OUR EDITORIAL BOARD
A hearing impaired writer and artist adopted in Luxembourg, Kelly Sargent is an awardwinning author of two memoirs in verse, a haiku and senryu poetry collection, and a children’s storybook. Recent honors include: Firebird Book Award winner, The Rash Award in Poetry finalist, Eric Hoffer Award nominee, Touchstone Award for Individual Poems nominee, and Best of the Net nominee. Her other works have appeared in more than eighty literary journals. She also serves as the creative nonfiction editor of TheBookendsReview. Visit www.kellysargent.com to learn more about her.
K.D. Zwierz is a lecturer, musician and poet. His poetry was recently featured in the anthology Ukraine in the work of international poets (Literary Waves). His writing explores themes of displacement, cultural identity and historical relativism, explored through the analysis of his own experiences growing up in a migrant farming community. Of PolishItalian descent, he lives and writes between Croatia, Kuwait and the UK.
Colby Flade (he/him) is a queer writer, artist, avid drinker of coffee, and student based in Chicago. He is the author of TheSmelloftheLightBlueHouseinSummertime (2021), Menthol(2022), FearHome(Oyez Review, Vol. 49, 2022), ShortSweetSimple:LovePoems (Bottlecap Press, 2022), IgnisFatuus(Beyond Words Literary Magazine, Issue 35, 2023) and TheFly&Odor(Beyond Words Press, 2023). Colby’s work can be found online, at bookshops like This Old Book in Grayslake, Illinois & The Book Teller in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and elsewhere. Flade attended DePaul University, studying Writing, Rhetoric & Discourse, and is currently pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education. Find him on Instagram @theflade and on www.theflade.com
Noah Evan Wilson is a writer and musician based in New York City. His stories have been published in Beyond Words, Dreamers Creative Writing Magazine, and Prime Number Magazine, among others, as well as the anthology, TenWaystheAnimalsWillSaveUs , from Retreat West Books. Noah is currently an MFA candidate at Rutgers University-Newark. His latest record, The View fromtheGround – EP , is now available on all major streaming platforms.
Candi Martin is a Creative Writing tutor and published writer/editor who writes on social equality and our roots in this world. She holds MA Creative Writing and Wellbeing from Teesside University and has always written for her own wellbeing. She can usually found listening to BBC6 music with a huge cup of tea. IG: @candi_says @writingforwellnessrossendale
Brian "Brie" Sheridan is a writer and editor existing on the East Coast. They are currently trying to publish their first chapbook. In their free time, the enjoy playing nostalgic video games, planning out tattoos, and drag.
Roberta Laurie is the author of Weaving a Malawi Sunrise. She holds an MA in Environmental Education and Communication and teaches in the Bachelor of Communication Studies program at MacEwan University. Roberta writes about writing, nature, sustainability, and sustainability communication. She is currently writing a memoir inspired by a box of letters left behind by her father.
WRITERS
Matt Pasca is the author of two full-length poetry collections A Thousand Doors (2011 Pushcart nominee) and Raven Wire (2017 Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist) and work that has appeared in more than 50 publications. Pasca has performed and taught workshops at dozens of colleges and conferences, and co-hosts a monthly poetry series, Friday Night Fire. Pasca was named Long Island Poet of the Year by the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association in 2022. www.mattpasca.com
Lina Buividavičiūtė was born on May 14, 1986. She is a poet and literary critic. Lina is an author of two poetry books in the Lithuanian language. Her poetry is published in "Matter", "Masters" and “Proverse Poetry Prize" contest anthologies, "Drunk Monkeys", "Beyond Words", "The Dewdrop", "The Limit Experience", "Beyond Queer Words", "Maudlin House", "Cathexis Northwest Press", "Poetry Online", "Red Noise Collective", "Sad Girls Diaries" magazines as well as "Versopolis" poetry platform. Upcoming publications include “New Millennium Writings”, "Cathexis Northwest Press", "Red Noise Collective", "The Stardust Review" and “Beyond Words” magazines.
Tanner Gore is writer based in Innsbruck, Austria. In his free time, he enjoys dancing in techno clubs, playing the saxophone, and cooking goulash.
Peter Ungar is an emerging Hungarian poet. He has been publishing poetry in literary journals for the past years. He is 33 years old, studied at Edinburgh University. His first poetry collection will be published this year in the publishing house Preae.
Thomas Sadoski is a founding member of the international humanitarian organizations War Child USA and International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance and member of the advisory council for Fortify Rights. His poetry has appeared in La Piccioletta Barca, The Bangalore Review, and Half & One. He lives in Upstate New York.
Lydia Ford is a poet based in Colorado, where she lives with her boyfriend and two cats, Melon and Zuko. You can often find her in a local coffee shop, probably telling someone about the year an album was released. Her work has been published in Words Dance Magazine, Ink & Marrow, and boats against the current, and more of her work lives on Instagram @lydfordwrites
While professionally a biology professor, Lena Garrison is at heart a seeker and explorer. She began writing poetry in high school as a cathartic release. She returns to it now in her 50's with a joy of new discovery.
Lily Mayo is a young writer from Houston, Texas y'all! She used to write stories with glitter ink pens in all of her sequined notebooks, and now she studies creative writing in a small liberal arts college in Boston.
Ela Kumcuoglu is a student living in London who has been published in Wildscape Literary Magazine, OWP Magazine and the Genre Society. She is a member of National Youth Theatre and currently lived in London. Originally from Türkiye, she moved to the UK with her family in 2018.
Rachel Berryman is an American Data Scientist living in Berlin. Her written work explores philosophical themes through everyday events and natural phenomena. Her work has been published in OPEN: Journal of Arts and Letters, among others. You can find her on instagram: @rachelberryman.
Kira Carney holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing from New England College. She has contributed to the Cellar Door, Kulture Hub, and Bloom Magazine publications. Carney is working towards becoming a certified Sex Educator through the Sexual Health Alliance. Instagram: @what_if_she_
Yvonne Morris is the author of two chapbooks of poetry: Busy Being Eve (Bass Clef Books) and Mother Was a Sweater Girl (The Heartland Review Press). Her work has appeared, or is forthcoming, in a variety of print and online journals, including The Main Street Rag, The Wild Roof Journal, Griffel, The Santa Clara Review, and elsewhere.
Berna Kahraman is a podcast producer, children’s book author and mother, who lives in Istanbul. A world traveler, and always a poet.
Dick Altman writes in the high, thin, magical air of Santa Fe, NM, where, at 7,000 feet, reality and imagination often blur. He is published in Santa Fe Literary Review, American Journal of Poetry, Fredericksburg Literary Review, Foliate Oak, Blue Line, The Offbeat, Cathexis Northwest Press, Humana Obscura, Haunted Waters Press, Split Rock Review, The Ravens Perch, Beyond Words, New Verse News, Plants & Poetry Journal, Wingless Dreamer, Sky Island Journal and others here and abroad. His work also appears in the first edition of The New Mexico Anthology of Poetry, published by the New Mexico Museum Press. Pushcart Prize nominee and poetry winner of Santa Fe New Mexican’s annual literary competition, he has authored some 250 poems, published on four continents.
G G Pizarro is the Puerto Rican author of Beyond the Language of Adalia: A Novella, The Hostess Secret: A Novel, and El secreto de la anfitriona (Spanish Edition). In addition to being an author, he is an educator, professor, doctorate student, and founder and president of G. G. PIZARRO, LLC. He is currently writing from Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Esteban Gaspar Silva is a Mexican immigrant educator, storyteller, and community organizer based in Brooklyn, NY. Through his work as a high school teacher, he explores the intersection of cultural identity and narrative, developing innovative curriculum that connects literary genres like Magical Realism, Afro-futurism, and Cyberpunk with social justice. His creative practice spans multiple mediums, including music, poetry, and short fiction, examining themes of queerness, immigration, and economic liberation. He also makes dark experimental hip-hop under the name Curanderx:// and uses the screen name Estepunk when using social media.
VISUAL ARTISTS
Cover art:PilgrimsofApolloby B. A. Kocsis, first published byGlassworksMagazine , Spring 2024, Issue 29 B. A. Kocsis is an Australian poet and collage artist whose work has been published in Liminal Spaces Magazine, The Oakland Review, Glassworks and forthcoming in Tofu Ink Arts Press Kocsis served in the Royal Australian Infantry. He holds a BA from the University of Queensland and a Master of Teaching from the Queensland University of Technology. IG: @b.a.kocsis; Website: brendenkocsis.com
Lior Locher, NoisyDuckling Lior is a nonbinary mixed-media artist, mainly working in acrylic, and collage and printmaking. After having lived in 6 countries on 4 continents and being homeless at some point, they are now based at the English seaside. Their training is in personal development, coaching and therapy, they are fascinated by people’s inner lives and how we make sense of our own inner journeys as humans, and the inner dynamics and stories we tell ourselves. IG: @liorlocher; Website: https://liordotart.wordpress.com/
Samuel Bartlett, SeatedWoman . With a practice spanning over three decades, Samuel has established himself as an accomplished artist and has been featured in numerous gallery exhibitions and publications across the US and Europe. He continues to create new works in his studio in Florida. @thesamuelbartlett; https://samuel-bartlett.com/
kAEDY, OnFire , 36x48, acrylic on canvas. kAEDY (Kristin Dorsey) is a self-taught artist born in California and based in Canada for over two decades. kAEDY's work is characterized by its versatility in both medium and subject matter, reflecting her commitment to exploration and self-challenge. Drawing inspiration from music, poetry, and human emotional connections, she skillfully employs various materials including acrylic, plaster, ceramic, and wood to create powerful visual narratives.
Benoît Tremblay, Throughthemistofhope Highly influenced by abstract expressionism, Benoît Tremblay aka BENT was born in Canada's Montreal south-west area in 1975. Since 1997, he had a little more than 10 solo exhibits and participated in a dozen group shows. He lives and works in Montreal, Qc, Canada, still continuing his best to built reflections on this world through abstraction and metaphorical poetic images. www.artmajeur.com/bent or Facebook: benoit.tremblay.31
Heidi Munger Sung, Thesearethecontentsofmyhead Heidi is a contemporary American painter who splits her time between suburban Maryland and rural Northern Michigan. She favors landscapes and objects from the natural world and often chooses scenes for their slightly off-kilter perspective. Website: www.heidimungersung.com; IG: @HeidiMungerSung
LUSMERLIN, QueenofHearts , 11x14, Pastel on paper. Bold like the streets of Santo Domingo, where she grew up, LUSMERLIN is a nationally exhibiting multidisciplinary artist, practicing in Greater Baltimore and Philadelphia. She has a professional background as a chemical engineer in textile and cement manufacturing. LUSMERLIN’s practice explores her own womanhood and identity: the presence of the body in space; the richness and baggage of her complex heritage-African, Arab, Spanish, Taino-; and her metamorphic immigration experience since moving to the U.S. in 2016. Her media include abstracted paintings, pastel, installations, photography and impromptu performances full of whim and force.
LUSMERLIN is a 2024 Philadelphia Mural Arts Fellow, a 2025 Sondheim Prize semifinalist, and a grant recipient from the Baltimore Office for Promotion of the Arts, and the Frederick Arts Council. Her literary work has been published in multiple books and magazines in Puerto Rico, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. Beyond art, LUSMERLIN is deeply committed to community engagement, volunteering with organizations that support immigrants, disadvantaged groups, and arts advocacy.
Patricia Cannon, Melancholy;BeautyBreakingThrough . Patricia has been a Registered Nurse at UCSF since 2001. She has worked in cardiac critical care, neurointensive care, heme oncology, school nursing, and currently, in research. Her passion is her faith, photography, and the written word in all its forms.
Yvonne Rojas-Cowan, Magic, Madness, Heaven, Sin, 10x10, Mixed Media. Yvonne is a multidisciplinary artist whose captivating works, characterized by layered textures and expressive brushstrokes, explore themes of resilience, transformation, and the human spirit. As a dedicated advocate for the arts community, she serves as Exhibitions Director at the renowned Woodstock Artists Association and Museum in Woodstock, NY, where she curates thought-provoking exhibitions that showcase the work of emerging and established artists. Her artistic vision has captivated audiences worldwide, with her work featured in numerous publications and prestigious commissions that demonstrate her exceptional talent and artistic depth.
J. E. Mathison is an artist and writer of literary fiction Once a project finance lawyer, she now lives in rural France and her debut novel, THE STACKING, is set for release in 2025. In her studio she paints for relaxation and inspiration and uses colour and texture to relay beauty and wonder.
Linda Allison, Artist's Palette Linda is a retired banker now living her best life as an explorer, photographer, and writer. She lives among the trees in The Woodlands Texas with the love of her life. Her writing has been published in Moon Park Review, The Blue Bird Word and Bright Flash Literary Review, among others, and her photography has been published in Burningword Literary Journal and PersimmonTree.
Ramona Galardi, Shadow2 , Original screenprint from a series of 8 original screenprints available for sale. Ramona is an artist and a therapist working in printmaking, mixed media and writes poetry. The Shadow series of artworks refers to our shadow self and how it can stop us from living our full potential, from being in our essence. It is the negative voice inside us, pulling us down, constraining us giving us all the reasons why not to live and act authentically. Ramona lives and works in Lisbon and also available for collaborations. www.ramonagalardi.com; Ramona.galardi@gmail.com; IG: @ramona_galardi
Jason Christensen,SpraypaintGunSlinger Jason is a painter deeply inspired by Street and Pop Art. By merging the expression and physical energy of forms and constantly stripping away at typical convention, he attempt to enable a more honest and personal exchange between the work and the viewer. His aesthetic is inspired by artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Rauschenberg, Blu, Barry McGee and Roy Lichtenstein. He also continues to be inspired by emerging artists.
Miklos Legrady is a visual artist and a critical writer. Like the Energizer Bunny, Legrady just keeps on going and going.Website - legrady.com, contact info legrady@me.com
JC Alfier, VillageStreet . JC Alfier’s most recent book, The Shadow Field, was published by Louisiana Literature Press (2020). Journal credits include The Emerson Review, Faultline, New York Quarterly, Notre Dame Review, Penn Review, Southern Poetry Review, and Vassar Review.
Michelle Oconis, AVoid . As a self-taught artist with a severe form of Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, Michelle often explore the physical and cognitive ramifications of her disease in her work. As a woman of Native American descent, she tends to reference nature and the spirit world. She works in mixed media with a primary focus on ink.
Amber Allen, ToLiftandSeparate ; IThinkIt'sGonnaBeALong,LongTime Amber is a contemporary painter whose work combines her passion for space travel, environmentalism, scientific theory and feminism. Always on the lookout for fun yet meaningful subjects, she explores the connections between our past and our future with a focus on space age themes as a metaphor for the human condition. IG: amberallenart
Benjamin Fairfield, whereis'away'? Benjamin received his PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Hawai’i, where he created an ensemble course where students repurpose found objects into musical instruments. He has taught music at the elementary and high school levels, produced a garage band rock album in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer, and has published in various academic and literary journals. His illustrated children's book about repurposing rubbish into musical instruments, "Kani Ka 'Opala," is scheduled for publication with UH Press this fall. To learn more about his projects and albums, visit www.kanikaopala.com
Georgia Cutter, Refracted Light Georgia is a California-born artist currently based in Washington D.C. with a background in Philosophy from U.C. Berkeley. Her art is influenced by her philosophical studies on death and impermanence. Growing up, Georgia was enrolled in a Charter Waldorf school that encouraged artistic expression from an early age. She is a self-taught artist who has experimented with drawing, painting, pottery, and photography. Today, she focuses primarily on bold, surrealist, and abstract ink drawings that explore themes of death, impermanence, and liminality. Instagram: @2matchsticks
