A Literary Journal
Click for PROSE | POETRY | DRAMA
Cover art: Jeff White, All But Blue
In this Issue
Once again, we bring you a range of literary voices and characters, among them an errant young man revisiting his past, a lonely widower, and a root doctor in South Carolina. While we do not seek to publish themed issues, we also include here three remarkable pieces of prose about the Vietnam War and another about a former Ukrainian soldier finding peace in an American hospital. We were fascinated to see how each addresses war in a different way, but with one conclusion: War is hell.
Among our poems in this issue, we found unexpected perspectives that seem familiar, as with the actions of a cnidarian, the fear of a young girl at a public swimming pool, the interpretation of real estate as specific bird nests, and the orphaned raccoon that personifies heartbreak. The poets transport us to the Metro in Beijing, a brother’s Grand Prix in Indiana, and a commuter train in New York, as well as to the frozen lake of approaching dementia, the monkey business of hunter-gatherers, and the balding of Cate Blanchett’s Queen Elizabeth. There are references and projections to the protected past and uncertain future in poems that reflect on the self and consider alternate views of complicated histories.
Finally, we’re always pleased to share news of the publishing/prizes successes of our contributors. George Choundas has a first book of essays just out in February that won the EastOver Prize for Nonfiction. His collection is titled Until All You See Is Sky.