A Poem by Vartika Srivastava: "Those Eyes are Watching You!"

Vartika Srivastava lives in Punjab, India. She is fond of literature and is pursuing her Master of Philosophy in the field of Comparative Literature. Her stories and poems have appeared in many online journals. She is a travel enthusiast and has already lived in almost four different states in India. Her works focus on psychological realism, tracing the inner realities of the character.

Three Poems by Claudine Nash: "Bark Callus," "Warm Your One Sure Purpose," and "All Doors Day"

Claudine Nash’s collections include her full-length poetry book Parts per Trillion (Aldrich Press, 2016) and her chapbook The Problem with Loving Ghosts (Finishing Line Press, 2014). She also recently edited the collection In So Many Words: Interviews and Poetry from Today’s Poets (Madness Muse Press, 2016) with Adam Levon Brown. Her poems have won numerous literary prizes and have appeared in such publications as Asimov’s Science Fiction, Cloudbank, Haight Ashbury Literary Journal and Yellow Chair Review. She has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and is a practicing psychologist. Website: www.claudinenashpoetry.com.

Haiku by Angel Edwards: "Day"

 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

Four Poems by Blanca Alicia Garza: "Holding On," "Cherished Dreams," "Illuminated Reflections," and "The Forgotten"

Blanca Alicia Garza is from Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a nature and animal lover who enjoys spending time writing. Her poems have been been published in the Poetry Anthology, "Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze," available at Amazon.com. Her poems can also be found at The Poet Community, Whispers in the Wind,  Winamop Journal, Indiana Voice Journal, Tuck Magazine, Scarlet Leaf Review, and Birdsong Anthology 2016, Vol 1.

Two Poems by Madu Chisom Kingdavid: "Without You (For a Beloved)" and "She Whispered Something (To an Egyptian Lady)"

Madu Chisom Kingdavid is a Nigerian Poet and Writer. His works have been published in Expound, Kalahari Review, Africawriter, Pulse.ng, Penmind Media and Creativity, Coalng, afrikrayons, and elsewhere. He won the 2013 edition of the Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize.

Three Poems by Mark Danowsky: "Fray," "Needful," and "Seams"

Mark Danowsky’s poetry has appeared in About Place, Allegro, Beechwood Review, The Broadkill Review, Cordite, Elohi Gadugi, Grey Sparrow, and elsewhere. His mini-chapbook, NIGHTFALLEN, was published by Origami Poems Project in 2016. Originally from the Philadelphia area, Mark currently resides in North-Central West Virginia. He works for a private detective agency and is Managing Editor for the Schuylkill Valley Journal.

Three poems by Steve Klepetar: "Summer's End, Traveling West," "The White Hour," and "Between the Lines"

Steve Klepetar’s work has appeared widely. His poems have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. Recent collections include My Son Writes a Report on the Warsaw Ghetto and The Li Bo Poems, both from Flutter Press, and Family Reunion, forthcoming from Big Table Publishing.

Two Poems by Sanjeev Sethi: "Birthing" and "Tetrads"

Sanjeev Sethi is the author of three well-received books of poetry. His most recent collection is This Summer and That Summer (Bloomsbury, 2015). His poems are in venues around the world: Off the Coast, Drunk Monkeys, The Bitchin’ Kitsch, The Beatnik Cowboy, and elsewhere. He lives in Mumbai, India.

A Poem by Robert Nisbet: "Stand in the Light, John"

Robert Nisbet is a Welsh poet who has been published widely in Great Britain and in the USA in  the San Pedro River Review, Clementine Unbound, Red River Review, Constellations and elsewhere. He has one chapbook, Merlin’s Lane (Prolebooks, 2011).

Four Poems by Colin Dodds: "Rogues' Gallery," "The Survivor's Half-Meant Lament," "Unreliable Testimony," and "Peculiar Mirrors"

Colin Dodds is the author of  three books, Another Broken Wizard, WINDFALL and The Last Bad Job.  His writing has appeared in more than two hundred publications, and been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Best of the Net Anthology.  Colin’s book-length poem That Happy Captive was a finalist for the Trio House Press Louise Bogan Award as well as the 42 Miles Press Poetry Award in 2015. His his screenplay, Refreshment, was named a semi-finalist in the 2010 American Zoetrope Contest. Colin lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and daughter. See more of his work at thecolindodds.com.

Seven Poems by Goirick Brahmachari: "Now that Winter," "An Ektara," "Love in 1970," "This Anger, this Wrath," "Numb," "The Other Side of the Hill," and "Nervous February"

Goirick Brahmachari lives in Delhi, India, He hails from Silchar, Assam. His first collection of poems ‘For the love of Pork’ have recently been published from Les Editions du Zaporogue, Denmark.

Three Poems by G. Louis Heath: "A Shrill Cry on the Wind," " Love of Nothing," and "Lyrics Larder"

G. Louis Heath, Ph.D., Berkeley, 1969, is Emeritus Professor, Ashford University, Clinton, Iowa. He enjoys reading his poems at open mics. He often hikes along the Mississippi River, stopping to work on a poem he pulls from his back pocket, weather permitting. His books include Leaves Of Maple: An Illinois State University Professor’s Memoir of Seven Summers’ Teaching in Canadian Universities, 1972-1978, Long Dark River Casino, and Redbird Prof: Poems Of A Normal U, 1969-1981. He has published poems in a wide array of journals.

A Poem by Donna Arthur Downs: "Autumn Moments"

Donna Arthur Downs is an associate professor and co-chair of the Communication department at Taylor University. She has taught various writing, public relations and media courses since 2001 and advises the award-winning student newspaper, The Echo. She is the mother of two faithful sons and the grandmother of two remarkable grandchildren. Downs graduated with an Ed.D from Ball State University. http://donnadowns.wix.com/donna

Three poems by Donal Mahoney: "Gardening in Autumn," "Seasons of the Year," and "Breakfast with Ted"

Donal Mahoney has worked as an editor for Loyola University Press, The Chicago Sun-Times, and the Center for the Study of American Business at Washington University in St. Louis. Retired now, he keeps busy writing poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Some of his work can be found at http://eyeonlifemag.com/the-poetry-locksmith/donal-mahoney-poet.html#sthash.OSYzpgmQ.dpbs=

Two Poems by Richard Manly Heiman : "Someday We’ll Incarnate You in Porcelain" and "Family Album"

Richard Manly Heiman lives on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada. He works as a substitute teacher, and writes when the kids are at recess. His work appears in Dappled Things, Bop Dead City, After the Pause, and elsewhere. His URL is www.poetrick.com

Three Poems by Joan McNerney: "Twelve Steps to Winter," "Winter Watch," and "Woods"

Joan McNerney’s poetry has been included in numerous literary magazines, such as Seven Circle Press, Dinner with the Muse, Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze, Blueline, and Halcyon Days. Three Bright Hills Press Anthologies, several Poppy Road Review Journals, and numerous Kind of A Hurricane Press Publications have accepted her work. Her latest title is Having Lunch with the Sky. She has four Best of the Net nominations.

Visual Art/Photography by Featured Artist Bert Happel

Dr. Albert (Bert) Happel has been an optometrist in Madison County for the past 33 years.  During that time his primary hobby has been photography.  He is currently serving his second term as President of the Killbuck Photo Guild of Madison County.

I describe myself as an "Advanced Amateur" photographer.  My style is often Photodocumentary but I am drawn to capturing details and images with strong graphical elements.

More of my photos can be seen at the Killbuck Photo Guild gallery at: http://killbuckphoto.com/

CNF/Essay by Donal Mahoney: "Long Before ISIS"

Donal Mahoney has worked as an editor for The Chicago Sun-Times, Loyola University Press and Washington University in St. Louis. He has had work published in various publications, including The Wisconsin Review, The Kansas Quarterly, The South Carolina Review, The Christian Science Monitor, The Beloit Poetry Journal, Commonweal, The National Catholic Reporter and other magazines. Some of his online work can be found at http://eyeonlifemag.com/the-poetry-locksmith/donal-mahoney-poet.html#sthash.OSYzpgmQ.dpbs=

CNF/Essay by Frank Morelli: "An Open Letter To People Rocking Out in Cars"

Frank Morelli plucked his roots from the cozy, northern soil and buried them in the sun-baked clays of the Carolinas. His work has appeared in Cobalt, Rind, Philadelphia Stories, Jersey Devil Press, Change Seven, and the East Coast Literary Review.

CNF/Essay by Michael Marrotti: "Check Out My Blog: The Fallacy Of Contemporary Poetry"

Michael Marrotti is an author from Pittsburgh, using words instead of violence to mitigate the suffering of life in a callous world of redundancy. His primary goal is to help other people. He considers poetry to be a form of philanthropy. When he's not writing, he's volunteering at the Light Of Life homeless shelter on a weekly basis. If you appreciate the man's work, please check out his book, F.D.A. Approved Poetry, available at Amazon.