HISTORICAL NONFICTION BY CHARLES E.J. MOULTON "VIENNA'S INTERNATIONAL THEATRE-LIVING THE DREAM"

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

FICTION BY STINSON ANDERSON "THE GHOST OF GOODWILL"

 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. 

FLASH FICTION BY ROCHELLE CASHDAN "REVENGE OF THE PASTA"

 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

FICTION BY COLE KINNA "UNCLE CHUCK'S MUSE SAFARI"

 

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. 

FICTION BY MARY LARSEN "FLATTENED CORN"

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. 

FLASH FICTION BY LILY IONA MACKENZIE "THE INTRUDER"

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/

  

FLASH FICTION BY ALAN SEMROW "WE USED TO FEED CHICKENS"

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

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. To hear the poem set to music scroll to the end.

POEM: "ONEIRIC ALMS" BY SUDHA SRIVATSAN

 
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
 

3 POEMS BY TOM SHEEHAN: A VOICE TOUCHING, REMNANTS, A SPIRIT NOT YET HOME

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.




A Voice Touching (appeared in The Cenacle, 2011)

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.

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

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.  

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

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.

HISTORICAL POEM: "THE GREAT WHITE CITY" BY LYDIA FENWICK PATTERSON CIRCA 1921

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  

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

©Allen Forrest

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.

ESSAY: "THE CONUNDRUM OF POVERTY" BY RAYMOND GREINER

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.

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

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.

FICTION: "AS THE CROWS FLY" BY NANCY LANE

 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.

FICTION: "OBTAINING MERCY" BY DB COX

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.