ISSUE 14 Editors
Poetry Editor: Sneha Subramanian Kanta
Art / Photography / Fiction Editor: Harshal Desai
Fiction Editor: Cathy Ulrich

Front Cover Art
’20A_00113b’ by Leah Oates

Journal Layout and Cover Design
Harshal Desai

Dear Readers,

Winter has texture. Outside, there is momentum, and brisk dusk light emulsifies gray, like the fraying edges of a leaf. The topography of entire landscapes is being changed by winter, and like I believe in the amalgamating nuances, winter has shape, sound, and granularity which shares itself with the world and our being.

The selections of Issue Fourteen are vivid compositions, each blossoming onto the page.

The syntaxial overtones have an in-depth contrast with the wavelike textures in “Dream Without Words” by Saba Keramati, “Postmortem” by Patty Ware is an intricate storytelling which utilizes inventive usage of pronunciation, and “Reading Celan in Dearborn, Michigan” by Hajjar Baban releases a slow interaction while carrying lineation through grace. “Cento for Pyrokinesis” by Margo LaPierre is innovative and thorough. “makkhan malai” by Swastika Jajoo interweaves longing like song with tenderness of thought through love and gratitude, “Peeling an Apple” by Anne Graue engages departures through metaphor, and “Arrival” by River Elizabeth Hall creates engaging syntax and myriad perspectives. “H:” by Poornima Laxmeshwar constructs a fascinating juxtaposition of ideas and reconstructs ancestral history through fierce vulnerability, “Things Passed” by Kyra Spence embroiders innate melancholy, and “strobium” by Shriram Sivaramakrishnan brings dexterity and momentum through fractured conjunctions.

“Labor and Delivery, Part I” and “Labor and Delivery, Part II” by Kristin LaFollete encompass brilliant endings, “For Centuries, We Had No Word for Dream” by Kimberly Kralowec un-weaves like the tides, wholly unravelling in layers, and “slick” by Jill Kitchen is thought-provoking and observational with new insights. “Knuckles and Words” by Michael Lauchlan is compelling through the nuance, “Soft Order” by Katherine Indermaur creates descriptive undertones with astounding momentum, and there is subterranean pathos in “Migration” by Taylor Hamann Los.

“Mistletoe” by Sarah A. Etlinger is full of transcendence, where the reader is left thinking about belonging, and “After the Accident” by Emily Afifi is an intriguing prose poem, and we remain certain that this first publication paves way for Afifi to further recognition of her brilliant work. There are layers of poignancy amalgamating in a cohesive manner in “Alzheimer, and Other Games We Play” by Prosper Ìféányí.

“The fresh start” by Kelsey Lister is descriptive with solid shifts throughout, “Were God a Boy or a River Makes No Difference” by Susan L. Leary is vivid and shifts into a continuum of observations, and there is detailing of syntax and a wonderful chronological pace in “Tender” by Chiara Di Lello. “Fractals” by Dina Klarisse moves towards the light, and the prose poem encapsulates a spiritual transcendence, “Cirrus” by Frances Boyle flows like a waterfall and offers a fluid framework through variations, and “Run Toward” by Michael Hammerle close-reads many moments of tenderness.

I conversed with Kemi Alabi about Against Heaven, and together, we brought attention to the importance of play in form, synchronous titles, queer Black embodiment, and more.

“Babu” by Sohana Manzoor encompasses multiplicities, “Lose 10 Pounds in 3 Days” by Melissa Llanes Brownlee traces subtleties with intelligence and precision, and “Your Love Is Extractive” by Carly Berwick is astounding and intriguing. “What Goldilocks Learned” by Amy Marques is reflective and gorgeous, “Ohio is Like California is Like Botswana” by Melissa Darcey Hall is intricate and brings varied patterns and effective descriptions.

The artwork by Leah Oates is a synecdoche for the complexities that hold us, through nature iconography.

We bring you Issue Fourteen resplendent with works by lovely creators.

The Editors

Dream Without Words – Saba Keramati

For Centuries, We Had No Word for Dream – Kimberly Kralowec

Mistletoe – Sarah A. Etlinger

Arrival – River Elizabeth Hall

Migration – Taylor Hamann Los

Labor and Delivery, Part I – Kristin LaFollette

Labor and Delivery, Part II – Kristin LaFollette

H: – Poornima Laxmeshwar

Reading Celan in Dearborn, Michigan – Hajjar Baban

Cento for Pyrokinesis – Margo LaPierre

Knuckles and Words – Michael Lauchlan

Soft Order – Katherine Indermaur

Peeling an Apple – Anne Graue

Postmortem – Patty Ware

Were God a Boy or a River Makes No Difference – Susan L. Leary

Fractals – Dina Klarisse

Alzheimer, And Other Games We Play – Prosper Ìféányí

THINGS PASSED – Kyra Spence

strobium – Shriram Sivaramakrishnan

Cirrus – Frances Boyle

slick – Jill Kitchen

makkhan malai – Swastika Jajoo

After the Accident – Emily Afifi

Tender – Chiara Di Lello

Run Toward – Michael Hammerle

The fresh start – Kelsey Lister

“The erotic is a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings.” – An Interview With Kemi Alabi

5 Photographs – Leah Oates