Indiana Voice Journal

February 15, 2016

Poet David Allen Responds to "Deforestation"

Doomed to Domes

Poet Elizabeth Brooks Responds to "Image Defined"

Poems: Broken and Hunted, and Unbridled Potential

Poet Don Beukes Responds to "Entangled"

Poems: The Ghetto Chronicals, Child of Colour, and Belhar High 1985

Poet Scott Thomas Outlar Responds To "Crown of Water" and "Talking to the Moon"

Poems: Abdicating The Throne and A Sliver of Salvation

Poet Bruce Owens Responds To: "Talking To The Moon"

Poem: I want to begin something unbelievable.

Poet Janine Pickett Responds To: "Distress"

America, When Voices Cry Out...Do We?

February 2016 Issue #18

Is the lady in the painting waving goodbye to her dreary past and arriving into a future yet unborn the second she turns around? Or is she waving hello and getting ready to plunge into the dark and mysterious unknown? What do you perceive? Who is she? Where is she coming from, or where is she going? What's her story? This painting bothers me...I will give 25.00 and publication in the April issue to the best short fiction in 1,000 words or less. In the subject line of your email write: Fiction The Wave. Deadline: February 28, 2016.

Greetings and thank you to all our friends for gracing this issue of Indiana Voice Journal with your words, your beauty, and your voice. Our new friends include: David Allen- poetry editor, Jennifer Criss-editorial assistant, Linda Lichte Cook, Angel Edwards, Edilson Afonso Ferreira, Matthew Fort, Mark Luebbers, Alice Massa, Valerie Muensterman, Melissa Parietti, Christopher Stolle, Jenny Sturgill, Ajise Vincent, and Jocelyn Zarco. Our returning friends are: Elizabeth Brooks, Valentina Cano, Isabel Chenot, JD DeHart, David Domine, Ken Allan Dronsfield, Eric Hill, Belinda Hubert, Raymond Greiner, Ananya S Guha, Adam Matson, Arthur Powers, Cecilia Soprano, and L.D. Zane.

This issue is dedicated to my mom, with love. Happy Birthday, Dorothy Marie Patterson
(Feb. 2, 1942-Jan. 27, 2002)~Janine Pickett

POETRY

David Allen, Elizabeth Brooks, Valentina Cano, Isabel Chenot, Linda Lichte Cook, Jennifer Criss, JD DeHart, David Domine, Ken Allan Dronsfield, Angel Edwards, Edilson Afonso Ferreira, Ananya Guha, Mark Luebbers, Alice Massa,Valerie Muensterman, Melissa Parietti, Arthur Powers, Cecilia Soprano, Christopher Stolle, Ajise Vincent, Jocelyn Zarco

FICTION

Ken Allen Dronsfield, Matthew Fort, Belinda Hubert, Adam Matson, Jenny Sturgill

CNF/ESSAY

Elizabeth Brooks, Ken Allan Dronsfield, Raymond Greiner, Arthur Powers,
L.D. Zane

VISUAL ART

Eric Hill

Six Poems By David Allen: "Tellin' Ruth Ellen", "As My Love Lay Declining", "Her Legs", "My Love", "Turned Into Us", "You Who"

David Allen is poet and freelance writer living in Central Indiana. He is a retired journalist with 36 years on newspapers in Virginia, and the Far East, the last 19 years as Guam and Okinawa Bureau Chief for Stars and Stripes, the daily newspaper for the American military community overseas. He has been published in several on-line poetry magazines and has two books of poetry, “The Story So Far” and “(more),” both available from Amazon. He has been married to his Muse, Ruth Ellen, for 27 years.

Elizabeth Brooks resides in Tampa, Florida. She is originally from Trinidad and Tobago. A lover of life, family, friends, a good book, lots of laughter and continues to grow in her faith and accept many challenges. She is a librarian by profession and a part-time reference librarian at Saint Leo University, St. Leo Florida. She continues to enjoy reading and sharing her poems with many, at events in Tampa Bay.

Five Poems by Valentina Cano: "Milton", "Birthday, 2015", "Self-Portrait", "A Thought", "The Sea"

Valentina Cano is a student of classical singing who spends whatever free time she has either reading or writing. Her works have appeared in numerous publications and her poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Web. Her debut novel, The Rose Master, was published in 2014 and was called a "strong and satisfying effort" by Publishers Weekly.

Three Poems By Isabel Chenot: "Lullabye", "To a Historian", "Noah's Ark"

Isabel has had poetry appear previously in Indiana Voice Journal, The Penwood Review, and Anima Poetry Journal among other places: a poetry collection is forthcoming from Anima Poetry Press.

By Cassidy Marie

Linda Cook is an author, archivist, professional genealogist, and certified librarian assistant. She earned a Bachelor's in Education from Milligan College, and Master's in Education from Indiana Wesleyan University. She taught for 12 years in the public school system. Following her passion for genealogy and archives, Linda obtained additional certification in Genealogical Research from Boston University.

Jennifer Criss graduated from Ball State University with a minor in Creative Writing, a life long passion. She is currently collaborating on an anthology for older adults and helps lead a writing support group. Jennifer writes mostly short stories but has discovered a love for writing poetry. Her poetry has been published in Poebita Magazine. She now works at Ball State, is a busy mother of two girls, but her pen keeps moving. She is an editorial assistant with Indiana Voice Journal.

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

David Dominé teaches at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany and his articles, stories, translations, and poetry have appeared in publications such as the Wisconsin Review, Golden Walkman Magazine, Danse Macabre, and Book Ends Review. His non-fiction books range in topic from folklore and architecture to bourbon, travel memoirs and regional cooking. Current projects include the forthcoming novel Peter Paul’s Kitchen and a true-crime book about the 2009 murder of Jamie Carroll and the subsequent trials of alleged killers Jeffery Mundt and Joseph Banis.

Ken Allan Dronsfield is a Published Poet/Author/Digital Artist originally from Hampton New Hampshire, now residing in Oklahoma. He has been writing for many years and enjoys spending time hiking, playing guitar and spending time with his cats Merlin and Willa. His published work can be found at numerous print venues.

Three Poems By Angel Edwards: "Pensive Mood", "December Morning", "Tree Arms at My Window"

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

Mr. Ferreira is a Brazilian poet who writes in English rather than Portuguese, in order to reach more people. Has been published in four printed British Anthologies, online or printed reviews like Cyclamens and Swords, Right Hand Pointing, Boston Poetry Magazine, The Lake, The Stare’s Net, The Provo Canyon, Amomancies, Snapdragon, The Gambler, Whispers and some others. Short listed in four American Poetry Contests, lives in a small town with wife, three sons and a granddaughter and began writing after retirement as a Bank Manager. He is collecting his works for a forthcoming book. See more at www.edilsonmeloferreira.wordpress.com.

Two Poems By Ananya S Guha: "Distress Buying,Selling...", "Flowers"

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

I live with my wife and 2 sons and teach across the Miami river in the suburbs of Cincinnati Ohio. From this very “mid-American” perspective, I try to write with an eye on the convergence of the human and natural worlds, i.e. how nature finds a way of adapting to the changing landscape imposed on it, and how those adaptations (or failures) reflect on our own condition. I’ve published in several journals recently, including Miller’s Pond Poetry Review, Bird’s Thumb, and Blue Line, and have recently attended both the Sewanee Writer’s Conference and The Bread Loaf Conference for Writers of the Environment.
http://cargocollective.com/markluebbers

A Poem By Alice Jane-Marie Massa: "Immigrant from Indiana"

After earning master’s degrees from Indiana State University and Western Michigan University and teaching for 25 years, Alice Jane-Marie Massa retired from teaching writing and public speaking at a Wisconsin technical college. Alice invites you to visit her blog: http://alice13wordwalk.wordpress.com, where she posts her poetry, essays, short stories, recipes, or memoirs each Wednesday. Her writings on Wordwalk frequently focus on her guide dogs, her Hoosier hometown of Blanford (25 miles northwest of Terre Haute), her Italian family heritage, and holidays. Recently, her writings have also appeared in Magnets and Ladders, Newsreel (audio magazine), Dialogue, and The ACB Braille Forum. Being the current president of Behind Our Eyes (an international group of writers with disabilities) also fills hours of her retirement. Away from her desk, Alice most enjoys long walks with her third Leader Dog (Zoe), container gardening, and the television program Jeopardy.

Valerie Muensterman is a senior at Mater Dei High School in southern Indiana. She is actively involved in theatre and has written and directed four plays at her school. In addition to writing, Valerie enjoys playing the piano, banjo, guitar, and ukulele. She plans to pursue writing in college.

Three Poems By Melissa Parietti: "Music Box", "Holy Wafer", "Deadly Arrow"

Melissa Parietti is a writer from Long Island who has produced poems, short stories, novels, and business literature. Find Melissa on Twitter @MelissaParie.

Arthur Powers is from Illinois. In 1969 he went to Brazil as a Peace Corps Volunteer and lived most of his adult life there. From 1985 to 1992 he and his wife lived in the Brazilian Amazon, working with subsistence farmers in a region of violent land conflicts; through his experience with the farmers, Arthur came to appreciate more deeply his own Midwestern heritage.

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

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.

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/

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Frances Klein is a high school English teacher and poet. She was raised in Southeast Alaska, and has since migrated to Indianapolis, where she lives with her husband Kris.

Three Poems By Milton Montague: " "Sweet Spot", "The Face", "Writer's Block"

milt montague was born and raised in new york city, survived The Great Depression, the school system, and World War ll. After 20 years back at college he discovered poetry at 85. Now at 90 plus he has 54 poems published in 14 different magazines.

Simon Perchik is an attorney whose poems have appeared in Partisan Review, The Nation, Poetry, Osiris, The New Yorker, and elsewhere. His most recent collection is Almost Rain, published by River Otter Press (2013). For more information, including free e-books, his essay titled “Magic, Illusion and Other Realities” please visit his website at www.simonperchik.com.

Gerry and his wife of 45 years live in the room above a daughter’s family’s garage. Grandkids wander in and out all the time. It’s great! When we’re not there, we live in a yurt where our son’s family lives off the grid between the Klamath River and Marble Mountains.

Gerard Sarnat MD received his education at Harvard where he was the editor of the freshman literary magazine The Yardling, and Stanford. He established and staffed clinics for the disenfranchised, has been a CEO of healthcare organizations, and was a Stanford professor.

David Subacchi lives in Wales (UK) where he was born of Italian roots.

He studied at the University of Liverpool and his poetry collections

FIRST CUT (2012) and HIDING IN SHADOWS (2014) are with

Cestrian Press. You can find out more about David and his work

at http://www.writeoutloud.net/profiles/davidsubacchi

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February 15, 2016

Doomed to Domes

February 2, 2016

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