Things aren’t always as they seem and in issue 91 of Kaleidoscope several contributors share stories that require a shift in perspective to see things differently. Each issue of the magazine explores the experience of disability through the lens of literature and fine art. Submit your best work to us today! View flyer and visit our website for more information.
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Kaleidoscope explores the experience of disability through literature and the fine arts, and the Summer/Fall 2025 issue (#91) is available now. Things are not always as they seem and coming to this realization usually requires a shift in perspective, a lesson learned by young and old alike in this issue.
In the featured essay, “Iron Girl,” Cassandra Brandt was a rarity as an iron worker and welder in a field that was predominately male. At thirty-two, she was a strong, fearless, self-sufficient, and adventurous single mom of a thirteen-year-old daughter. She felt at home on a construction site, hard hat and steel-toed boots on, climbing onto beams several floors above the ground. When a car accident left her paralyzed from the chest down, she went from fiercely independent to utterly dependent in the blink of an eye. It would take time for her to redefine herself and recover her mental toughness.
Artist Erika Marie York is featured in this issue along with many talented writers: Jennifer Lee Austin, David Bachmann, Notty Bumbo, Douglas G. Campbell, Mimi Eagar, Hannah Ehrlich, Elly Katz, Isolde Keilhofer, Rowan MacDonald, Allegra M. Marcell, Deb Robert, Wendy Sheehan, Naomi Stenberg, Poppy Reeves, Mary Ellen Talley, Joseph Trance, Susan Levi Wallach, Devon Wells, and Emily Yates.
Kaleidoscopehas creatively explored the experience of disability through literature and the fine arts for 45 years, and issue 90 (Winter/Spring 2025) is now available. Contributors delve into the impact disability has on relationships, parenting, and aging, while other pieces provide insight into neurodiversity, chronic illness, ableism, and resilience.
In the featured essay, “My Legs,” Bonnie Ruane Wheeler takes a closer look at her lower limbs and contemplates the ways they have carried her for more than half a century. Beginning in the womb with a mere flutter, she eloquently recounts memories of legs that performed pirouettes, climbed, paced, and even buckled beneath her. These snapshots through time transport readers to the present day, and a diagnosis she might not be able to outrun.
Four local artists are featured in this issue along with a wonderful group of established and emerging writers: Mio Aoki-Sherwood, Brenda Beardsley, Diane Bell, Gail Brown, Virginia Isaacs Cover, Mimi Eagar, Meg Eden, Elliott Gorski, Linseigh Green, Mia Herman, Gabriel Hull, Elly Katz, Philip Andrew Lisi, M. S. Marquart, H. McCrystal, Anne Mikusinski, Tim Murphy, Dixie L. Partridge, Roselyn Perez, Zach Pietrafetta, Lily Sargent, Mary Harwell Sayler, Val Valdez, Bonnie Ruane Wheeler, Heather Wicks, Katharine Yusuf, Lisa Zimmerman, and Hearts For Music.
Kaleidoscope takes a closer look at relationships, aging, neurodiversity, chronic illness, ableism and resilience in its first issue of 2025. Each issue of the magazine explores the experience of disability through the lens of literature and fine art. Submit your best work to us today! View our flyer for more information and a link to our website.
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The summer issue of Kaleidoscope takes a closer look at the ebbs and flows of life, and we hope you will find some treasures in the work we’ve selected. Each issue of the magazine explores the experience of disability through the lens of literature and fine art. Submit your best work to us today! Visit our website and see our flyer for more information.
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Kaleidoscope magazine publishes work that creatively explores the experience of disability through literature and the fine arts. The Summer/Fall 2024 issue (#89) explores the ebbs and flows of life. Just like shells along a beach, readers will find some treasures in the selected works.
The featured essay, “Portrait with a Seagull,” is the sweet story of a family’s visit to the Jersey Shore and one child’s preoccupation with seagulls. Mom and author, Natalie Haney Tilghman, sees her son interacting with a gull and is a bit envious of the effortless, immediate connection they have. Despite her aversion to the creatures that swoop through the sky snatching snacks and squealing, they end up saving the day in an unexpected way, and she is grateful.
Digital artist Diana de Avila is featured in this issue along with various other established and emerging writers: Emma Baker, Jax Bidmead, Marjorie E. Brody, Emma Burnett, Douglas G. Campbell, Deb DeBates, Alexander Etheridge, Joanne Feenstra, Janet Engle Frase, Ben Gooley, Lori Hahnel, Mattie-Bretton Hughes, Shelly Jones, Suzanne Kamata, Grace Kully, Karen McKenzie, Betsy Miller, PMF, Trystan Popish, Ivy Raff, Tara K. Ross, Sheersty Stanton, M.S., Cynthia Stock and Angela Townsend.
Kaleidoscope: The Art and Language of Inclusionhas launched Episode 6 of its podcast. Focusing on selections from issue 88 of Kaleidoscope magazine, this podcast aims to lift the words directly from the pages of the publication to deliver them to an audience through a new perspective.
Host Nick deCourville takes listeners on a journey through the art of living with a disability. Looking at our own lives, we may often choose to make positive changes that help us live a more authentic existence. On the flipside, we may decide that something we have always done is no longer in our best interest, and we choose to let it go. Throughout this episode, the presenting authors share the essential elements they have found to living a life crafted creatively.
Episode six of the Kaleidoscope podcast features readings from authors Hareendran Kallinkeel, Carrie Hinton, Aisha Ashraf, Nancy J. Fagan, Stacie Eirich, Tim Campbell, Geri Lipschultz and Kelsie Bennett.
Kaleidoscope magazine publishes work that creatively explores the experience of disability through literature and the fine arts. In issue 88 several authors share ways they’re mastering the art of living with disability as an essential element of a creatively crafted life.
In the featured essay, “The Tree That Reminds Me,” author Rhonda Zimlich runs, and with every stride, she pushes her body, clears her mind, and denies the disease within. When she runs in her neighborhood she passes a tree that has been damaged by a lightning strike. MS has ravaged the bark of her nerves, leaving her scarred and exposed, just like the tree, and this kinship with the deciduous maple causes her to reflect on her existence.
Dave Wisniewski is the featured artist. He is a legally blind painter whose canvases depict larger-than-life characters from the Wild West. In addition to the features mentioned here, Kaleidoscope hopes readers will enjoy the work of these contributors: Aisha Ashraf, Kelsie Bennett, Cynthia Bernard, Tim Campbell, William Cass, Amy DeBellis, Stacie Eirich, Nancy J. Fagan, Connie Harold, Waylon Henggeler, Carrie Hinton, Claire Ibarra, Hareendran Kallinkeel, Danielle Krikorian, Geri Lipschultz, Emmy D. Wells, Jordan Wilson-Dalzell, and Ellen Zhang.
Authors and artists in issue 88 share ways they’re mastering the art of living with disability as an essential element of a creatively crafted life. Each issue of Kaleidoscope magazine focuses on the experience of disability through literature and fine art. Submit your best work to us today! View our flyer and visit our website for more information.
Want early access to our eLitPak flyers? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter! You can also support NewPages with a paid subscription and get early access to the majority submission opportunities, upcoming events, and more before they are posted to our site.
Join host Nick deCourville as he explores the ties that bind. In life, we experience many connections. Whether this is connections to our family, to our friends, or to ourselves, these ties help keep us tethered to reality. However, some ties can also keep us connected from that which we are trying to escape. Ties can help provide security and comfort, but it can also be far too easy to become entangled in our binds. Ties can keep us connected, yet somehow separate us.
This episode focuses on these ties and their impact on others with readings from Roly Andrews, Shanan Ballam, Caitlin C. Baker, Susan Whiting Kemp, Ujjvala Bagal Rahn, Robert Douglas Friedman, Margaret D. Stetz, Rebecca Brothers, Melanie Reitzel, Kate Robinson, Ellis Elliot, Shelly Jones, Connie Buckmaster, Marya Summers, and Benjamin Decter. Listen today and reflect on the ties that bind you.
Kaleidoscope: Exploring the Experience of Disability through Literature and the Fine Arts has launched a podcast to lift the words from its pages and present them in a new and meaningful way. In issue 86 episode 4, host Nick deCourville takes the audience on a journey toward discovering unexpected truths. This episode includes a reading of an excerpt from “Rehabbing” by Sharon Hart Addy. This story involves a couple who decides to buy an old farmhouse that is in need of renovations, only to find they are about to go on an unexpected journey of self-discovery and healing. Additional readings include works from authors Carol Zapata-Whelan, Hudson Plumb, Chelsea Brown, Robin Knight, Daylyn Carrigan, Hudson Plumb, Conny Borgelioen, Fay L. Loomis, Kristen Reid, Jess Pulver, Fionn Pulsifer, Courtney B. Cook, Hannah Sward, and Stephanie Harper. Give the episode a listen and see what truths are uncovered.
A pioneer in its field, Kaleidoscope magazine publishes work that creatively explores the experience of disability. With the theme of “The Ties that Bind,” there are two prominent threads woven into Issue 87: family and deafness. Our featured essay, by Paul Hostovsky, contains elements of both. The featured artist is Kelly Simpson. Kaleidoscope hopes readers will enjoy the work by these contributors: Roly Andrews, Caitlin C. Baker, Shanan Ballam, Rebecca Brothers, Connie Buckmaster, S. Leigh Ann Cowan, Benjamin Decter, Ellis Elliott, Robert Douglas Friedman, N.J. Haus, Shelly Jones, Susan Whiting Kemp, Lori Lindstrom, Claire McMurray, Gloria g. Murray, Wendy Nikel, Rachel Papirmeister, Ujjvala Bagal Rahn, Melanie Reitzel, Kate Robinson, Seth Schindler, Nancy Scott, Margaret D. Stetz, Marya Summers and Lee Ann Wilson.
We experience many connections in life and in this issue we take a closer look at the ties that bind. Each thread woven into loops, knots, and swirls, revealing an intricate tapestry. Kaleidoscope magazine publishes literature and artwork that creatively explore the experience of disability. Submit your best work to us today! Visit our website and view our flyer for more information.
Want early access to our eLitPak flyers? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter! You can also support NewPages with a paid subscription and get early access to the majority submission opportunities, upcoming events, and more before they are posted to our site.
Throughout the Winter/Spring 2023 issue of Kaleidoscope: Exploring the Experience of Disability through Literature and the Fine Arts, unexpected truths are discovered through all genres. Sometimes the truth can be hard to swallow and in other cases, revelations are surprisingly sweet. The featured essay, “Awakening” by Jane Gabriel, recounts the events of a beautiful, sunny, summer day when she picks up her teenager’s phone only to discover her daughter is plotting a murder and has enlisted the help of someone online. Without warning, a fast-moving, dark storm erupts within the home, and what transpires is sure to leave readers stunned. Kaleidoscope hopes readers will enjoy the well-crafted stories, moving poetry, poignant essays, animal portraiture by Katherine Klimitas, much-needed humor, and a review of the book Being Heumann. Other contributors include Matt Flick, Fay L. Loomis, Stephanie Harper, Alpheus Williams, Sharon Hart Addy, Evelyn Arvey, Carol Zapata-Whelan, Judy Lunsford, Vesper North, Courtney B. Cook, Eric Witchey, Judith Krum, Daylyn Carrigan, Jess Pulver, Kristen Reid, Chelsea Malia Brown, Robin Knight, Hudson Plumb, Conny Borgelioen, Dawn Rachel Carrington, Hannah Sward, Kelley A Pasmanick, and Fionn Pulsifer.
Unexpected truths are discovered throughout this issue, in all genres. Sometimes the truth can be hard to swallow and in other cases, revelations are surprisingly sweet. Kaleidoscope magazine publishes literature and artwork that creatively explore the experience of disability. Submit your best work to us today! Visit our website and view our flyer for more information.
Kaleidoscope magazine creatively focuses on the experiences of disability through literature and the fine arts publishing personal essays, creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and book reviews. Issue 85 contains nuggets of contentment and acceptance. The featured essay is “My Mother’s Geranium” by AnnaLee Wilson. Desperate to uncover her family’s history and the mystery disease impacting many of the women in it, the author began asking her aging mother questions in search of answers. This essay is the result of those inquisitive visits. This issue’s featured artist is Alana Ciena Tillman, a mouth artist and entrepreneur. Her “Happy Cow” image on the cover is delightful. Kaleidoscope hopes readers will enjoy the poetry, essays, and stories of strength, connection, and contentment offered by their contributors: Marcia Pradzinski, Nancy Deyo, Troy Reeves, Kirie Pedersen, Evelyn Arvey, Sylvia Melvin, Cristina Hartmann, John William, Kale Bandy, Jen Eve Taylor, Doug Tanoury, Dina S. Towbin, Mary Wemple, Colleen Anderson, Levi J. Mericle, and Sandra J. Lindow.
In this issue you’ll find nuggets of contentment as authors share stories of disability and the connections they experience with those who travel this journey with them. A pioneer in its field, Kaleidoscope magazine publishes literature and artwork that creatively explore the experience of disability. Submit your best work to us today! Visit our website or view our flyer for more information.
Established in 1979 as the first magazine to creatively explore the experience of disability through the lens of literature and fine arts, Kaleidoscope is once again breaking new ground to share the experiences of disability through literature and the fine arts.
“TheKaleidoscope podcast,” the editors write, “is meant to expand the outreach of the magazine in a new and modern way and we want to offer more opportunities for writers to present their work. In the first episode, most of the featured writers read their own pieces, making it a more authentic and powerful experience to enjoy. We also hope to make the publication more accessible for those with visual impairments or other disabilities for whom reading can be a challenge. The very nature of the podcast format makes it more accessible to a broader audience whether listening at home, at the office, or while on a commute.”
Kaleidoscope hopes that future podcasts will include interviews with writers and artists to further explore perceptions of disability as well as interviews with individuals who bring fresh insight to issues of interest to those living with a disability or those caring for someone with a disability.
Issue 84 of Kaleidoscope Published this Month! Accepting Submissions Year-Round
Resilience is the common thread running through the work selected for this issue, which includes writing by authors in India, Bahrain, Australia and across the United States. A pioneer in its field, Kaleidoscope magazine publishes literature and artwork that creatively explores the experience of disability. Submit your best work to us today! Visit our website for more information.
In this issue, we see a common thread of resilience. Humor and an appreciation for the little things are along for the ride. Featured essay by Kavitha Yaga Buggana. Featured art by Sandy Palmer. Fiction by Kelly A. Harmon, Lind McMullen, and Courtney B. Cook; a personal essay by Jackie D. Rust; creative nonfiction by Judy Kronenfeld, Laura Kiesel, Kristin LaFollette, and Tereza Crvenkovic; and a book review by Nanaz Khosrowshahi. Poetry by Alan Balter, Lucia Haase, John Dycus, Linda Fuchs, Diane S. Morelli, Alana Visser, Wren Tuatha, and T.L. Murphy.
In this summer issue of Kaleidoscope, we have personal essays, poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, a book review, a dance feature, and information regarding the release of the documentary film Fierce Love and Art. Featured essay by Kimberly Roblin. Featured art by Diane Reid. Additional work by Mariana Abeid-McDougall, Dyland Ward, Carrie Jade Williams, and more. See a further list of contributors at the Kaleidoscope website.
In addition to American authors, this issue includes the work of seven writers from abroad who share experiences that reveal we are more alike than we are different. A pioneer in its field, Kaleidoscope magazine publishes literature and artwork that creatively explores the experience of disability. Submit your best work to us today! Visit our website for more information.
“We Are Worthy” is the theme of this issue of Kaleidoscope. Our featured essay is “Wrap Me Up and Tie It with a Bow” by Shawna Borman. Author Marilyn Slominski Shapiro writes with vivid imagery in her story, “Rejoice the Archangel Raphael!” Judi Fleischman shares creative nonfiction, “My Man George.” This issue contains our first lyric essay, and our first publication of a drabble. In poetry, anxious thoughts are “Intruders” in the mind of Mari-Carmen Marin. You’ll find many other stories, personal essays, and thought-provoking poems that reflect the experience of disability and life in the midst of a pandemic. Cover art by Philadelphia street artist Blur.
During periods of unrest and uncertainty, when ominous dark clouds roll in and the sky becomes black, it can be easy to give in to feelings of despair. Kaleidoscope contains stories of adversity but it also offers hope. Featuring the essay “Between Rooms” by N. T. McQueen, the story “Mother Bear” by Melissa Murakami, and the essay “Nacre Upon Nacre” by Jenna Pashley Smith. In addition to these three, this issue contains an array of thought-provoking poetry and other wonderful stories of fiction and nonfiction. Issue 81 brings the promise that storm clouds will dissipate and the sun will shine again.
