Take the time to enjoy and be nourished by the art and writing in this new issue of Leaping Clear. There is humor, poignancy, power, ecstasy, calm, and beauty to be found in essays by Elizabeth Fletcher, Liz Woz, Ranjani Rao, and more; fiction by Taffeta Chime; and poetry by Alan Cohen, Carla Sarett, Fran Markover, J. P. White, Linda Parsons, Sandra Fees, Wayne Lee, and more.
Magazine Review by Katy Haas
Now more than ever it’s important to find the beauty in whatever is around us. As writers, as artists, and as humans struggling through a traumatic period of time, it’s necessary to find bright spots. The Fall 2020 issue of Still Point Arts Quarterly puts this into practice, the theme of the issue being “The Secret Life of Objects.”
Throughout the pages, writers and artists look at what’s around them and capture their beauty. Adrienne Stevenson writes an ode to a “Kitchen Timer,” an appliance one doesn’t have to think much about until it’s gone. Kathleen Miller draws pared-down sketches of telephones, boats, pitchers, eliminating the details to follow Georgia O’Keeffe’s sentiment of “get[ting] at the real meaning of things.” Most of MJ Edwards’s compelling photography focuses on treasures of trash found on the beach, as they wonder about the “untold stories” the objects carry with them.
Art can be found in the everyday items around us, the objects easily overlooked. Don’t forget to look around you and find the beauty and inspiration they can hold.
Auroras & Blossoms is an electronic literary magazine launched in 2019 by co-founders Cendrine Marrouat and David Ellis. It is dedicated to promoting positive, uplifting, and inspirational poetry, poetry-graphy, short stories, 6-word stories, paintings, drawings, and photography. They feature poetry from adults as well as young writers ages 13-16. As they are a family-friend platform, no swear words, dirty words, politics, or erotica is allowed.
They also publish digital anthologies. Their first is the NaPoWriMo Anthology which contains poetry written throughout National Poetry Writing Month in April 2020 and features work by Donna Allard, Chandni Asnani, Maria L. Berg, Jamie Brian, Jimena Cerda, Jaewon Chang, Ravichandra Chittampalli, Sandra Christensen, Mimi DiFrancesca, Fiona D’Silva, Kate Duff, Judy Dykstra-Brown, Amanda M. Eifert, Stacie Eirich, David Ellis, Michael Erickson, Deveree Extein, Jack M. Freedman, Alicia Grimshaw, Jenny Hayut, Patrick Jennings, Liam Kennedy, Ting Lam, Rose Loving, Cendrine Marrouat, Michele Mekel, Ally Nellmapius, William Reynolds, Madhumita Sarangi, Anna Schoenbach, Julie A. Sellers, Jonathan Shipley, Dorian J. Sinnott, Krupali Trivedi, Angela van Son, Michele Vecchitto, Penny Wilkes, and Gemma Wiseman. Their next anthology will be PoArtMo which stands for Positive Art Month and Positive Art Moves.
Stop by their listing at NewPages to learn more.
Snapdragon: A Journal of Art & Healing is an electronic literary magazine publishing new issues quarterly. The journal was founded in 2015 by Jacinta V. White. They publish provocative poetry, creative nonfiction, and photography with a healing bent from across the globe. Their goal is to extend the conversation on art and healing believing that art is a catalyst for wellbeing.
They are a subscription-based journal offering one-time purchases or annual subscriptions. Each issue focuses on a certain theme. 2020 themes include vibrant · vision, dread · desire, empty · enough, and silence · sound. They accept 100 free submissions a month. Once they hit that, it is $5 to submit.
Snapdragon Journal is a part of The Word Project which offers online workshops, downloadable guides, coaching opportunities and more. Swing by their listing at NewPages to learn more.
Founded in 2017 by Renata and Tim Louwers, Months To Years is an online literary magazine exploring mortality and terminal illness. Both editors experienced the loss of their first spouses due to bladder cancer and early onset Alzheimer’s, inspiring them to co-found this journal. They wanted to create a literary space where those experiencing grief can reflect on their experiences through literature and art. The name of the journal is a phrase often used with terminally ill patients as the doctor’s best estimate of expected life span.
Months To Years publishes nonfiction, poetry, photography, and art that explores grief, death, and dying on a quarterly basis. They are now back after a brief hiatus and accepting submissions on a continuous basis whether you are a terminally ill person, a doctor, someone who suffered a loss, a caregiver, or someone simply contemplating mortality.
Stop by their listing at NewPages to learn more about this journal.
This issue’s featured authors include Brian Turner, Sue William Silverman, Kristine Langley Mahler, Carly Anderson, Laurie Rachkus Uttich, Sara Ryan, Tyler Mills, Julie Marie Wade, Melissa Grunow, Katy Mullins, and more. Plus, beautiful photography by Christina Brobby. Find more contributors at the Brevity website.
Hole In The Head Review is a new online literary magazine founded in 2020 “on the perilous coast of Maine” where the “sun rises on the United States and darkness falls first.” Their debut issue, published earlier this year, features new works from Michael Hettich, Larkin Warren, Frankie Soto, Andrew Periale, Amy Young, Julia Wagner, Richard Heckler, Mawi Sonna, and Nancy Jean Hill.
They are enthusiastic about publishing both new and established poets together on a quarterly basis. In fact, their next issue is slated for release on May Day. They listen for a strong voice and look for a clarity of vision.
“You need another literary journal like you need a hole in the head.” Yes, yes we do.
Walloon Writers Review edition 6 is a collection of poetry, short stories and nature photography inspired by Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. This independent regionally focused literary magazine is published annually. “Edition 6” edited by Associate Editor Glen Young, is so titled as this is our first digital edition. Walloon Writers Review edition 6 is available on issuu and the link can be found on our website. No charge for the digital edition this year. Cover photography by Elizabeth J. Bates.