SageofConsciousness E-zine 2:3 Contributor Biographies

Contributor Biographies

Poetry

Trevor Abes is a second semester Literature student that resides in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia. He is 18 years old and has been published in each issue of the Sage of Consciousness E-zine since its birth; he also has a poem in the latest issue of the Re:verse E-zine located at www.youngpoets.ca. He enjoys talking about Chomsky with his linguistics professor. He is currently reading "Animal Farm" by George Orwell. Contact him at trevorpantera311@yahoo.ca.

Tamour Allen is a writer and artist and is the editorial manager at Moondance.org. She has numerous pieces strewn about the net and in print magazines, journals and e-zines. She relishes in metaphors and the subtle twist of a phrase and delights in bringing both pictures and words together. She can be reached at tamour.allen@gmail.com

Everett Bonds: "I was born in Rio Grande, Texas. My mother was of Mexican extraction and father was serving in the U.S. Cavalry when they met. We later moved and I began my education in Garden Grove, California. I have served in the United States armed forces and was a lab technician for five years. However, I grew up working in the plumbing trade since my father was a plumber. We lived in Florida, because my wife refused to live anywhere else ( she was born in Inverness, Fla.). She knew something I didn't know. I have always thought of the United States as my home, and I have lived various places, such as Washington state, now. After working at different jobs, I finally went to college and graduated from TCC. (Tacoma Community College) They placed great emphasis on their graduates being able to write. Even though a teacher had asked me to write a poem entry for her poetry booklet she published for the college every year, I was really surprised she would ask me. Up to that time, I had never written a single poem. After seeing my step-daughter's Bernadette's poetry, I began to entertain that notion. Now, I have been writing poetry for about two years. It is very enjoyable for me to write poetry. I also am a frequent visitor to www.publisherdatabase.com. It is wonderful to talk to other poets about their work. I also try to write songs, but I am much more comfortable writing poetry."

Jonelle Bowden: "Words are okay and so is experience, but to mean what you say or to understand what you do—is an experience worth describing. (At least, to me it is.) Across so many bridges of poetry, have I come to glimpse what I've done and thought in the rivers beneath me. In today's river's current, exist faces enough to forget, except for: my mom Jennifer's, sister Emma's, boyfriend Ramesh's, and two dogs "Mutley's" and "Junior's." My heart reflects these strongly.

Karyne de Contreras is a multitalented artist creating within the contexts of Dance, Choreography, and Poetry. Karyne created PoemDance, which combines her writing & choreography to create a provocative performance that is emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical. Karyne is also the choreographer for the Emmy Award Winning singer/songwriter Faith Rivera. Karyne is 42, and resides in Hawaii.

Bella Dante is an artistic being who brings beauty into everything she sees. She has been published with Sage of Consciousness, Moondance, Juked, Flag Pole, and more forthcoming. You can email her at bella.dante@gmail.com.

Joseph A. Farina is a Sarnia lawyer whose writing has won several awards including second prize in The Sarnia Observer “My Hometown” contest for his essay “My New Home Town” and three honourable mentions (two from the “In the Mood” poetry contest 2005 and one in the Unlocking the Muse anthology contest 2005) from The Ontario Poetry Society. His work has appeared in several anthologies Sweet Lemons: Writings with a Sicilian Accent, Witness (published by Serengeti Press), and Unlocking the Muse as well as in numerous Canadian publications such as Green’s Magazine, Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine, Ascent and in Tower Poetry journals. In the United States, his poems have been published in the New York magazines, Pyramid Art, Boxcar Poetry Review and Fiele-Festa. The Cancer Chronicles: a parent’s journey is Joseph’s first collection of poetry. And was published April, 2006, by Serengeti Press., Waterdown Ontario.

Tina Finkelstein: "I am a registered nurse by trade, and an aspiring writer by design. I enjoy the arts, including literature, music, and painting. I have been published before, and those works may be found on Medhunters.com, an on-line medical magazine that publishes works from those with experience in the field."

Taylor Graham is a volunteer search-and-rescue dog handler in the Sierra Nevada, and also helps her husband (a retired wildlife biologist) with his field projects. Her poems have appeared in International Poetry Review, The Iowa Review, The New York Quarterly, Poetry International, and elsewhere, and she's included in the anthology, California Poetry: From the Gold Rush to the Present (Santa Clara University, 2004). Her book, The Downstairs Dance Floor, is winner of this year’s Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Prize from Texas Review Press.

Lesa Alison-Hastings teaches writing and literature in the English Department at Colorado State University. She has also taught writing classes as a volunteer at battered women's shelters. Her publications range from poetry, to fiction, to journalism. She has one collection of poems, She of Me, which was published in 2000.

Kavita S. Hatwalkar is a PhD student in English at Stony Brook University. She writes poetry and is still in the process of writing her first novel, tentatively called Pinnacle of My Prism. She studies nineteenth-century and twentieth-century American Literature and teaches writing, American Literature, Poetry writing and Women’s Studies. In addition to her academic interests, Kavita is a huge popular culture junkie and could not function adequately without her subscription to Entertainment Weekly. She watches an egregious amount of television, contributing to her vast knowledge of the absolutely unimportant. She also enjoys reading online gossip columns.

Cher Holt-Fortin: "I have published numerous poems over the past 20 years. My chapbook "Waving a Banana Leaf" won the Moonfire Woman 2001 poetry award. I practice aikido and quilt and teach. I live in upstate New York after being a Southerner for 30 years. I am that rarity half northern and half southern."

Leland Jamieson, a performing arts center manager for most of his working life, is retired and lives in East Hampton, Connecticut, USA. His recent and forthcoming work appears in Bellowing Ark, Blue Unicorn, Neovictorian /Cochlea, Raintown Review, and 3rd Muse. He has gathered a number of published formal poems, some with streaming audio, under the title Needles in a Pinewood at
www.geocities.com/lelandjamieson. He is hawking a 60-page book manuscript by the same name.

Gulnara Karimova is a PhD student at Eastern Mediterranean University. She is interested in Russian and Arabic poems, translations and advertisingGulnara Karimova is a PhD student at Eastern Mediterranean University. She is interested in Russian and Arabic poems, translations and advertising

Ilona Lagowski-Timoszuk was born in Warsaw, Poland during the height of communist rein. Her father relocated the family to the USA, opening the first doors to Ilona’s creative possibilities—freedom of speech. Growing up in Boston was coarse. A teenager in the height of the 80’s drug boom, Ilona’s life was threatened numerously. It was through her writing that she bloomed, publishing her first poem at sixteen. After graduating Cum Laude with a BA in Creative Writing, Ilona’s priorities took a radical swing. She didn’t want to be torn between children and career, so she gave up her scholarships to graduate school in order to focus on her two children. Ilona is a currently graduate student at University of Manchester, UK, where she is completing her MA in Novel Writing. Her writing has been featured on the BBC. Rogue Scholar, Andwerve, The Write Side Up, and LauraHird are a few literary journals who have published her work. In June 2006, Ilona won first place in the poetry competition hosted by Poetrywars.com. Ilona resides both in Florida and the UK with her husband and their two children. She can be reached at ilona@tampabay.rr.com.

Rebecca Lyne is a freelance writer of poetry and creative non-fiction. As a writer, she believes that no story can be told without glimpsing into the "great immensity" of the universe, as mysticism and the individual are inseperable, whether one is aware of it or not. A sociologist at heart, her greatest love has been the study of cultures, language and travel, and these experiences have influenced her creative work and professional life. Her non-fiction writing has appeared in the International Herald Tribune and Madison Magazine. She is actively working towards the completion of a a manuscript and her first volume of poetry. She received her Bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in International Relations and French in 1991 and is currently completing a Masters at that same, great institution (Go Badgers!). Her day job is as a global business professional and she divides her time between Wisconsin, USA and Paris, France.

Steven Manchester: The father of two sons and one beautiful, little girl, Steven works as Business Continuity Officer for State Street Corporation. As a free-lance writer, he has published more than 80 articles both local and abroad. His work has been showcased in such national literary journals as Taproot Literary Review, American Poetry Review and Fresh! Literary Magazine, as well as various magazines to include Angels on Earth, Obadiah, Titan, G.F.O. (U.K.), Skyline Literary, Alive Now, Dark Animus (Australia) and Spinnings Short Stories. Hundreds of his essays, poetry and short fiction have been contributed to Internet publications such as Zine5, New Mystery Reader, Wilmington Blues, Heartwarmers, The Murder Hole, Father's World, and dozens of others. His work has appeared on NBC's Today Show, CBS's The Early Show, CNN’s American Morning, BET’s Nightly News, Good Day Atlanta; in the New York Daily News, Newark Star Ledger, Boston Globe, Detroit Free Press, Providence Journal, Dallas Morning News, Orlando Sentinel, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, The DailyOklahoman; and on 50+ nationally-syndicated radio shows from coast-to-coast. Steven is an accomplished speaker, and currently teaches the popular workshops Publish: See Your Work In Print and Writing Fiction That Sells for Southcoast Learning Network in Massachusetts, as well as the Learning Connection of Rhode Island. He has completed his first full-length novel; THE ROCKIN’ CHAIR, and six full-length screenplays: THREE SHOEBOXES, GOOSEBERRY ISLAND, ROLLING HILLS, END OF WATCH, DADDY’S LITTLE GIRL and PUBLIC SCENERY. He is currently working on his second novel; PRESSED PENNIES, a horror collaboration; SKELETON KEYS, a poetry anthology; WHISPERS OF INSPIRATION, and his fifth collection of poetry; IDLING BY. When not spending time with his children, writing, teaching, or promoting his published books/films, this Massachusetts author speaks publicly to troubled children through the Straight Ahead Program.

Jewel Martin is a poet, and a painter. Her life is lived in the state of Florida where the wind dances and plays in her hair. Many refer to Jewel as an unexplainable enigma; embracing this, she enigmatically makes herself her own. Jewel has published in several literary magazines under various pen names. Her most recent work can be found in the BluePrintReview, themed Issue, mo(nu)ment. http://www.spoliedink.com/JewelMartin

Suchoon Mo: He is a former Korean Army Lieutenant and a Korean War veteran. Now he is a retired academic living in the semiarid part of Colorado, USA. His poems have appeared in East and West (India), Snakeskin (UK), the Surface (UK), Dissident Editions (UK), America Sings, Riverside Poetry, Religious Humanism, Bitter Oleander, Poetic Voices, Above Ground Testing (Canada), Adagio Verse Quarterly, Spillway Review, Thunder Sandwich, Voices, Persistent Mirage, Full Moon, Poetry Stop (Canada), Stylus Poetry Journal (Australia), 3 Cup Morning, Malleable Jangle (Australia) , Sage Of Consciousness, Farsight, Subtle Tea, Poetry Magazine, The Coffee Press Journal, Verse Libre Quarterly, Underground Window, Quill and Ink (India), and others. He received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from University of Pennsylvania, and is the author of a number of research articles and theoretical monographs dealing with nature of time and time perception. He is a 4th Dan black belt in Taekwondo and an international referee. He has returned to his old passion for music and is practicing the art of orchestral composition.

Rochelle Moore ROCHELLE MOORE is an Irish metaphysical (self-help) author with three published books to date.
1. Karma— change your life is a look as the importance of a spiritual belief system for everbody on a day-to-day basis. This book is for everyone it does not matter what your personal belief system or religious creed. It features Buddha, Jesus, Dali Lama, Krishna ...
2. Aromatherapy & Herbalism—the complete home user's guide. This book revives the olden ways and shows very clearly and with ease how you can treat many physical and psychological ailment through the use of flowers, herbs and essential oils. Extracts include cures for anxiety, acne, cystitis, depression, fears, phobias, panic attacks, courage, grief right through to worry and warts. BOOK 3 WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS—is dedicated to everyone on a healing journey or for those at an impasse in their lives and who want to take a deep look at what will make their lives happy. The topics include; your inner critic, fears and phobias, addictions, sexual problems, health, humor and affirmations. Rochelle Moore is also a poet who has been published in various magazines, books and won competitions in the UK and USA. Her main loves in her life, when she has the time, is horses, natural cures and nature. Her books can be purchased at amazon.com or directly from her publishers in the USA—www.mandala-press.com

Rachelle Nones holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature. Her writing has been published in Old Trout magazine and In the Fray. Rachelle's poetry will be published in the November issue of Fit Yoga magazine, and her book reviews will be featured in Tri-County Woman.

Miha Pintaric has taught French Literature at the University of Ljubljana for 18 years, published books and articles on this and other subjects in England, France, Italy, US etc. His texts (including mono-and multilingual poetry) have been published in academic reviews, daily press, weekly/monthly magazines, paper or electronical. They have also been broadcasted. He has lectured in France, spent a term as a Visiting Fellow at Magdalen College Oxford, has been in charge of three successful research projects and is currently Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana. He recently received the Prize for the Best Essay in his home country.

Matt Russell: Growing up in a small northern Indiana town, Matt Russell has been an avid storyteller for all of his life. Most of his high school career was spent homeschooling, where he was able to learn about the world beyond his small corner, as well as begin to put his stories on paper. Since then, he has written several poems, short stories, and been very active in his college newspaper. He is currently attending Indiana University of Kokomo, and one day hopes to find a career where he can follow his two passions: writing and helping others.

Luminita Suse was born in Bucharest, Romania. She has lived in Canada with her family since 1995. She is editor for www.agonia.net, www.luminitasuse.com, Atheneum Magazine, Vancouver, B.C, and a member of Ottawa Independent Writers, The Ontario Poetry Society, Romanian Writers Society. Her poetry was published on www.astropoetica.com site, in the Premier Print Edition anthology, Ascent Aspirations Magazine, B.C., December 2005 and in Enchanted CrossRoads anthology of TOPS - The Ontario Poetry Society, June 2006.

Cheryl Lynn Wilsey grew up in the Midwestern portion of the United States. As an undergraduate student she studied visual art, music and education. As a graduate student she studied visual art, education and poetry. She has written poetry and composed visual art works for many years now. This is what sustains Cheryl’s vitality. Cheryl has been previously published with Sage of Consciousness, Coffee House Press, Runes Magazine and JMW publishing. She is currently living in Colorado next to the beautiful Rocky Mountains and is working as an English as a Second Language instructor. She hopes that you will enjoy her entry and contribution to this edition of Sage of Consciousness.

Featured Short Story Writer: Steven Manchester

Short Story

Liam Bailey: "I am a 23-year old freelance journalist, writing a regular monthly news column for Lifescape Magazine. I have set up three blogs to showcase my reporting talents alongside my port-folio. Better World at http://liambailey.wordpress.com, contains my articles published in Lifescape among others I have written specially for the site. Warpages at http://warpages.wordpress.com was the first I started and contains analysis based articles on past, present and possible future wars. The new blog I started to showcase my journalistic skills is Baileymail at http://baileymail.wordpress.com, which I had been writing an article for daily until yesterday, when notification about this story being accepted for publication, with the request I write as the featured short-story writer in the near future led to an announcement. I had given up on my fiction to concentrate on my journalism and blogs shortly after submitting Terrorists Within, SoC calling it an exceptional piece and asking me to become a future featured short story writer meant I decided to again start sharing my spare time (I work full-time) time between writing fiction, poetry and journalism. I was forced to announce that I would no longer be able to post daily to the Baileymail. Terrorists Within is my second published story, and I have currently had 8 poems published in anthologies by United Press, Dogma and Forward Press, three written on request."

Jason Robert Cornelius: My name is Jason Robert Cornelius. I'm 32. I live in Birmingham, Alabama. I graduated from the University of Alabama in 2005 with a bachelor's in communications/print journalism. I'm married, have two cats and one dog, and work as lot security for a textbook store at UAB. Currently I'm in the process of completing the first draft of a horror novel, in addition to submitting various nonfiction essays on the always-lively subject of religion and politics. My inspirations include H.P. Lovecraft, Clive Barker, Stephen King, Lewis Grizzard, Al Franken, the Onion, Rod Serling, Dave Barry and Dr. Seuss.

Shishir Gupta: A poet and story teller given to uncovering inner crevices of human psyche. In particular the mores and practices that we have established since we set up our present civilization needed to be altered for the better in the fast changing global scenario. However that has not been the case. "I write fiction and poetry to emphasize such aspects. In fact my majority messages deal with creating a new philosophy of life. I love like minded people whether writers or not.Essential to such a new philosophy is fairness in all things we do. Fairness is a standard as is accepted by the process of voting in all life matters.However sometimes I love to dwell deep into human emotions and miseries as well. I would really appreciate if a few of my poems and stories are "read and understood" rather than "all of my poems and stories are read skimpy manner. Reader's pleasure is assured to be multiplied several times when former approach to reading my poetry or fiction is adopted. And a reader who reads a few of my poems or stories and understands their intended meaning is bound to take on others for much deeper understanding. I am a banker by profession and reside in India.I have a keen desire to be in Europe and America to understand people and cultures from a closer angle."

Derek Hayes is a history teacher in Toronto. He has stories published in the Dalhousie Review, Zeugma magazine, and Transitions magazine. He is currently looking for a publisher for his collection of stories, Neuroses.

Laura N. Hogg lives in Colorado and is a musician and a writer. She writes flash fiction to full-length historical novels. She has stories published in the e-zines Sage of Consciousness and The Coffee Press Journal. She is due to have her first historical romance novel published by Wings e-Press Inc. in December 2007. One of her novellas was accepted at the new epublisher: Forbidden Publications. The novella is a modern-day paranormal romance.

Michael Bret Hood is the author of the critically acclaimed book, Outrage: We The People as well as a number of short fictional pieces and travel articles which have appeared in a number of mainstream newspapers and magazines. You can purchase Outrage: We The People at www.baycrestbooks.com or through any major bookstore. Check out the first chapter at Michael's web site, www.americanoutrage.net, and be reminded of the true power of the people.

Gary Lehmann teaches writing and poetry at the Rochester Institute of Technology. His essays, poetry and short stories are widely published—over 100 pieces a year. He is the director of the Athenaeum Poetry group which recently published its second chapbook, Poetic Visions. He is also author of a book of poetry entitled Public Lives and Private Secrets [Foothills Press, 2005], and co-author and editor of a book of poetry entitled The Span I Will Cross. His poem “Reporting from Fallujah” was nominated for the 2006 Pushcart Prize. His short play, “My Health Care Worker Stole My Jewelry” was selected for professional production in January 2006 at Geva Theatre, Rochester, NY. Visit his website at www.garylehmann.blogspot.com

Simon Leigh was educated way beyond his intelligence at Sydney University, Oxford and The University of New Brunswick, hopes somehow to save the environment, and still believes that Western Civilisation is worth a try. Publications include two poetry books and various poems, stories, and plays. His just-released novel, Wild Women (UKAPress) is a mere $19 from Amazon, and his next novel (Wilder Women?) will be out soon. Sample my stories and poems on :
http://www.ukauthors.com/modules.php?name=Your_Account&op=userinfo&bypass=1&uname=Simon
BLOG: http://www.ukauthors.com/ukawiki/index.php/Blogging
Novel Wild Women: 'Leigh is a master of voice and this novel should be required reading in creative writing classes.' PODGIRL (UK) ‘A well-written, witty, ribald and rollicking journey into the dark ways of men and women.’ PAUL QUARRINGTON.
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/1904781284/qid=1152133580/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_0_1/701-7145281-1081145

Wade Ogletree: You might call Wade Ogletree a Christian fantasy writer, but make sure he can't hear you. With the secular fantasy "The Sphinx and Ernest Hemingway" in Fantasy Magazine #2, a Christian FBI novel in the works, and thrillers and science fiction all to his list of credits—Mr. Ogletree has done his best avoid labels. He has been published in Sage of Consciousness, The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, The Sword Review, Surprising Stories, DKA Magazine, The Best of Double-Edged Publishing, 2005, Fantasy Magazine, and in Better Fiction Magazine—a production of the betterfiction.com fiction critique forum, which Mr. Ogletree runs. He is a Realtor and a Pastor, living in Fairhope, Alabama with his wife, child, and an overactive imagination.

Diane Payne teaches creative writing at University of Arkansas-Monticello, where she lives with her daughter and several dogs and cats. She is also the author of the novel Burning Tulips.

Ron Singer has published fiction in Willow Review, Puckerbrush Review, Ellipsis. and SNR (Starry Night Review). His poetry has appeared in Windsor Review, HampdenSydney Poetry Review, Waterways: Poetry in the Mainstream, and elsewhere. He has written librettos for two performed operas and the Introduction to Vanity Fair (Bantam Books). His satire has appeared in several newspapers and in the ezines, Oregon Literary Review and Diagram (also in their 2006 print anthology). He has written essays and reviews about African subjects for many publications, including Poets & Writers (online), The Wall Street Journal, and Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Singer grew up and lives in New York City. He studied English at Union College (B.A.) and the University of Chicago (M.A., Ph.D.) For 30 years, Singer has taught at Friends Seminary, a K-12 Quaker independent school. His wife, too, is a teacher, as well as a visual artist, and their daughter is a food writer.

Greg Santos is a poet, writer, and artist from Montreal currently living in New Haven, Connecticut. His work has been featured in print and online publications, such as, Matrix, FeatherTale, and Black Heart Magazine. He is a contributing reviewer for PoetryReviews.ca and has work forthcoming in The
Gloaming. Visit his website: http://gregsantos.mosaicglobe.com/

Sonia Shaikh: "Hello, I am Sonia Shaikh. I am a 13 year old writer/poet. I also have a great love for the fine arts. I can play over 14 different instruments, love to act, read, sketch, dance, and of course, write! Currently, I am in 8th grade and president of our junior high school, an online tutor, and looking for a literary agent. One day I hope to become just as great a leader for the world in the fine arts. I hope you all enjoy my story, because there will be more that I will send, soon."

Wayne Wolfson: "I am a California based author. My works have appeared in many journals and sites including Laura Hird's Showcase, Art Revolutionaries, and winamop." Visit his web site at www.waynewolfson.com. Check out his CD at http://cdbaby.com/cd/wolfsonmars.

Featured Essay/Creative Non-Fiction Writer: Dorothee Lang

Essays/Creative Non-Fiction, Articles, and Translations

Hauquan Chau: Originally from Canada, Hauquan has been living in Japan now for the last ten years, a writer at night and masquerading as a teacher in the day, he has often questioned his own true identity.

Wallace Dorian Wallace Dorian was born in Waltham, Massachusetts. After serving in the U.S. Navy Mr. Dorian decided to pursue acting and moved to New York City where he acted in many Off-Broadway plays. It was at this time that he began work for the CBS Television Network in a technical capacity and soon turned to writing and directing. Mr. Dorian wrote several original screenplays and stage plays. His first teleplay, “The Stonehenge Incident” about eyewitness UFO sightings was sold for TV based on a Village Voice article by Budd Hopkins. In 1982 Mr. Dorian moveds to Los Angeles and optioned his screenplay “Gingerbread Road” about struggling actors in Hollywood. He formed the Vedic Theatre Company in 2002 that produces a wide variety of productions. He also adapted a screenplay from the thriller “On the Brink of Death” by Sanjay Sonawani in Mumbai, India in 2002. Among his screen and stage plays are “Brainwashed”, “Jump” “Army Ants” and “Village of the Dead.” “Desert Rain” is his first novella is being published in the Fall of 2006. Visit: http://wd-desert.blogspot.com

BD Ferguson's work has hopscotched restlessly across media forums, appearing in travel anthologies and local newspapers, classroom materials, horror e-zines and university alumni magazines. Currently living the dual life of writer and educator in Ontario, Canada, BD enjoys mingling multiculturally whenever possible. Three continents down, four to go.

Zeina Ghazzaoui is currently obtaining her PhD in Comparative Literature at USC where she hopes to focus predominantly on issues surrounding Middle Eastern identities and the ways in which borders mold such identities. Although she has lived in the United States for eight years, Zeina was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon where her family presently resides. During the 1982 Israeli invasion, Zeina, along with her sister and parents, moved to London for nine years. It is there that Zeina first understood the idea of 'otherness' and 'hybridity'; her infatuation with theories on trans-nationalism was born in a moment of sheer displacement. Even though Zeina finds herself in the field of academia, she has only been able to find true comfort and solace in creative writing. Please feel free to contact her at ghazzaou@usc.edu.

Jean Giovanetti is the author of "One Asian Eye: Growing Up Eurasian in America" (iUniverse 2004). For more information visit http://www.geocities.com/blue_jean_us/oneasianeye.html.

Alan Girling lives in British Columbia, Canada where he writes fiction, poetry, and whatnot. This year his work has appeared in The MacGuffin, Underground Voices, Wanderings Magazine, The Menda City Review, Gold Dust and Gobshite Quarterly.

Adam Jeffries Schwartz is a writer and a traveler. His stories & photos have been published in many magazines. Recent work can be seen at: Ghoti, The Green Muse, Laika Poetry Review & in his column on Sorrowland Press, Observations, After.

Michelle Close Mills’ poetry and short stories have been published in online magazines Autumn Leaves, and Sage of Consciousness, print magazines Fate, and GreenPrints, the Weeder’s Digest as well as anthologies Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul Daily Inspirations, Pocket Prayers by Chronicle Books, and The Rocking Chair Reader – Family Gatherings by Adams Media, and To Have and To Hold: Prayers, Poems, and Blessings for Newlyweds by Time Warner’s Center Street Books. Michelle resides in Seminole, Florida.

Donna Ross is a 46 year-old seeker after truth. Her travels have taken her once around the globe, and deep into her own psyche. Which type of journey is the greater adventure is one of her life's great undecideds!

Deborah J. Smith lives with her family in Albany, New York near the Bella Napoli bakery. Smith is a freelance writer and professor at Empire State College in Saratoga Springs. Her work is published in "30 Days in Italy," "2005" and "2006 Best Women's Travel Writing" published by Traveler's Tales, as well as "Tastes of Italia" magazine, "The Berkshire Women's Times","Parenting Express.org" and the Rome (Italy) Tourist Portal. Her essays have aired frequently on WAMC NorthEast Public Radio and selected as Traveler's Tales "Editor's Choice."Contact her at Deborah.Smith@esc.edu

Jolyn Wells-Moran, PhD, is a full-time freelance writer and plein air oil painter. She has written many news, magazine and web articles, four published non-fiction books, short stories, one novel and more. She specializes in writing for the health and human services fields, but has written on a wide variety of topics. Her writing services website is at http://jolynwellsmoran.com and she can be reached at reasonablewriter@yahoo.com. Her online Baja Sur Art Gallery is at http://jolynwellsmoran.bravehost.com.

Art and Photography

Bella Dante: Bella Dante is an artistic being who breathes life into her characters and vision into her photography. She spends her days behind the camera lens bringing a sharp creative view through to her canvas. Her nights are spent typing away creating characters who speak vividly through her soul.

Bhavna M. H.:"I find my freedom in my art—free to explore without commitments. My inspiration comes from traveling, exploring new ground, variety in colour and culture and the basic unknown. My goal is to inspire the same satisfaction to be mentally free in viewers too. I embark on each art journey with minimal forethought. The colours usually guide my strokes and patterns from being ethnocentric to modern, muted to vibrant and everything in between. Viewers have commented on the fluid mix of intricate Indian designs and abstracts patterns. I enjoy the sometimes-discrete reminders of my heritage to myself. It’s important for viewers to drawn their own conclusions of my journeys through my eyes—and maybe even explore the depth of art on their own."

Stephen Mead is a published artist/writer living in northeastern NY. A resume and samples of his artwork can be seen in the portfolio section of Absolute Arts, http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/s/stephenmead. Mr. Mead also has several title pieces of e books online at http://www.photoshow.net/stephenmead. These pieces incorporate both image and text. Other merchandise by the artist can be found on the following sites: http://www.cafepress.com/stephenmeadart and http://www.lulu.com/stephenmead.

Kelly Moore: "these are my words
eye was born a black crow on the 13th day of a scorpio moon in the foothills of the Arkansas Ozark Mountains to my scottish irish parents dismay...they took me in nonetheless, fed me, clothed me, sent me to schools and tried to domesticate me.
eye attempted to live a normal life... finding employment, trying to marry and even voting regularly. but failed mostly and when eye reached full crow adulthood (around 33) realized eye could no longer deny my coyote nature and immediately began turning over tables and rattling the cages
folks immediately said eye was crazy and lots complained eye should stop what eye was doin (those is the folks that let you know you is doing something rite) eye knew this was an important breakthrough and immediately started looking for matches and kerosine my paintings are my pointless attempts to wake up my higher nature as eye play with the beauty and the beast within myself eye currently fly between new mexico and arkansas finding both lands give me lots of nutritions
thank you for reading my words." Visit his website at http://www.kellymoore.net/

Joshua Parker is assistant professor of English literature at Fatih University in Istanbul, where he teaches courses on literary theory and the novel. An American expatriate for the past ten years, he did his graduate work at the University of Paris and lived in Brussels before moving to Turkey, but, depite his travels, has only recently discovered an interest in photography. He devotes his free time to writing fiction, and is currently at work on a second novel.

Christine Stoddard: "I currently intern for the magazines ChixLit and Teen Voices, and the newspapers Youth D.C and The Arlington Connection. I also volunteer for Metrostage in Alexandria, Virginia and for the Teen Ink magazine advisory committee. My work has appeared in ChixLit, Teen Ink, Teen Voices, Arlington Teen Portal, Stone Soup, The Writ, Divided City, Eye Candy, The Benton Courier, The Sun Gazette, and numerous other online and local publications."

Lottie Williams: Lottie is a Florida Native and loves being near the beach. She has a B.A. degree in Anthropology and a Master's Degree in Business Administration. She is currently a store manager for a supplement store and has been in the supplement industry for the past 10 years. She has a deep love of history and culture and one day would like to obtain a Master's Degree in Anthropology. In her free time she likes to travel and lately her favorite destination has been St. Lucia in the West Indies.

Audio, Video, & Technology

Suchoon Mo: He is a former Korean Army Lieutenant and a Korean War veteran. Now he is a retired academic living in the semiarid part of Colorado, USA. His poems have appeared in East and West (India), Snakeskin (UK), the Surface (UK), Dissident Editions (UK), America Sings, Riverside Poetry, Religious Humanism, Bitter Oleander, Poetic Voices, Above Ground Testing (Canada), Adagio Verse Quarterly, Spillway Review, Thunder Sandwich, Voices, Persistent Mirage, Full Moon, Poetry Stop (Canada), Stylus Poetry Journal (Australia), 3 Cup Morning, Malleable Jangle (Australia) , Sage Of Consciousness, Farsight, Subtle Tea, Poetry Magazine, The Coffee Press Journal, Verse Libre Quarterly, Underground Window, Quill and Ink (India), and others. He received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from University of Pennsylvania, and is the author of a number of research articles and theoretical monographs dealing with nature of time and time perception. He is a 4th Dan black belt in Taekwondo and an international referee. He has returned to his old passion for music and is practicing the art of orchestral composition.

Please note that all works are protected by their respective copyrights. None of the works contained within this e-zine can be copied, reproduced, or used without the express written consent of the copyright owners (in this case, the authors, writers, poets, photographers, painters, and digital media designers). If you wish to contact a writer or artist to inquire about using and/or purchasing their work, feel free to email the contact information provided in the artist's/writer's biography.

Cover

Short Stories

Essays

Art and Photography

Poetry

Audio & Technology

Contributor Biographies

Editors' Note

Talk about this issue

Submissions information