke from the fiery flames of wickedness, the entire time searching and seeking for some beacon of light, a small glimmer of hope. But on this riveting journey, there is none. Only the noise of the ‘Soulless Symphony’, the title of our favorite featured poem.

In contrast to some of Ken’s other poems, it possesses a certain type of beauty and tranquility that almost seems peaceful. The author uses soothing and fascinating metaphors, saying, “enticed lyrical pearls…harmony upon heart” and “caged essence sings of red strawberry fields”; completely tantalizing! This piece was an ingenious creation of imagination and creativity, painting an abstract portrait of an unknown world where there is a feeling of uneasiness that something sinister lives within the seducing metaphorical compositions.

The poem, ‘Penny For Your Soul’ is written like a classic, with a ‘grim-reaper-like’ character out hunting for souls. And guess what he’s offering for them? A penny. The beast apparently doesn’t feel a soul is worth too much, or this is just simply another hateful and evil act that feeds the beast’s ego. Either way, the lost soul wandering outside on a warm day, the month of May, is the perfect prey for this frightening nightmarish monster. The character has no natural zest for life, and the narrator tells us that they do not care if they live or die. Is this a sign of a carefree, content, and self-elevated individual? Or a snapshot of someone with, for some reason or another, a curiosity for the darkness? It isn’t hard to tell when we continue to read and the narrator tells us that the character dares to ‘nervously grin’ at the creature, and when he does, ‘the sky rumbles, the clouds part, and the winds blow’. Something sinister happens and we aren’t sure if our imaginations want to find know what!

‘Pink Flower (A Requiem for Death)’ serenely ushers expired souls who say “please take me home…” desiring a blanket of light, for death’s icy touch can be uncomfortably cold. This poem goes far into the earth where the spirit accepts it’s new place and home, buried underneath the ground, and one of the most chilling scenes depicted in this poem is when the narrator says “here I now lie deep in this hallowed ground, listening for the sounds of the infernal digging” as if the spirit or being is still alive…but are they? Pleading, the spirit listens to the sound of the infernal crew cover it’s burial to seal the end, once and for all, joyfully anticipating the new home that awaits it, where the pink flowers grow.

And what of the place known as, “Old Haunted Grove”? In this torturous terror, Ken writes about a ‘tortured banshee’ and mentions a ‘long coiled rope’ to possibly suggest the torture originated from the suffering of a lynching, or hanging (a common punishment for women deemed as witches long ago). The style of this poem is unique, with the tortured banshee speaking directly to the audience, offering her hand to assist those who dare to walk the ‘slippery slopes’ of Old Haunted Grove, for it must be easy to fall along the long raucous ride (according to the banshee).

There is also a poem entitled ‘Final Fate’ which stamps imprints on your mind and captivates you with it’s strange characterization, saying “I’m a lover without love; dishonest to the honest, beautiful without beauty” and “lost, but not alone”, a labyrinthine explanation in a parable-like format that challenges your mind to decipher the underlying meaning. Whereas poems such as ‘Hood of the Spineless Drivel’ are a lot more easy to decipher. This particular selection re-creates a moment that blood has forever stained and tainted human history, when ‘whips of black would splatter dark skin blood’ and dancing murderers ‘burnt crosses’ at the smell and taste of death. It is quite a disturbing poem and denotes cruel and inhumane behavior at the hands of man towards one another. Do where do the boundaries of the darkness lie? Conceivably, none. From earth to underworlds, the darkness can be hard to escape…our best advice; avoid it at all costs!

To summarize our experience, Author Dronsfield did an exceptional job at bringing the concept of this book to life! It is atypical from many books we have read in the past, distinguished with a grim and grisly theme. We are impressed by the quality of the author’s writing, as each and every poem illustrates a specific scene, and not the simple scenes of apparitions and spirits on Halloween you may laugh at or take lightly… Ken’s creative and imaginative poetry compositions are hellishly real, with each individual poem granting access to an entirely foreign world; a sphere in which despicable corruption and death attempt to pull you into an inescapable web of shards and thorns. It is downright shocking!

There is absolutely no doubt that the author lived up to the title of the book in this publication. He crafts words with such skill and expertise, constantly finding various ways of describing scenes, characters, and emotions without losing sight of the essence of poetry. Questions arise about the unknown that you aren’t sure you really want answers to and in the end, all we can do is only pray you never encounter The Cellaring.

We rate this book 5 stars! Author Dronsfield is a gifted poet that will not only tell you poetry-tales of the darkness, he shows you…and it’s not too pretty.

Written By: Realistic Poetry

________________________________________________________________________


About the Author

Ken Allan Dronsfield is a published poet and author originally from New Hampshire, now residing in Oklahoma. He loves thunderstorms, walking in the woods at night, and spending time with his cats Merlin and Willa.

He is the co-editor of the poetry anthology titled, Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze available at Amazon.com. His published work can be found in reviews, journals, magazines, and anthologies throughout the web and in print.

My work has appeared in over 100 different literary journals, including The Hudson Review, North American Review, and Plainsongs.  I live in Louisville, KY, USA, with my free-range box turtle, Sheldon, and edit Ristau, a tiny literary annual.  More of my writing can be found at www.theartofmercy.net  

Sharon Frame Gay grew up a child of the highway, playing by the side of the road. She has been published in several anthologies, as well as BioStories, Gravel Magazine, Fiction on the Web, Literally Stories, Halcyon Days, Fabula Argentea, Thrice Fiction, Persimmon Tree, Write City, Literally Orphans, Indiana Voice Journal, Luna Luna, Crannog Magazine, and many others. Her work has won prizes at Wow Women on Writing, The Writing District, and Owl Hollow Press.  She is a Pushcart Prize nominee. You can find her on Amazon Author Central as well as Facebook as Sharon Frame Gay-Writer.

Carroll Ann Susco holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Pittsburgh and numerous publications including three essays in The Sun Magazine.  She writes and teaches in Alexandria, VA.  Her chapbook: True Fiction: A Pseudo Autobiographical Chapbook in Three Parts is available at Smashwords.com

You can read more of Carroll's work in the December 2014 and April 2015 Issues of IVJ.  


My fiction has appeared internationally in over twenty magazines including Day One, Straylight, Soundings East, The Bryant Literary Review, The Berkeley Fiction Review, Morpheus Tales, Infernal Ink Magazine, Crack the Spine, and The Indiana Voice Journal. My novella, "The Leviathan of Plasticia," is slated for publication this fall.

Daginne Aignend is a pseudonym for the Dutch writer, poetess, and photographic artist Inge Wesdijk.
She likes hard rock music and fantasy books. She is a vegetarian and spends a lot of time with her animals.
Daginne posted some of her poems on her Facebook page and on her fun project website www.daginne.com, she's also the co-editor of Degenerate Literature, a poetry, flash fiction, and arts E-zine
She has been published in several Poetry Review Magazines, in the bilingual anthology (English/Farsi), 'Where Are You From?' and in the Contemporary Poet's Group anthology 'Dandelion in a Vase of Roses'.

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.

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 "Millie and Ami" is available on Amazon. Raymond lives in a remote area of southern Indiana in a cabin far off a lightly traveled road with his dog Venus.  


Asror Allayarov is a Writer, Author, Editor, Marketing/HR Manager, and Translator. His poetry has been published widely. This is his first story appearing in a USA magazine. Tombs A and B gained 2017 Naji Naaman's Literary Prize and was published in his book "A Decision" by SBPRA in the USA in 2014.


Born a Hoosier, Lucia Walton Robinson has been writing and editing ever since she learned to read. She also raised a pair of highly literate offspring, taught English in a Gulf coast college for twenty years, and now enjoys retirement near the Carolina coast.                                    


This month we are once again featuring a few books written by authors published in IVJ-- Meditations by Jonel Abelanosa, Poison in Paradise by Scott Thomas Outlar, The Truth About Snails by JD DeHart.

Total Pageviews