A Poem and Visual Art By Cecilia Soprano: "Thoughts In February"

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

Three Poems By Christopher Stolle: "Returning To Satchmo's Sanctuary", "Cycling Through-Midwest Poem Song", "next to of course john lennon judy garland i"

Christopher Stolle’s poetry has appeared in more than 100 magazines in several countries, including Labyrinth (Indiana University Honors Program), The Plaza (Japan), El-Shaddai (Singapore), Poetechniciens (England), Ultimate Ceasefire (Australia), and recently or forthcoming in the Burningword Literary Journal, the Tipton Poetry Journal, Flying Island, Writing Raw, Branches, and Snapdragon, and in three anthologies (In Our Own Words: A Generation Defining Itself [volumes 1 and 4; 1997 and 2002] and Reckless Writing [2012]). He has also published two nonfiction books with Coaches Choice: 101 Leadership Lessons From Baseball’s Greatest Managers (2013) and 101 Leadership Lessons From Basketball’s Greatest Coaches (2016). He works as a development editor for Penguin Random House, and he lives in Indianapolis.

Three Poems By Ajise Vincent: "Story Story", "Metamorphosis", "Why?"

Ajise Vincent is a Nigerian Poet. His poem “Song of a Progeny” was a shortlisted poem at the Korea- Nigeria Poetry feast, 2015. His works have been published in London grip magazine, Kalahari Review, Sakonfa literary magazine, AfricanWriter, Indian periodical, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Afrikana ng, Poetry Pacific, The Poet Community,  Whispers,  Commonline Journal, Novel Afrique, Black Boy Review, Tuck Magazine and various literary outlets. He is currently finishing up a major in Economics at the University

A Poem By Jocelyn Zarco: "This Ground Beneath Me"

 Jocelyn Zarco is from Shortridge IB High School.

Fiction By Matthew Fort: "Hemispheres"

Matthew Fort teaches American literature and rhetoric at Central Lakes College in Central Minnesota. As the son of an underground miner, his stories explore the joys, sorrows, and dreams of people who live in small, mining towns, similar to the one he grew up in as a child.  

Flash Fiction By Belinda Hubert: "Edges"

In addition to writing fiction and poetry, Belinda Hubert is currently working on a  a collection of short stories about life in the Midwest. Her novel, Shrink Wrapped is available on Amazon. Belinda works as a clinical psychologist in a private practice in Lowell, Indiana.  http://buelasprairiepractice.blogspot.com/

Fiction By Adam Matson: “Gales of Inappropriate Laughter”

My fiction has appeared in The Bryant Literary Review, The Berkeley Fiction Review, Mobius: The Journal of Social Change, The Driftless Review, Crack the Spine, The Broadkill Review, Happy Magazine, and The Cynic Online Magazine, with a forthcoming publication in Infernal Ink Magazine. I have also published a collection of short stories, Sometimes Things Go Horribly Wrong (Outskirts Press). I have previously published two short stories in the IVJ, "Dairy Queen" in February 2015, and

 "The Witch of Malibu" in September 2015. 

Fiction By Jenny Sturgill: "The Torn Dress"

Jenny Sturgill is a nurse living in Louisville, Kentucky. Publications include:
Page&Spine, Long Story Short, The Enchanted File Cabinet, Ky Story, Kentucky Explorer, and The Pink Chameleon.

CNF/Essay By L.D. Zane: "Caught"

L.D. 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. At 65, his life is quieter now, and is a member of The Bold Writers.

L.D.’s short stories have been published in: Red Fez, Indiana Voice Journal, Remarkable Doorways Online Literary Magazine, The Writing Disorder, The Furious Gazelle, Slippery Elm, and The Rain, Party, & Disaster Society.  His website is: ldzaneauthor.com

Essay By Raymond Greiner: "Where is my Garden?"

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. 

Visual Art By Eric Hill

Telling a story is my priority no matter what the Medium or Style … A Seduction of Color, Composition, Light/ Shadow revealing a sensation of being.
I draw images from the unconscious by spontaneous action over a ‘Section de Or’ grid, then apply Elements of Abstract, Cubism, Symbolism, Expressionism, to heighten the sensation / meaning. I want to leave the Viewer with an insight into the Interior Worlds, like an inward looking Mirror.

JANUARY 2016 ISSUE #17

"They Transition Easier If We Indulge Their Whims" by W. Jack Savage

This painting by W. Jack Savage pretty much sets the tone for the January issue of IVJ.   It's strange and terrifying... and wonderful.  I hope you enjoy this big edition and don't forget to leave comments on your favorite posts. Writer's love feedback. Have a blessed 2016. ~Janine Pickett

POETRY 

Caleb Allison, Alison Moncrief Bromage, JD DeHart, Ken Allan Dronsfield, Ricky Garni, John Grey, Ananya S Guha, David Howerton, Lindy Hubert, Frances Klein, Milton Montague, Simon Perchik, Gerard Sarnat, David Subacchi, Y.X. Xia

FICTION

Glenna Blomquist, Simon Brown, DB Cox, Nels Hanson, Muhammad Nasrullah Khan, Jim Kjeldsen, Jack Daniel Miles, Colin Rowe, L.D. Zane

NONFICTION/ESSAY/MEMOIR

Lynda McKinney Lambert, Charles E.J. Moulton, K.R. Riordan, Bruce F. Rosen, Adreyo Sen

VISUAL ART
W. Jack Savage, David J. Thompson

Three Poems By Caleb Allison: "And when do we embrace the madness?", "Κρητικά Χριστούγεννα", "Idol"

These poems were inspired by the local Cretan culture in Greece while being in the Navy stationed at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the island of Crete.  They spring from my observations of the local culture and environment as well as my feelings associated with being separated from my wife and family for long periods of time.  There is an odd juxtaposition of being able to enjoy the beauty of a paradise location but experiencing it without my wife and family and it is from this that my inspiration stems.

Three Poems By Alison Moncrief Bromage: "In the Pen", "Alibi", "Datum"

Alison's poems have been published in the Paris Review, Denver Quarterly, Barrow Street and in Drunken Boat (which has just nominated her poem "Teratoma" for a Pushcart). The following three are appeals to Daedalus, the tinkerer from mythology.

Three Poems By JD DeHart: "Brother", Bunker", "Hardly Known"

 

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

A Poem By Ken Allan Dronsfield: "Jack Speaks R2"

 
Ken Allan Dronsfield is a Published Poet/Author/Digital Artist who resides in Oklahoma. He has been writing for many years and has, only recently, been published in a variety of print venues. 

Three Poems By Ricky Garni: "I Can Feel The Wind On My Face", "Alligator V. Cat: 1-4", "In Retrospect"

Ricky Garni is a writer and machinist born in Florida and living in North Carolina. His most recent publications can be found in BOAAT, BITCHIN’ KITSCH, YELLOW CHAIR REVIEW and SECTION 8 MAGAZINE. His latest works are PINKY EMBRACE, via 101 Secret Wing Dings, and a bonbon collection of six poems by BITTERZOET, to be released in the sultry-heat of late summer, 2015

Three Poems By John Grey: "Being Unidentified", "A Spring Boy", "My Morning"

John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident. Recently published in New Plains Review, Perceptions and Sanskrit with work upcoming in South Carolina Review, Gargoyle, Owen Wister Review and Louisiana Literature.

Two Poems By Ananya S. Guha: "Man Dies", "Summer In Fetters"

Ananya S Guha lives in Shillong in North East India. He has been writing and publishing poetry for the last thirty years.

Three Poems By David Howerton: "pain of job hunting", "Looking for you in senses", "memory 1986 VII"

David's a part time programmer and lives in the American River Canyon outside of Auburn Ca. He has done some landscaping sign painting cooking and made jewelry to pay the bills. He lives a rather quiet life. His wife and he live with a bossy cat. He has three adult daughters and eight grandchildren. His hobbies include type design, soapstone carving, walks in the woods, collecting dragons, and a growing library of Science Fiction.