March 8, 2015

POETRY BY DAN JACOBY "OOMAKA TOKATAKIYA (LAST RIDE), PENCIL SHARPENER, RURAL CHILDHOOD"

Dan Jacoby is a graduate of St. Louis University. He has published poetry in Belle Rev Review, Chicago Literati, Indiana Voice Journal, Haunted Waters Press, Deep South Magazine, Lines and Stars, Red Booth Review, Wilderness House Literary Review, Steel Toe Review, Red Fez and the Vehicle. He has work soon to be published in Bombay Gin, Canary, Ascent Aspirations Magazine, The Clockwise Cat, and Psychokinetic. He is a member of the American Academy of Poets.

Read more of Dan's poetry in the September 2014 Issue of IVJ.

POETRY BY MICHAEL LEE JOHNSON "INDIANA POEM"

Michael Lee Johnson lived ten years in Canada during the Vietnam era. Today he is a poet, freelance writer, photographer, and small business owner in Itasca, Illinois. He has been published in more than 875 small press magazines in 27 countries, and he edits 9 poetry sites. Author's website http://poetryman.mysite.com/ He has over 70 poetry videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/poetrymanusa/videos

Jan Marquart is a psychotherapist and author of eleven books. She has had her stories, poems, essays, and articles published on line and in print. She is a writing facilitator for Story Circle Network and uses writing as a therapeutic tool to resolve PTSD and other symptomatic illnesses. Jan can be reached through her site: www.JanMarquart.com.

Scott Thomas Outlar lives a simple life, spending his time reading, researching, taking meditative walks, and writing prose-fusion dedicated to the Phoenix Generation. His work has appeared in venues such as Dissident Voice, Ascent Aspirations, Leaves of Ink, Jellyfish Whispers, Struggle Magazine, Loose Change Magazine, Common Line Journal, and Aphelion. Scott can be reached at [email protected].

I was born in 1984 in Lake County, Indiana, where I currently live and practice law. My practice primary focuses on civil and appellate litigation, and I have argued numerous cases before Indiana and federal appellate courts. In addition to my legal career, I self-published a volume of poetry in 2013 titled The Spring’s Autumn.

Presented here are Trophy Wife and February Snowfall.

Sheehan served with 31^st Infantry, Korea 1951 and graduated from Boston College, 1956. Poetry books include Ah, Devon Unbowed; The Saugus Book; Reflections from Vinegar Hill; and This Rare Earth & Other Flights. Korean Echoes nominated for Distinguished Military Award and The Westering, 2012, nominated National Book Award, and 26 Pushcart nominations.

Cecilia Soprano lives in Westchester County and makes her living as an organic gardener and artist. Her poems and artwork have been published in La Joie magazine and UC at Santa Barbara among others. Her artwork is often featured on the covers of Inner Directions magazine.

She is a member of the Greenwich Art Society and the Katonah Museum Art Association. She has published three small books and has had several one woman art exhibits. Her love of nature and gardening provides the space for uninterrupted inspiration. Her intention is to make images and words that describe beauty and uplift the human spirit. My art is about making the simple sacred and the ordinary extra-ordinary.

"The reason why we exist is to remember why we exist and to realize our interconnectedness with all things." WEBSITE: www.Amichiart.com or CeciliaSoprano.com

My essay Neither the Season, Nor the Time was nominated recently for the Pushcart Prize in Nonfiction by Belle Reve Literary Journal. I have other essays published in Sport Literate, Compose, and Full Grown People. I live in Greenville, SC, with my family.

Layne Carter is a Washington native living in Bellingham, Washington. She is a barista and a journalism major, and enjoys writing memoir and realistic fiction.

Pond Scum

I’d like to remember what time of year it was, but the fact of the matter is, I was four to five years old and there’s not much about that day I remember before I jumped into the pond.

Madge Kaplan, Director of Communications, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), is responsible for developing new and innovative means for IHI to communicate the stories, leading examples of change, and policy implications emerging from the world of quality improvement in health care. Madge is also the host and producer of IHI's online audio "talk show" called WIHI, a program she conceived of and founded in 2009. Madge came to IHI after a 20-year career in broadcast journalism for public radio. She began exploring non-fiction and playwriting more than a decade ago. Many of her essays have aired on radio or been published in print. Her first play, The Last Appointment, was produced on Martha’s Vineyard in October 2011.

Julia Oller is a sophomore journalism student at Taylor University in Upland, where she is the News Co-editor for her school paper. Her favorite part of the job is sharing the incredible stories of ordinary students and employees.

Crushed

She stood in the barn kitchen, straining to lift the round metal drum full of frothing milk high enough to pour into the quart-sized Mason jars lined up in front of her. Straining, too, to hear the sound of a car engine signifying the end of his stay.

CNF/ESSAY BY TOM SHEEHAN "A LITTLE RED WAGON, A LONG-REMEMBERED FACE"

"L.D. Zane served seven years in the Navy, which included a combat tour in Vietnam on river boats, and five years aboard nuclear-powered, Fast Attack submarines. His life is quieter now: anything would be quieter than his military venture, according to L.D. He is a member of the Pagoda Writers Group, and finds that he's been devoting more and more time to his writing."

One Out of Three

BY L.D. ZANE

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.

Homepages: http://www.reverbnation.com/charlesejmoulton/

http://about.me/cmoulton

Stinson writes fiction and poetry from his front porch in small town Indiana. He has a BA in European History from Indiana University, Bloomington. His poem about growing up during the Nuclear Arms Race appeared in the blog, Are You There God, It’s Me, Generation X.

Decades after a family vacation in the Indiana dunes, Rochelle Cashdan writes from Guanajuato, Mexico where she is a cultural journalist. “The Revenge of the Pasta” first appeared online in 2011 at www.longstoryshort.com. Rochelle has a blog MEXIGUANA .

US citizen living in Mexico. Member, International PEN

Cole is a senior at Miami University from Glen Ellyn, IL studying creative writing and attempting to publish his first piece. He’s not really a fan of pickles.

I am a graduate of Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas where I obtained my MA in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. For my thesis I wrote a collection of four short stories that explored the relationships between individuals suffering from great losses and deep mistrusts. My passion is unlocking the intricacies that bind people together or tear them apart.

Lily Iona MacKenzie teaches writing at the University of San Francisco. Her essays, poetry, book reviews, interviews, and short fiction have found a home in numerous publications. Her poetry collection, All This, was published in October 2011. Fling, one of her novels, will be published in July 2015.

http://lilyionamackenzie.wordpress.com/

Alan Semrow lives in Wisconsin and is a graduate of English from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. His poems and fiction have been featured in multiple publications, including BlazeVOX14, Red Fez, The Bicycle Review, Barney Street, and Wordplay, and he won the Essayist Award from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point English Department for his nonfiction work. In 2015, his stories are set to be featured in Earl of Plaid Lit Journal, EAP: The Magazine, Former People: A Journal of Bangs and Whimpers, and Blotterature Lit Mag. Semrow spends the vast majority of his free time with his boyfriend, best friends, family, and Shih Tzu, Remy.

INDIANA VOICE JOURNAL "OUT OF THE SHADOWS" SPECIAL ISSUE #2

NOMADIC EXISTENCE BY HELEN HILL

This issue is dedicated to the homeless, the hungry, and the people who feed them...

With Special Thanks to Eric Hill, Helen Hill and Robert Rivera, a team of NYC street photographers who have a passion for bringing social injustice out of the shadows and into the light.

Special Thanks to Allen Forrest for the use of his paintings from the Fairtrade Coffee Series.

~FEATURED CONTENT~

Click the links...

POETRY

"NIGHTWATCH" A LYRIC POEM WITH MUSIC AND VIDEO BY DB COX

"ONEIRIC ALMS" BY SUDHA SRIVATSAN

"A VOICE TOUCHING, REMNANTS, A SPIRIT NOT YET HOME" BY TOM SHEEHAN

"ON A CALL WITH DEATH, THE BOY WHO SOLD BALLOONS, THE HOMELESS MAN" BY PRERNA BAKSHI

"POVERTY, IT CAN BE BETTER, CARLTON, CLEANING HOUSE" BY ERIC HILL

HISTORICAL POEM "THE GREAT WHITE CITY" BY LYDIA FENWICK PATTERSON

(An unpublished poem written by my Great-Great Grandmother in 1921)

CREATIVE NONFICTION/ESSAYS

NONFICTION AND ART: FAIRTRADE NEWS "WOMEN IN COFFEE PROJECT" WITH VISUAL ART BY ALLEN FORREST

ESSAY: "THE CONUNDRUM OF POVERTY" BY RAYMOND GREINER

ESSAY: "WESTERN PULPS AND SIMILAR MAGAZINES OF DEPRESSION HUNGERS" BY TOM SHEEHAN

FICTION

"AS THE CROWS FLY" BY NANCY LANE

"OBTAINING MERCY" BY DB COX

"WHEEL OF LIFE" BY JAMES LAWLESS

PHOTOGRAPHY

NEW YORK CITY STREET PHOTOGRAPHY BY HELEN HILL

NEW YORK CITY "STREET LIFE" PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT RIVERA

NEW YORK CITY STREET PHOTOGRAPHY AND FLASH FICTION "I AM NOBODY" BY ERIC HILL

A POEM WITH MUSIC BY DB COX: NIGHTWATCH

Born and raised in India. Worked in Middle East and London. Daughter, wife and sister, aspiring to be known in the space of poetry as someone who weaves magic into language and combines unique design and strong color to her work of art.

In this issue: Oneiric Alms

Remnants (an earlier version appeared in River Poets Journal, 2009)

A Spirit Not yet Home (an earlier version appeared in my collection, Ah, Devon Unbowed, 1978

A Voice Touching

A drunk startles me

from a doorway.

Prerna Bakshi is a sociolinguist, research scholar and writer of Indian origin, currently based in Macao. She has contributed essays and articles to a variety of publications including The Hindu, CounterCurrents, Amar Ujala, and Desh Bandhu to name a few. Her poetry has been published in peer reviewed journals such as Muse India and is forthcoming in several publications.

Eric Hill, born in Washington DC, was first photographed among the cherry blossoms. This, no doubt, forms the basis for his colorful politics and a life long pursuit of cherry pie. That his Grandfather was a minister, no doubt explains, his intense desire to find another way to God than Religion. His writing comes from his profound need to get this crazy stuff out of his head.

He has published with Black Wire, Indiana Voice Journal, Rain/Disaster/Party, Ijagun Poetry Journal and Behhutet.

His photography can be found throughout this issue of IVJ.

Lydia Fenwick Patterson

Lydia Fenwick Patterson 1872-1944 wrote poetry. Her writings were found in a suitcase in an attic by family members. The pages were fashioned together as scrolls using loose leaf papers and straight pins. I am publishing her poem written in 1921, and never before published until today, because it still rings true. It is relevant. The entangled arms of poverty and oppression do not discriminate, and within that grasp are people from every walk of life. I read this poem and immediately thought of Wall Street while viewing pictures of humanity sleeping on the sidewalks and in the shadows of our great cities. Lydia was my great-great-great grandmother, and as I transcribe some of her poetry that was destined for the trash bin, the questions arise...How many other startling or important voices of our past have been lost, thrown out with the trash, dismissed as ravings, left undiscovered in attics and basements? What a pleasure to learn my grandmother wrote poetry, and to hear her speak from the grave on a topic I am so passionate about! I left this poem as I found it... In her words, and completely unedited.~Janine Pickett

Why Fair Trade?
Fair Trade provides artisans with an opportunity to earn vital income and improve their quality of life by establishing a sustainable market for their handcrafted products. Fair Trade looks to create positive and long-term impact for artisans and farmers while delivering great products to the public. When you choose to purchase Fair Trade products, you are endorsing an economic system that provides opportunities for producers to lift themselves out of poverty. Fair Trade provides assurances to consumers that producers are paid fair prices for their products and labor. In addition, Fair Trade provides a set of requirements that assure consumers that strict standards have been met to protect the environment, build economic sustainability, empower women, and allow opportunities for education, poverty alleviation, and health care.

Today, more than 1.3 million people - farmers and workers - across more than 70 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.

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 book, a collection of fiction and nonfiction essays titled Hinterland Journal was recently published by Outskirts Press. 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. He is a frequent contributor to Indiana Voice Journal.

Nancy Lane lives in Portland, Oregon and frequently participates in a women’s writing group, “Tuesday Morning Writers.” Nancy writes short fiction and essays, focusing on good people and positive themes.

Another story written by Nancy, "Tales Of Meander" appears in the February 2015 issue of IVJ.

As the Crows Fly

“Miss, Miss,” I turned to see if somebody was addressing me. An old man waved his hand as he looked my way.

DB Cox is a blues musician/writer from South Carolina. His poems and short stories have been published extensively in the small press, in the US, and abroad. His first collection of short stories called “Unaccustomed Mercy,” published by Studio Books, is available at the Amazon Kindle Store.

His poetry is also featured in this issue of IVJ.

Obtaining Mercy

Arthur Nagel is an ugly, little man. He stands barely four feet tall, and his head

is much too big for his body. The muscles on the left side of his face are totally

FICTION: "WHEEL OF LIFE" BY JAMES LAWLESS

James Lawless, a north American English teacher, is a former coeditor of an underground college newspaper, a history graduate from a foreign university and a published author. He's currently living near Milan Italy.

Wheel of Life

It’s early morning. We’re in bed. The room is dark and the house is cold. My wife begins to stir beneath the flannel sheets. “Please don’t take your body heater away,” I say while burying my sleepy head in the pillow.

MacHDD:Users:helenhill:Desktop:Helen Hill.jpg

"It's all about the Beauty of Light...I still prefer working with the Imperfections of Film." ~Helen Hill

Helen Hill is a street photographer living in NYC. Her work is featured below, and can be seen in the following publications:

Feb 2012: Group Exhibition Huesca Spain featuring 111 Photographers from around the World visually Interpreting the Literary texts of Ramon J Sender’s book ‘Memorias Biestas’ to mark his 111th anniversary of his birth.

Aug 2012: Featured in Erik Kim’s Street Photography Blog / Ms Helen Hill: Mise -en-scene

Jan 2013: Featured in ‘Leica Myself’ Book

March 2014: Featured in ‘Buffalo Almanack’ Magazine

Robert Rivera lives in the Bronx, writes poetry, and captures life on the streets as it happens.

"When I was young I held a gun and thought: I can point and shoot to kill. But then I held a camera, and thought: Hell yeah! I can point and shoot to thrill. My mother birthed and raised me where hip hop was born. I finished high school and it pays well. Then I went to college and "i" pay well. ....Hahaha.
When it comes to shooting, I aim to wow myself before I wow anyone else. I enjoy shooting different themes. People have different tastes and to vary in subjects keeps me open minded and creative" Photographs were taken with an iPod5. ~Robert Rivera

You can see more of his work at the following link: https://instagram.com/boogieblam/