Contributors

Diane Funston writes poetry of nature and human nature. She co-founded a women's poetry salon in San Diego, created a weekly poetry gathering in the high desert town of Tehachapi, CA and most recently has been the Yuba-Sutter Arts and Culture Poet-in-Residence for the past two years. It is in this role she created Poetry Square, a monthly online venue that features poets from all over the world reading their work and discussing creative process. Diane has been published in Synkronicity, California Quarterly, Whirlwind, San Diego Poetry Annual, Summation, and quite a few other literary journals. Her first chapbook, “Over the Falls” was published this July 2022 from Foothills Publishing. Diane is also a visual artist in mosaic, wool felting, and collage. Her pieces have been in galleries in the Sacramento Valley. noparadise@e.com

Dinah Susan Alobeid writes fiction to grapple with the ever-complicated state of the world. In trying to make sense of it all for herself as a first-generation Syrian American, late-Millennial mother, she hopes to shed light for everyone. Her work is deeply influenced by her experience as a woman in tech of Arab descent and she hopes to continue to explore personal meaning and diverse perspectives in her fiction, short stories, essays, and poetry. Infusing languages including Arabic, Spanish, and French into her writing as well as the heady visceral descriptions of food, drink, and heartache, much of her fiction centers on relationships between two or more inaccessible hearts.
She lives in New Jersey with her partner and their rambunctious toddler.

Dominique Weldon is a Black biracial writer who grew up in Iowa. She is a first-generation college graduate of the University of Iowa and received her MFA in Fiction from Butler University, where she served as the nonfiction editor of Booth. Her fiction has been previously published in Lover’s Eye Press. She lives in Indiana, where she teaches at Butler University, and reads fiction for Split Lip Magazine. She is currently working on her first novel as well as a graphic novel.

Donna Dallas studied Creative Writing and Philosophy at NYU’s Gallatin School and was lucky enough to study under William Packard, founder and editor of the New York Quarterly. She was on the editorial team of Red Fez and she currently serves on the editorial team for New York Quarterly.

Dr. Adyasha Acharya is a medical intern in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. She is a voracious reader and her most favourite genres are fantasy and science fiction. She has published two novels previously- "The Fearless Warriors" (2015) and "The Guardian" (2021), a short story titled "Nexus" and "The Psychics" in the Indian Periodical Magazine and "The Midnight Ritual" in the anthology "The Selection of a Sacred Strawberry" by Writefluence (2023).

Duane Anderson currently lives in La Vista, NE. He has had poems published in Fine Lines, Cholla Needles, Tipton Poetry Journal, and several other publications. He is the author of ‘On the Corner of Walk and Don’t Walk,’ ‘The Blood Drives: One Pint Down,’ and ‘Family Portraits.’

Author of the critically applauded debut novel Twelfth House, E.C. Traganas has published in DarkWinter Literary Magazine, Ibbetson Street Press, The Penwood Review, Sacred Journey, Agape Review, Ancient Paths, The Chamber Magazine and numerous other literary journals. Hailed as ‘an artfully created masterpiece’ and a ‘must-read’, her new work of haiku and short poetry, Shaded Pergola, was recently released by Tropaeum Press and features her original illustrations. A resident of New York City, Ms. Traganas enjoys a varied career as a Juilliard-trained concert pianist & composer, activities that have earned her accolades from the international press. www.elenitraganas.com

E. F. S. Byrne works in education and writes when his teenage kids allow it. He blogs a regular micro flash story. Links to this and over fifty published pieces can be found at efsbyrne.wordpress.com or follow him on Twitter @efsbyrne

E.P. Lande was born in Montreal, but has lived most of his life in the south of France and Vermont, where he now lives with his partner, writing and caring for more than 100 animals, many of which are rescues. Previously, he taught at l’Université d’Ottawa where he served as Vice-Dean of his faculty, and he has owned and managed country inns and free-standing restaurants. Since submitting less than two years ago, 49 of his stories have been accepted by publications in countries on five continents.

Eddie Malone (he/him) is a writer who lives far,far out in the boggy woods with his rescue dogs and his demons.

Eileen Patterson lives in Cudahy, Wisconsin. Along with fellow poets she has read her poetry at the local library. Her poetryshe has appeared in Underwood, Bombfire, Medusa’s Kitchen and she has a short story in Darkwinter.

Eileen Tull (she/her) is a writer, performer, and teacher based in Chicago. Her writing has been published online by Grim & Gilded, Empty Mirror, First Literary Review (East), Literature Today Journal and Scout & Birdie, among others. Eileen’s poetry has been included in the following books: The Art of Being Human Vol. 9, The Art of Being Human Vol. 10, and Veils, Halos & Shackles: International Poetry on the Oppression and Empowerment of Women. She recently self-published her first poetry collection, 33 Poems About Peanut Butter, on Amazon. As a storyteller and theatre artist, her work has been seen across the country in San Francisco, New York City, Cincinnati, Dallas, and all over Chicago. www.eileentull.com, Instagram: @Eileen.Tull, Twitter: @tullie23

Elisha Oluyemi won the 2022 Lagos-HCAF Writing Contest (Prose) and came 1st runner-up in both the Shuzia 2021 Short Story Contest (2nd Ed.) and 2022 Flash Fiction Contest. He co-edited the PROFWIC Crime Fiction Anthology, Vol 1. Elisha has writing published/forthcoming in journals, including Mystery Tribune, Brittle Paper, Entropy, The Hooghly Review, Iris Youth Mag, Hotpot Mag, African Writer, Salamander Ink, Erato, Neurological, Kalahari, Nymphs, Shallow Tales Review, Sledgehammer, Arts Lounge, and elsewhere. He writes in the psychological and literary genres.

Elizabeth Mercurio is the author of the chapbook Doll. She is an Assistant Editor at Lily Poetry Review and earned her MFA in poetry from the Solstice Program. Her poems have appeared in Third Point Press, Philadelphia Stories, The Literary Nest, Ample Remains, The Wild Word, Thimble Magazine, and elsewhere. She was recently named a finalist in the Cordella Press Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Prize.

Labrador Inuk Ella Nathanael Alkiewicz (she/hers) is a self-taught poet. She is a dual citizen and loves visiting her family in Toronto when her schedule permits. Ella teaches online poetry for Indigenous students at the North American Indian Center of Boston. She’s been published in Lucky Jefferson and other magazines. She can be reached on Facebook @ellanathanaelalkiewicz or on Twitter @ellaalk or on Instagram @ella_alk.

Elliot Wilner is a retired neurologist, living in Bethesda, MD. Since retirement, he has – with his wife’s indulgence – enjoyed a long-deferred dalliance with creative writing.

Emil is an American currently living in South Korea. He enjoys reading and writing horror and sci-fi. He believes that writing is a powerful art form that allows one to tell incredible, emotional, and impactful stories from different perspectives.

Emily De Angelis, shortlisted for our 1st Anniversary Contest, comes from a long line of visual artists, musicians and storytellers. She has spent many years developing her writing through independent study, workshops, conferences, and courses, including a year in the Humber School for Writers under the mentorship of Richard Scrimger. She was also fortunate to receive an OAC grant for Works in Progress. Emily has western and Japanese-style poems as well as short stories published in various anthologies and periodicals. She served as the President of the Sudbury Writers’ Guild 1998-2000, and recently served as Treasurer as well as Facilitator of the Guild’s Children/Young Adult Inner Circle. Emily's YA manuscript entitled, The Stones of Burren Bay, has been accepted for publication by Latitude 46 Publishing and will be out in 2024. Emily is wintering in Woodstock, Ontario while spending summers on her property on Manitoulin Island.

Emily Toliver is currently a sophomore at The New School where she is studying Literary Studies with a concentration in writing and minoring in Psychology. Her love and admiration for storytelling began as a child after being introduced to Rod Serling’s, “The Twilight Zone”. In her sophomore year of high school she wrote a play titled, “Behind the Frame” that tackled the idea of capitalism’s effects on artists who simply want to pursue their professions because it's what they love rather than what they make. This play was then published by Samuel French through their LEAP OnStage program and performed at Baruch College. She continued her earlier studies in creative writing, working with TDF and NYU in specialized programs made for high schoolers in the arts. Now, she is focusing on her classes all while learning new forms of storytelling and working as a social media intern.

Eric Burbridge has been writing short fiction for years and after his retirement started to pursue his passion for story telling in earnest. He is currently working on a novel.

Eric H Janzen is the author of two fantasy series, The Dreamtrekker Journals and The Essence Tales—both available on Amazon. He also writes non-fiction and has had numerous essays on the spiritual life published online in the Clarion Journal of Spirituality and Justice. Recently, his short story, Fair Field Gate was an honourable mention in Off Topic’s July 2022 writing challenge. He lives in British Columbia, Canada, and plans to continue writing… forever.

Eric Twa (he/him) is a gay writer living with schizophrenia. He has published fiction or is forthcoming in Qwerty, Bull, A Thin Slice of Anxiety, decomp journal, and others. He also has poetry published in The Nashwaak Review.

Erich von Hungen is a writer from San Francisco, California. He lives under a giant Norfolk pine in a century old house between Golden Gate Park and the Pacific Ocean. His writing has appeared in The Write Launch, Versification, Green Ink Press, The Hyacinth Review, IceFloe Press, Fahmidan Journal, Hearth and Coffin and others. He is the author of four poetry collections, the most recent being "Bleeding Through: 72 Poems Of Man In Nature". Find him on twitter @PoetryForce.

Ernest A. Youhouse, Jr. was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He attended Kent Preparatory School before being awarded a Morehead Scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he graduated in 1981. He also received a Masters of Arts in English from the State University of New York in Binghamton in 1983. After returning to North Carolina , he worked in Advertising and Marketing. When Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005, Ernest decided to apply his communication skill-set and a heightened sense of urgency to the Disaster Recovery and Property Restoration Industry. In the next several years, Ernest is looking forward to retirement and the abundance of time to write fiction.

Evelyn Moriarty is a native of Co. Limerick in the West of Ireland. She holds an M.A. in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies from University of Limerick, a B.A. in English Studies from Trinity College, Dublin, and has particular interdisciplinary research interests in 21st century poetry and music. Previously published in The Ogham Stone (2019) literary journal, Evelyn is an active member of the Killaloe Writers Group and draws inspiration from liminal spaces, boundaries within and without, and the poetics of silence.

Faith Allington (she/her) is a writer of the mysterious and speculative who resides in the Pacific Northwest. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in journals such as Hexagon MYRIAD, Flash Frontier, Pyre Magazine, Cease Cows, and Crow & Cross Keys. When not writing, she's drinking too much tea and reading many books.

Fija Callaghan is a storyteller who writes poetry, love letters, and fiction that can be found in venues like Gingerbread House, Mythic Magazine, Corvid Queen, and elsewhere. Her work has been featured in podcasts, recognised by international short story competitions, and nominated for Best of the Net. Originally from the Cascadia region, she now lives in Dublin, Ireland with her books.

Frances Boyle was shortlisted for our 1st Anniversary Short Story Contest. She is the author most recently of Openwork and Limestone (Frontenac House 2022). In addition to two earlier poetry collections, she has also written Tower, a novella (Fish Gotta Swim Editions 2018), Seeking Shade, an award-winning short story collection (The Porcupine’s Quill, 2020) and Skin Hunger, a novel (The Porcupine’s Quill, forthcoming 2024). Recent fiction publications include work in Paris Lit Up, Bandit Fiction and Echolocation. Originally from the prairies, Frances has long lived in Ottawa. For more, visit www.francesboyle.com or follow @francesboyle19.

Gale Acuff has had hundreds of poems published in a dozen countries and has authored three books of poetry. Her poems have appeared in Ascent, Reed, Journal of Black Mountain College Studies, The Font, Chiron Review, Poem, Adirondack Review, Florida Review, Slant, Arkansas Review, Maryland Literary Review, North Dakota Quarterly, South Dakota Review, Roanoke Review, War, Literature & the Arts, and many other journals.

Garry Engkent is a Chinese-Canadian. He has co-authored three texts: Groundwork: Writing Skills to Build On; Fiction/Non-Fiction: A Reader and Rhetoric; and Essay: Do's and Don'ts. His fictional stories have appeared in Exile, Many-Mouthed Birds, Emerge, and Ricepaper Magazine. Most stories have a Chinese immigrant slant: "Why My Mother Can't Speak English", "Eggroll", and “Rabbit". His recent published foray into horror is “I, Zombie: A Different Point of View.”

Gary Kuchar is Professor in the Department of English at the University of Victoria. A specialist in English Renaissance literature, he is the author of four academic monographs, including George Herbert and the Mystery of the Word: Poetry and Scripture in Seventeenth-Century England (2017) and Shakespeare and the World of Slings & Arrows: Poetic Faith in a Postmodern Age (2024). His poetry has appeared in Scintilla and Sky Island Journal.

Gary Porter likes to stay home and hang out with his beautiful family. He listens to all kinds of music, but the electric guitar makes his favorite sounds. He also loves vocal harmonies and handclaps. He works at a homeless shelter, and he's just trying to get a little better every day.

Geoffrey Heptonstall is the author of Heaven's Invention, a novel (Black Wolf 2017) and two poetry collections published by Cyberwit: The Rites of Paradise (2020) and Sappho’s Moon (2021). Recent fiction has appeared in Pennsylvania Literary Journal. Recent poetry has appeared in Fixing Earth, an anthology of eco-awareness from Zimbabwe. He lives in Cambridge, England.

George Freek's poem "Enigmatic Variations" was recently nominated for Best of the Net. His poem "Night Thoughts" was also nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His collection "Melancholia" is published by Red Wolf Editions.

Gina Carrillo, aka Black Widow is a Spoken Word Artist from Franklin,TN.
Also the Creator of The Prodigal Poets Poetry Collective, we perform all over Nashville & surrounding cities!
Also the Author of Kaleidoscope, which can be found on Amazon & Barnes and Noble Websites.
Peace, Love & Poetry
Instagram: @blackwidowpoet @prodigalpoets

Gina Manchego Zufall is a multi-medium artist and poet. She has been penning since childhood, and loves nothing more than painting beautiful scenes with the written word. Gina lives in the wild mountains of Colorado, USA.

Glen Armstrong (he/him) holds an MFA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and edits a poetry journal called Cruel Garters. His poems have appeared in Conduit, Poetry Northwest, and Another Chicago Magazine.

Glenn Ingersoll works for the public library in Berkeley, California. Videos of his poetry reading & interview series Clearly Meant can be found on the Berkeley Public Library YouTube channel. Ingersoll's prose poem epic, Thousand, is available from bookshop.org and as an ebook from Smashwords. He has two chapbooks, City Walks (broken boulder) and Fact (Avantacular). His poem "Personal Testimony" was given a Special Mention in the 2022 Pushcart Prize anthology. He keeps two blogs, LoveSettlement and Dare I Read. Poems have recently appeared in Thieving Magpie, Furious Gazelle, and Trash Panda. http://lovesettlement.blogspot.com http://dareiread.blogspot.com twitter @lovesettlement instagram @thelovesettlement

Gregg Norman lives and writes in a lakeside cottage in Manitoba, Canada. He reads poetry every day to retain his frail grip on sanity.
His work has been accepted by numerous poetry journals and literary magazines, including Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Dark Winter Literary Magazine, Borderless Journal, Synchronized Chaos, Book of Matches Literary Journal, Medusa’s Kitchen, Horror Sleaze Trash, Impspired Literary Magazine , The Littoral Magazine, MasticadoresUSA, The Piker Press, Academy of the Heart and Mind, Raconteur Magazine, and Suburban Witchcraft Magazine.

Hannah Birss is a writer and aspiring magpie based out of Ontario, Canada. She lives with her partner, children, and multiple animals. She can usually be found in a nest constructed of books, writing journals, and shiny trinkets. You can follow her on instagram @hannahbirsswrites for upcoming news on upcoming and current publications, tips, tricks, and other writerly things.

Hannah Walker grew up in the Scottish Borders writing short stories with fantasy elements and strong female leads. Her writing has previously been published by Lucent Dreaming. She hopes to one day have her own novel on the shelves beside the writers who inspired it.

Heath Brougher is editor-in-chief of Concrete Mist Press and poetry editor of Into the Void Magazine, winner of the 2017 and 2018 Saboteur Awards for Best Magazine. He is the author of eleven books and received the 2018 Poet of the Year Award from Taj Mahal Review.He is a multiple Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net Nominee and received the 2020 Wakefield Prize for Poetry.

Heather is a sight-impaired spoonie and emerging working-class writer from Yorkshire. Her work has been published by Fictive Dream, The Phare, Free Flash Fiction and others. Find her at https://haigh19c.wixsite.com/heatherbooknook

Hemanta Dalpati teaches in a DIET College with an MA and a B Ed. degree. His work has appeared in numerous Odia journals. He edits Derna, a journal of Dalit-Bahujan literature. He has a book of poems, Tirare Lekhilu Naa Tamara (Nisaan Publications). He grew up in Balangir, Odisha in India.

Hibah Shabkhez is a writer of the half-yo literary tradition, an erratic language-learning enthusiast, and a happily eccentric blogger from Lahore, Pakistan. Her work has previously appeared in Black Bough, Zin Daily, London Grip, The Madrigal, Acropolis Journal, Lucent Dreaming, and a number of other literary magazines. Studying life, languages, and literature from a comparative perspective across linguistic and cultural boundaries holds a particular fascination for her. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/HibahShabkhez

Hilary Ayshford is a former science journalist and editor based in rural Kent in the UK. She writes mainly micro and flash fiction and short stories and has a penchant for the darker side of human nature.

Howie Good's latest book, Frowny Face (Redhawk Publishing, 2023), is a mix of his prose poems and handmade collages. He co-edits the online journal UnLost, dedicated to found poetry.

Husain Abdulhay has poems published in Cacti Fur, Eskimo Pie, Fib
Review, Foliate Oak, Jellyfish Whispers, Madness Muse Press, Muse Pie
Press, Quail Bell Magazine, Scarlet Leaf Review, Soul-Lit, Sweetycat
Press, Synchchaos, Trouvaille Review, Whisky Blot, and Ygdrasil. His
haiku appears in Failed Haiku, Five Fleas, Haikuniverse, Pkankmaton,
and Wales Haiku Journal, likewise.

Ian C Smith’s work has been published in BBC Radio 4 Sounds,The Dalhousie Review, Gargoyle, Ginosko Literary Journal, Griffith Review, Southword, The Stony Thursday Book, & Two Thirds North. His seventh book is wonder sadness madness joy, Ginninderra (Port Adelaide). He writes in the Gippsland Lakes area of Victoria, and on Flinders Island.

Ivanka Fear is a Slovenian born Canadian writer. Her poems and stories appear in numerous publications, including Understorey, The South Shore Review, Blank Spaces, Montreal Writes, Orchards Poetry, October Hill, Mystery Tribune, and elsewhere. The debut novel of her Blue Water mystery series is scheduled for release by Level Best Books in January 2023. You can read more about her at https://www.ivankafear.com and follow her @FearIvanka