Our Fall 2014 Issue features poetry by Kristin Agudelo, Justen Ahren, Jayne Benjulian, Hamish Danks Brown, Jim Bishop, William Carpenter, Jack Collom, David Filer, Klaus Gerken, Carolyn Gelland, Marie Harris, Bruce Holsapple, Gary Lawless, Carl Little, Steve Luttrell, Mark Melnicove, Kendall Merriam, Wesley McNair, Justin Patrick Moore, Jessica Purdy, Joe Richey, Russ Sargent and Dana Wilde.
It also features artwork from Sebastian Matthews, Steven J. Priestley, Eero Ruuttila, and Charter Weeks and reviews by Bruce Spang, Kristen Stake and Kevin Sweeney.
In Memoriam
Henry Braun
1930 — 2014
Poetry Excerpts from this Issue
The Lost Child
by Wesley McNair Remembering all the sorrow at the last Sykes reunion, when the family patriarch and war hero, Homer, went down at the microphone
Clarion Vice, Canto 16
by Russ Sargent Here I am, donning the savage bliss. Charging my genome with metagrams before those mutant maggots show up and try to teach me
Doubt
by Steve Luttrell It was always about beginnings. The first push to what seemed most insistent. The impulse then to act, to bring off some
Selected Hokku / Senryu
by Joe Richey mottled butterfly alights on a rock to roar * ancient pond polluted frog belly up * o star o powerful western star! are you a star?
for Kate
by Gary Lawless today the blueberries taste like pine. I look across the field, to the cemetery, see horses, running, prayer flags in the breeze.
Beech Hill
by Gary Lawless i blue below our feet blue field field full of berries blue bay below clouds, crows, wood lily under blue sky, on our way to
Gore Pour
by Jack Collom nosebleed sonnet Gore Pour The nose . . . when I was young I used to be A picker. “Blow that mess!” Investigate That obstacle.
No Need
by Mark Melnicove Now that Everyone — is dying — and there is Nothing — to stop them — hallucinogenics are superfluous. I do not need — Anything
Final Exam
by Jim Bishop –1– remember? you are driving down a country road and they appear from nowhere no from black trees by the road three
de Kooning Grotesque
by Carolyn Gelland “Beauty becomes petulant to me,” said de Kooning. “I like the grotesque. It’s more joyous. . . . ” jackals
The Gutter of New York- de Kooning
by Carolyn Gelland The gutter of New York grounded me — that’s my kind of space. There are streets here too that give me the same feeling. There
Pickerel Weed
by Carl Little I know these, too, from the pond I skirted as a child, the green cake knives clustered along the shore doubling in shallows where
Small Green Grass Snake
by Carl Little Small Green Grass Snake Great Spruce Head Island, Maine Slithers through the grass, although slithers doesn’t do its
Bight Marks
by Hamish Danks Brown Ocean asserted itself all night wiping away sea–grassed sleep then drain–dreamed until light and dumped my
Fly Fishing With Sun Ra
by Justin Patrick Moore I went fly fishing with Sun Ra last night. We waded into particle fields of ice to sit on the edge of Saturn’s glistening
Poem Without a Title
by Klaus Gerken Canto II Riverrun Locksmith Flow of lava that destroys but replenishes the earth Life was not possible without the lava Building
Overnight Bombing
by Justen Ahren “what times are these / when to write a poem about love / is almost a crime because it contains / so many
Openings
by Justen Ahren i. When I need to see god, I watch my children sleep. The trees in the distance sway in the wind and snow. When I am in need, I
War
by William Carpenter It’s one of those nights after the surrender of Iraq, not much on TV any more, your family’s in another state for Easter,
Three Winds
by Jayne Benjulian Would Mother be young, standing in the middle of Knight Street talking to Frances Druck? The hem of her yellow apron ripples.
Wire
by Jayne Benjulian 1 I left him once when he disappeared for a day I left him once no one heard a word — he surfaced later — what did
April Fool’s Song
by David Filer Stayed up late last night, Thoughts in disarray. Woke early this morning, thought of you all day. I think something’s coming
a short history of rain
by David Filer it only fell when it became too heavy for the clouds to bear * and then it had no choice
News of the Missing Girl
by Jessica Purdy An image recurs: a yellow leaf everyone thought would land is condemned mid–fall to the purgatory of a spider’s web.
Blues Moon
by Kendall Merriam Blues Moon for Raised by Wolves Fog, fog can’t see anything its blocking life a long time back I was certain about
Carlos Santana Wins Medal
by Kendall Merriam Carlos Santana Wins Medal for My Brother Parker and All Drummers Every time I listen to his music I think of you Maybe
Sonnet: Earth & Sky
by Dana Wilde When seeds fly goldenrod & ragweed Racing driven wind like birds Across the sky, and sky like blue From north wind water upward
Six Lists in November
by Dana Wilde the wind riffling dead grass waves in the blue water brown leaves hanging from bushes milkweed feathers: the last
Three Attempts
by Bruce Holsapple Walked a scrawny trail thru the grass & trees east from Carizzozo Canyon searching for Grapevine Spring a beguiling name,
Divide
by Bruce Holsapple Sandy mountain road, twisting high thru pine & jumper, into that saddle where the peaks divide, rocky gullies start hers,
Ouroboros
by Kristin Agudelo I once met a snake with a brown paper tongue grocery bag full of meanings, not all of them sound. He slipped up beside me,
Divide
by Bruce Holsapple Sandy mountain road, twisting high thru pine & jumper, into that saddle where the peaks divide, rocky gullies start hers,
Doubt
by Steve Luttrell It was always about beginnings. The first push to what seemed most insistent. The impulse then to act, to bring off some
Selected Hokku / Senryu
by Joe Richey mottled butterfly alights on a rock to roar * ancient pond polluted frog belly up * o star o powerful western star! are you a star?
Interview
Wesley McNair Interview
Interview with Wesley McNair On Personal Poems, Teaching Poetry, and Life as Maine Poet Laureate The following interview with Wesley McNair was
Reviews
Jesus Was a Feminist and other Poems and Same Old Story
Jesus Was a Feminist and other Poems, by Robin Merrill, Moon Pie Press, 2014, 36 pages, paper, $12, ISBN: 978-1-4951-0361-2 Buy the Book
Otherwise Unseeable
by Betsy Sholl, University of Wisconsin Press, 2014, 78 pages, paper, $16.95, ISBN: 978-0299299347 Buy the Book How can we properly cherish the
Cactus Body
by Blanca Castellon, Translation by Roger Hickin, Cold Hub Press, 2014, 44 pages, paper, NZ$19.50, ISBN: 978-0-473-26533-5 Buy the Book Blanca
Poet Biographies
Charter Weeks
is a documentary photographer whose various projects can be seen at, www.charterweeks.com.
Steven J. Priestley
practices art in Portland, Maine.
Dana Wilde
of Troy, Maine, is an editor and columnist for the local daily newspaper. He has been a Fulbright lecturer of American Literature in China and
Russ Sargent
is the proprietor of Yes Books in Portland, Maine.
Joe Richey
is a poet, translator, and musician living in Boulder, Colorado. He is the publisher of the Boulder micropress Selva Editions, and the bilingual
Jessica Purdy
holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College. She teaches Creative Writing online at Southern New Hampshire University. Her poetry has
Justin Patrick Moore
his poetry has appeared in Silk Milk and Milk Money magazines and the essay “The Library Angel and Her Oracle” was published in issue 4 of
Wesley McNair
is the author of 20 books, including, My Brother Running, which connects his brother’s fatal heart attack with the explosion of the Challenger
Kendall Merriam
was born and raised in Rockland, Maine. He has a history degree from Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts and graduate studies in military and
Mark Melnicove
teaches English and creative writing at Falmouth High School in Falmouth, Maine. His poems have appeared recently in Gargoyle, VLAK, and Agni
Steve Luttrell
was born and continues to live in Portland, Maine. He is a graduate of Franklin Pierce College and is the author of ten books of poetry, the
Carl Little
earned his BA from Dartmouth College, an MFA from Columbia University, and an MA from Middlebury College. He is the author of the poetry
Gary Lawless
has published 16 poetry books, 12 in the United States and 4 in Italy, including Caribouddhism and Poems for the Wild Earth. His writing deals
Bruce Holsapple
works as a Speech-Language Pathologist in Magdalena, New Mexico. He has published six books of poetry; most recently, Vanishing Act (La Alameda
Marie Harris
her poems appear as a collaborative gesture beneath the artwork of her son, Sebastian Matthews, on each inside art page. She was the New
Carolyn Gelland
has published poems in numerous literary journals including The Bitter Oleander, Sou’wester, Iodine Poetry Journal, The Greensboro Review, and
Klaus Gerken
was born in Germany and lives in Ottawa, Canada. He is a poet, artist, photographer, singer /songwriter, and is the founder and editor of
David Filer
lives and works in the other Portland. (Oregon.) His most recent books (both in 2012) are The Fear of Love, a full-length collection from Plain
Jack Collom
was born in Chicago. He earned a BA in forestry and English and an MA in English literature from the University of Colorado. He started
William Carpenter
grew up in central Maine, graduated from Waterville High School, got a BA from Dartmouth, and a PhD from the University of Minnesota, where he
Hamish Danks Brown
a.k.a. Danksta Downunder is a poet from Sydney, Australia who has been living on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland for the past 10 years. He has
Jayne Benjulian
recent work has appeared in, Barrow Street, The Seattle Review, The Ilanot Review, The Delaware Poetry Review, Poet Lore, HowlRound, and The
Justen Ahren
former poet laureate of Martha’s Vineyard, who lives in West Tisbury, Massachusetts. He teaches writing workshops in Martha’s Vineyard and
Kristin Agudelo
grew up in Borneo and exotic New Jersey. She teaches high school English and History at Merriconeag Waldorf High School in New Gloucester,
Artist Biographies
Reviewers Biographies
Kevin Sweeney
has degrees from California (Pa) State College and the University of Massachusetts. He is chair of the English department at Southern Maine
Kristen Stake
writes poetry, teaches Contact Improvisation dance, and practices massage therapy. She earned an MFA in Poetry Writing from Vermont College in
Bruce Spang
former Poet Laureate of Portland, Maine, and English teacher at Scarborough High School, just published a novel, The Deception of the Thrush. He