Visual Art by Darrell Urban Black

Darrell Urban Black I was born in Brooklyn, New York, I grew up in Far Rockaway, New York. In high school, I excelled in science with an affinity for outer space. In June 1969, as America fulfilled J. F. Kennedy's dream to put the American Stars and Stripes into the dusty surface of the moon My fascination with spaceships grew. As a child I made spaceship models eventually placing my artistic visions on paper resulting in some 500 drawings. Phantasmal spaceships eventually carried me to unique wonderland of strange forms and colors.

Visual Art by Junior McLean

Junior McLean is Bronx native, for a time lived in Anderson, Indiana and back, current freelance digital artist and graphic designer since 1996 and a digital cover “2D/3D” artist for Gaming, Fantasy, Sci-Fi; and fractals which have been used for public exhibitions and more.

Currently, he multi-tasks, runs a small freelance business, sells art online, and is just looking to get himself out there for the world to see.

Autobiographical Essay by Raymond Greiner: "The Marietta Hole"

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.  

Flash Fiction by Kip Hanson: "Losing Clint Eastwood"

Kip lives in sunny Tucson, where his wife makes him watch Poltergeist while insisting clowns are not scary. You can find his work scattered about the Internet, at Foundling Review, Inkspill, Bartleby Snopes, and a few other places, proving that a blind squirrel does occasionally find a nut. When not telling lies, he makes a few bucks cobbling together boring articles for technical magazines.

Fiction by Martin Chan: "And the Oscar Goes to Jail"

Martin Chan is an international student who is dedicated to expressing his emotions and thoughts through pens and paper. Besides writing, he is also an avid reader.

Flash Fiction by Elena Croitoru: "Da Capo Al Fine"

Elena Croitoru is based in London and is working on short stories, novels and poetry. She followed University of Oxford's Advanced Creative Writing Course and is currently studying for the Diploma in Creative Writing at the University of Cambridge. Her work has appeared in Ekphrasis - A Poetry Journal, Amaryllis Poetry, Foliate Oak, The Front Porch Review and other magazines. One of her stories has been selected as an Editors' Choice in Bewildering Stories' Fourth Quarterly Review of 2015. She also works as a software developer.

Fiction by Jason Ford: "A Hidden Identity"

Jason Constantine Ford is from Perth in Australia. He writes for the love of writing. His major influences poetry and fiction are Edgar Alan Poe, William Blake and Gerard Manley Hopkins. Most of his poetry is rhyming poetry as he is dedicated to it. He also writes fiction. His main influences for fiction are Bram Stroker and Phillip K. Dick. Jason is interested in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. He has a personal page at https://myspace.com/jasonconstantine.ford . 

Flash Fiction by Jennifer Criss: "The Chocolates"

Jennifer Criss graduated from Ball State University with a minor in Creative Writing. Jennifer writes mostly short stories but has discovered a love for writing poetry.  Her poetry has been published in Poebita Magazine, Whispers, The Poet Community, NY Literary Magazine and Indiana Voice Journal. Her work also appears in several print anthologies. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2016. She now works at Ball State, is a busy mother of two girls and the art editor at Indiana Voice Journal. 

December 2016/January 2017 Issue's #29 & #30: "The Winter Edition"

Tiergarten in Winter by Lesser Ury 1892

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Indiana Voice Journal! We hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Holiday Season. We have combined the December and January issues to ensure our staff gets to spend some quality time with their families during this season of miraculous possibilities. Light the fire, grab some coffee, and enjoy the fantastic poems and stories in this special issue of IVJ.

POETRY

Three Poems by Prerna Bakshi: "Buried in the Snow in Kashmir," "The Ethical Dilemma: Kids and Santa Claus," and "The Water Divide"
Three Poems by John Grey: "A Traveler on a Stormy Night," "Goodnight," and "This Grip on Me"
A Poem by Dr. Mel Waldman: "The Phone Always Rings"
A Poem by KJ Carter: "The Sacred Fragrance"
Three Poems by Jenny Kalahar: "The Yeti's Christmas," "Christmas Is," and "A Child's Christmas Cookbook"
Three Poems by Daya Bhat: "Hegemony," "Identity," and "Kanakambika"
Three Poems by JD DeHart: "Saucers," "Sharkskin," and "Prescriptions"
Three Poems by Stefanie Bennett: "The Rose Window," "Forger,' and "Lucidity"
Three poems by Doreen Joy Graham: "January Blizzards," "My Cat Named January," and "January Snowflakes Glisten"
Three Poems by Donal Mahoney: "Another Christmas Alone," "A Different New Year's Eve," and "Two Coots on New Year's Eve"
Two Poems by David Allen: "Year's End on Okinawa," and "No Christmas Tree"
Two Poems by Lynda McKinney Lambert: "Pantoum to Winter" and "Christmas Scentiments" 
Three Poems by Julie Petersen: "Writer's Strife," "Wishes of Forever," and "Dreamer's Message"
A Poem by Daginne Aignend: "A Murder in my Street"
Three Poems by Michael Lee Johnson: "Solo Boxing," "Hazy Arizona Sky," and "Lion in my Heart"
Three Poems by Andrew Harmon: "Dreams in the Cold," "Sherpa House -- Golden, Colorado," and "Spokey Dokey"
A Poem by Sherry Howard: "Silver and Gold"


CNF/ESSAY

CNF/Essay by Donal Mahoney: "A Not-Too-Jolly Santa Claus"
CNF/Essay by Raymond Greiner: "The Best Christmas"
CNF/Essay by Kelly J. Stigliano: "Christmas Clash"
CNF/Memoir by Harry Youtt: "A Child's Christmas in Midwest Ohio"

FICTION

Fiction by Paisley Kauffmann: "Delicate Tissue"
Fiction by Nancy Lane: "Driven Snow"
Fiction by Donal Mahoney: "What If Mary Had Chosen Otherwise"

A Video Greeting From Charles EJ Moulton/The Creativity Webzine

Three Poems by Prerna Bakshi: "Buried in the Snow in Kashmir," "The Ethical Dilemma: Kids and Santa Claus," and "The Winter Divide"

Prerna Bakshi is a writer, poet and activist of Indian origin, currently based in Macao. She is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and the author of the recently released full-length poetry collection, Burnt Rotis, With Love, which was long-listed for the 2015 Erbacce-Press Poetry Award in the UK and cited as one of the ‘9 Poetry Collections That Will Change The Way You See The World’ by Bustle in the US. Her work has been published widely, most recently in The Ofi Press, Red Wedge Magazine, TRIVIA: Voices of Feminism and Prachya Review: Literature & Art Without Borders, as well as anthologized in several collections. More here: http://prernabakshi.strikingly.com/

Three Poems by John Grey: "A Traveler on a Stormy Night," "Goodnight," and "This Grip on Me"

John Grey is an Australian poet who lives in the U.S. He has been published in New Plains Review, Stillwater Review and Big Muddy Review, with work upcoming in Louisiana Review, Cape Rock and Spoon River Poetry Review.

A Poem by Dr. Mel Waldman: "The Phone Always Rings"

Dr. Mel Waldman is a psychologist, poet, and writer whose stories have appeared in numerous magazines including Indiana Voice Journal, Liquid Imagination, The Brooklyn Literary Review, and others. He is a past winner of the literary Grandiva Award in Psychoanalysis and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He is the author of 11 books.

A Poem by KJ Carter: "The Sacred Fragrance"

KJ Carter (Kathy Jo) is a nurse educator, musician, and writer from Central Indiana. She is also a member of the Indiana State Poetry Association and Last Stanza Poets. Previous works were published in the July issue of IVJ and in the Poets of Madison County Anthology. She credits her family and pets as her “Muse”’

Three Poems by Jenny Kalahar: "The Yeti's Christmas," "Christmas Is," and "A Child's Christmas Cookbook"

Jenny Kalahar is the author of three novels and a collection of poetry, One Mile North of Normal and Other Poems. Jenny helms the Last Stanza Poetry Association in Elwood, Indiana and is treasurer for the Indiana State Federation of Poetry Clubs. Her humor column, “A Twist in the Tale,” is published twice monthly in Tails Magazine. Jenny is a used & rare bookseller with her husband, Patrick, from their old schoolhouse home in Elwood, Indiana.

Three Poems by Daya Bhat: "Hegemony," "Identity," and "Kanakambika"

Daya Bhat, from Bengaluru Karnataka, writes poetry and short fiction. She has published her first book of poems with the Writers Workshop (India) in 2013. Her poetry and short fiction have appeared in Kitaab, Off the Coast, New Asian Writing, The Tribe, The Bangalore Review and Earthen Lamp Journal among others.

Three Poems by JD DeHart: "Saucers," "Sharkskin," and "Prescriptions"

JD DeHart is a writer and teacher. His chapbook, The Truth About Snails, is available on Amazon. These poems have appeared previously at Leaves of Ink.

Three Poems by Stefanie Bennett: "The Rose Window," "Forger,' and "Lucidity"

Stefanie Bennett has published several books of poetry and had poems appear in Dead Snakes, The Fib Review, IS&T, The Galway Review, Snow Monkey, Shot Glass Journal, Communion, Snorkel, and others. Of mixed ancestry [Irish/Italian/Paugussett-Shawnee] she was born in Queensland, Australia. Stefanie’s latest collection “The Vanishing” is published by Walleah Press and available from Walleah and Amazon.

Three poems by Doreen Joy Graham: "January Blizzards," "My Cat Named January," and "January Snowflakes Glisten"

Doreen Joy Graham of Calgary, Alberta, Canada is an award winning poet who enjoys writing in traditional form poetry with metered lines and rhymes. She has written three fiction novels two of them are self published and available at Amazon.com. She is a mother and grandmother who enjoys writing about the simple joys of life. When trekking through tough times, her motto is to get better, not bitter. She’s always looking to brighten somebody’s day with her writing.

Two Poems by David Allen: "Year's End on Okinawa," and "No Christmas Tree"

David Allen is a retired journalist who spent 17 years as the Okinawa News Bureau Chief for Stars and Stripes, the daily newspaper for the American military community overseas. He is the Poetry Editor of Indiana Voice Journal and vice president of the PoetrySociety of Indiana. He has been published in numerous journals and has two books of poetry, “The Story so Far” and “(more),” both available through Amazon.com.

Three Poems by Donal Mahoney: "Another Christmas Alone," "A Different New Year's Eve," and "Two Coots on New Year's Eve"

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 Lynda McKinney Lambert: "Pantoum to Winter" and "Christmas Scentiments"

Lynda McKinney Lambert writes Poetry and Creative Non-Fiction Essays.
Her book, “Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage,” was published by Kota Press and is available on Amazon. Her work has appeared in literary magazines, newspapers, academic books and journals since 1985. She is a retired professor of fine arts and humanities from Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA. Currently, Lynda has 3 books in development for publication in 2017.

Three Poems by Julie Petersen: "Writer's Strife," "Wishes of Forever," and "Dreamer's Message"

Julie Petersen lives in Colorado where she has worked as a database professional for over 10 years while pursuing technical writing to give life to her desire to write. Her passion for writing and poetry started as a young adult after high school when she published her first poems in several anthologies. After returning to writing poetry over a year ago, Julie is an active poet on social media poetry groups and is included with many other contemporary poets in the top selling anthology titled "Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze: (Contemporary Poetry By New and Experienced Poets)".

A Poem by Daginne Aignend: "A Murder in my Street"

Daginne Aignend is a pseudonym for the Dutch poetess Inge Wesdijk. She started to write poems in English four years ago and has been published in severl online magazines. She likes hard rock music, photography and fantasy books. Daginne is a vegetarian and spends a lot of time with her animals.

Three Poems by Michael Lee Johnson: "Solo Boxing," "Hazy Arizona Sky," and "Lion in my Heart"

Michael Lee Johnson lived ten years in Canada during the Vietnam era. He is a Canadian and USA citizen. Today he is a poet, editor, publisher, freelance writer, amateur photographer, small business owner in Itasca, Illinois. He has been published in more than 915 small press magazines in 27 countries, and he edits 10 poetry sites. Author's website http://poetryman.mysite.com/. He was nominated for two Pushcart Prize awards for poetry in 2015 and Best of the Net 2016.

Three Poems by Andrew Harmon: "Dreams in the Cold," "Sherpa House -- Golden, Colorado," and "Spokey Dokey"

Andrew Harmon was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. He received his B.A. in Creative Writing from IUPUI.  He has worked in warehouses and hotels, fast food and retail. He says, "Throughout this all, I’ve stowed away snippets of imagery which has found itself emerging in the uneven lines of these poems." His book, “Human Hearts. Human Heads,” is available on Amazon.

A Poem by Sherry Howard: "Silver and Gold"

Sherry Howard lives in Kentucky in a house full of people and dogs. She enjoys writing prose and poetry. She says she's "an educator by trade, and a writer by choice. I like to say that our busy household is two dancing bears short of a circus, but I still find time to write."

CNF/Memoir by Harry Youtt: "A Child's Christmas in Midwest Ohio"

Harry Youtt is a frequently published poet and writer of short fiction, twice nominated for Pushcart prizes. He is the author of several poetry collections and chapbooks. He is also a long-time instructor in the UCLA Ext. Writers’ Program, where he teaches courses and workshops in fiction writing, poetry and memoir.

CNF/Essay by Kelly J. Stigliano: "Christmas Clash"

Kelly J. Stigliano has been a speaker and writer for over 25 years. She and her husband, Jerry enjoy life in Orange Park, FL. A blended family, they have five grown children, and two granddaughters, none of whom live in Florida! To learn more about Kelly, log onto www.kellystigliano.com.

CNF/Essay by Raymond Greiner: "The Best Christmas"

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.  

CNF/Essay by Donal Mahoney: "A Not-Too-Jolly Santa Claus"

Donal Mahoney, a native of Chicago, lives in St. Louis, Missouri. His fiction and poetry have appeared in various publications, including The Wisconsin Review, The Kansas Quarterly, The South Carolina Review, The Christian Science Monitor, The Chicago Tribune and  Commonweal.  Some of his work can be found at http://eyeonlifemag.com/the-poetry-locksmith/donal-mahoney-poet.html#sthash.OSYzpgmQ.dpbs=

Fiction by Paisley Kauffmann: "Delicate Tissue"

Paisley Kauffmann lives and writes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Life provides millions of bits and pieces to stitch together into stories. Her short stories have been published in The Talking Stick, The Birds We Piled Loosely, and The Writing Disorder. She writes with one of two pugs in her lap and receives gracious feedback from her husband. The Loft Literary Center, the Minnesota writing community, and her writing group support and fuel her motivation.

Fiction by Nancy Lane: "Driven Snow"

Nancy Lane, a member of Willamette Writers, lives with her husband and their dog in Beaverton, Oregon. Nancy graduated from UCLA and worked many years in the aerospace industry, until retiring. Her short stories have appeared in Indiana Voice Journal, Bewildering Stories, Scarlet Leaf Review and Fiction on the Web. Her essays have appeared in Indiana Voice Journal and the AARP Bulletin. Nancy is currently working on a collection of short stories with positive themes.

Fiction by Donal Mahoney: "What If Mary Had Chosen Otherwise"

Donal Mahoney, a native of Chicago, lives in St. Louis, Missouri. His fiction and poetry have appeared in various publications, including The Wisconsin Review, The Kansas Quarterly, The South Carolina Review, The Christian Science Monitor, The Chicago Tribune and  Commonweal.  Some of his work can be found at http://eyeonlifemag.com/the-poetry-locksmith/donal-mahoney-poet.html#sthash.OSYzpgmQ.dpbs=

A Video Greeting From Charles EJ Moulton/The Creativity Webzine

November 2016, Issue #28

Fall has always been a major source of inspiration for me.  Maybe it's the crisp air, the smell of burning leaves, or all the vibrant colors.  More likely it's all of the above, but I find myself writing a lot more and spending as much time as possible outdoors by a crackling fire. It's truly my favorite time of the year.  It's too bad this precious window of time lasts only a couple of weeks before the frost and snowflakes begin to appear.  Actually, around here it's not terribly uncommon to have already seen a light dusting.  Pretty soon we'll be staring out the windows at bare branches trying to figure out if the day's task is worth the suffering and risk of frostbite that leaving the house poses. November is also a time for giving thanks.  I am so thankful for my Indiana Voice Journal family, our contributors, and all our loyal readers each month.  You all are the reason we do what we do. We get some pretty wonderful  literary submissions and artwork.  Much like the amazing Autumn leaves- they're varied, unique, and full of vibrancy! This month is no less amazing (are we biased?!)  We have a great selection of poetry, fiction, artwork, and creative non-fiction. Lots of new faces as well!  Our featured artist is Bert Happel who not only has a nice feature in the issue, but his work also graces our cover.  Special thanks to Sandeep Kumar Mishra for the use of his artwork as well. Get outside and enjoy the crisp, fall air while it lasts, but I hope you’ll give the November issue a perusal.  I might mention also, that nothing feels better than a positive comment! Show your thanks by supporting our authors and artists with your kind words of encouragement.~Jennifer Criss, Art Editor


POETRY

A Poem by Andrew Hubbard: "Simple Pleasures"
A Poem by Milton Montague: "home in Indy-an-a"
A Poem by Vartika Srivastava: "Those Eyes are Watching You!"
Three Poems by Claudine Nash: "Bark Callus," "Warm Your One Sure Purpose," and "All Doors Day"
Haiku by Angel Edwards: "Day"
Four Poems by Blanca Alicia Garza: "Holding On," "Cherished Dreams," "Illuminated Reflections," and "The Forgotten"
Two Poems by Madu Chisom Kingdavid: "Without You (For a Beloved)" and "She Whispered Something (To an Egyptian Lady)"
Three Poems by Mark Danowsky: "Fray," "Needful," and "Seams"
Three poems by Steve Klepetar: "Summer's End, Traveling West," "The White Hour," and "Between the Lines"
Two Poems by Sanjeev Sethi: "Birthing" and "Tetrads"
A Poem by Robert Nisbet: "Stand in the Light, John"
Four Poems by Colin Dodds: "Rogues' Gallery," "The Survivor's Half-Meant Lament," "Unreliable Testimony," and "Peculiar Mirrors"
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."
Three Poems by G. Louis Heath: "A Shrill Cry on the Wind," " Love of Nothing," and "Lyrics Larder"
A Poem by Donna Arthur Downs: "Autumn Moments"
Three poems by Donal Mahoney: "Gardening in Autumn," "Seasons of the Year," and "Breakfast with Ted"
Two Poems by Richard Manly Heiman : "Someday We’ll Incarnate You in Porcelain" and "Family Album"
Three Poems by Joan McNerney: "Twelve Steps to Winter," "Winter Watch," and "Woods"


VISUAL ART

Photography feature by Bert Happel


CREATIVE NONFICTION/ESSAY

CNF/Essay by Donal Mahoney: "Long Before ISIS"
CNF/Essay by Frank Morelli: "An Open Letter To People Rocking Out in Cars"
CNF/Essay by Michael Marrotti: "Check Out My Blog: The Fallacy Of Contemporary Poetry"


FICTION

Fiction by Daniel Adler: "Confluence"
Fiction by N.D. Coley: "The Pumpkin Hatch"
Flash Fiction by A.S. Coomer: "The Yard Sale"
Flash Fiction by Rosanne Trost: "Monster"
Fiction by Harlan Yarbrough: "The Big Bang Theory"
Fiction by Richard Krause: "Hamid, the Water Carrier"
Fiction by Andra Land: "Field of Lavender"
Fiction by Pat Tyrer: "Mrs. Bash's Predictions"
Fiction by Andrea Cox Christen: "Keepers of the Lot"
Fiction by Adam Matson: "Sertraline Dreams"

A Poem by Andrew Hubbard: "Simple Pleasures"

Andrew Hubbard recently moved back to Indiana after ten years in Houston, Texas.  He has had five books published, including, most recently, his first book of poetry, "Things That Get You," which was produced by Interactive Press. He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2015.

A Poem by Milton Montague: "home in Indy-an-a"

 Milton Montague, was born in new York in 1924. He survived the Great Depression, school, and World W II, He fell in love, married, raised three wonderful daughters, and retired. He discovered poetry at 86. Now, at 90 plus years, he has 103 poems published in 29 different magazines, including Indiana Voice Journal.

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