Yes, Poetry

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Contributor’s Notes

L. Ward Abel, poet, composer and performer of music, teacher, lawyer, lives in rural Georgia, has been published hundreds of time in print and online, and is the author of Peach Box and Verge (Little Poem Press, 2003), Jonesing For Byzantium (UK Authors Press, 2006), The Heat of Blooming (Pudding House Press, 2008), Torn Sky Bleeding Blue (erbacce-Press, 2010), and the forthcoming American Bruise (Parallel Press, 2012). He has just completed his latest poetry collection, The Crater.

Ann Cummings has had work published previously in a few select religious magazines, and Yes, Poetry. For about a year, writing has come to her as poetry. Brevity appeals to her now, packing the most into a few words. Briefly, her life experience has included motorcycle riding, mountain climbing, and other sports. Married twice, now widowed,she has one daughter. Confined to her home, she writes what she sees.

Robert Laughlin lives in Chico, California. His poems have appeared in Bryant Literary Review,Camroc Press Review, elimae, The Orange Room Review and Pearl. His website is at: www.pw.org/content/robert_laughlin.

My name is Sophia Le Fraga, I am a New York based poet finishing my studies in Poetry and Linguistics this December at NYU. Thank you so much for your consideration.

Most recently, Kristi Nimmo has been painting with scrub brushes in watercolor. She writes poetry to feel the softness of a bending heart. She also teaches meditation and loves to travel. You can read more about her in DC Books and Authors Blog: http://dcbooksandauthors.com/2011/08/25/kristi-nimmo-elephant-rides-beautiful-bags-and-poetry/

Simon Perchik is an attorney whose poems have appeared in Partisan Review,

The New Yorker, and elsewhere. For more information, including his essay

“Magic, Illusion and Other Realities” and a complete bibliography, please

visit his website atwww.simonperchik.com.

Sophie Playle studied English Literature with Creative Writing at UEA, and has an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London. She has previously worked in the publishing industry, and continues to freelance. Passionate about writing and publishing, she runs Inkspill Magazine (www.inkspillmagazine.com) and blogs regularly about creative living at: www.sophieplayle.com.

Emmalea Russo is a poet and visual artist who grew up in Eastern Pennsylvania. She holds a BA from Antioch University Los Angeles and is pursuing an MFA in Poetry at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her work has appeared most recently in the Bicycle Review and Blood Lotus.

Carly Susser is a writer and mfa candidate at Sarah Lawrence College. She loves art, animals, and warm climates. Carly has been journaling since 1997 and is working on a memoir (or possibly several all at once) based loosely on the meaning of life. She is also the non-fiction editor of The Boiler Journal: http://theboilerjournal.wordpress.com/.

Christian Ward is a 31 year old UK-based poet who recently completed an MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Editor Biographies

Joanna C. Valente is a MFA candidate in Poetry Writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is also a part-time mermaid. More can be found at her website: http://joannavalente.com

Stephanie Valente lives and writes in New York. Her work has appeared in Italics Mine and other journals. She is currently working on a collection of short stories and as always, poetry. She enjoys candlelit smiles and diamond cut laughter. One day, she would like to become a silent film star. Her favorite desserts are crème brûlée and strawberry-rhubarb pie. She can be found at: kitschy.tumblr.com.

G. Taylor Davis, Jr is from the Milky Way.

Photographer Biography

Marcin Majkowski is 36 years old and from Poland. He is a performance/spoken word poet/writer. He lives in Krakow in Poland.

Yes, Poetry is happy to announce its first issue of 2012! We welcome you into the new year with these wonderful poems, which can be downloaded for free here. 

Contributor’s Notes

Christian Belz has been a practicing architect in the Metro Detroit area for 27 years. He has been published in Writers’ Journal and The Storyteller and is currently writing an Architectural Murder Mystery.

Tyler Bigney was born in 1984. He lives, and writes in Nova Scotia, Canada. His short stories, poetry, and non-fiction have appeared in Pearl, Poetry New Zealand, Third Wednesday, The Meadow, and Neon, among others.

Ariana D. Den Bleyker is a Pittsburgh native currently residing in a small town in New York where she is a wife and mother of two. She is a graduate of William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ where she earned a B.A. in English. She is passionate about poetry and writing because it speaks to her, influences her daily life, and encourages her to write. She draws much of her energy from her own life experiences. Her poetry was most recently featured in The Homestead Review and Stone Highway Review and will soon be featured in Burnt Bridge, scissors and spackle, Grey Sparrow Press, and Heavy Hands Ink.

Jack Foster is the Editorial Manager of A Few Lines Magazine. He currently attends school at Cal Poly Pomona as an English Literature and Language major. When he is not editing or in class, he can be found at the bars in Claremont, CA.

Margaret Graber grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana, a city 45 minutes southeast of Chicago. She is a lifelong friend of Lake Michigan, the avocado, and pop-up books. She is currently pursuing her M.F.A. at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

Nick Hranilovich is a writer, musician, visual artist, and several other things that leave one poor, lazy, and beautiful. He currently resides in Williamston, Michigan, where he is working on pieces for the Michigan Nature Association, as well as maintaining day-jobs for the sake of humility and seeking transcendence of the physical realm. More of his poetry can be found at: http://clutchingatstraws.wordpress.com/category/nick-hranilovich/

Justin Hyde lives in Iowa.

Mark Jackley is the author of several chapbooks, including Every Green Word, forthcoming from Finishing Line Press, and a full-length collection, There Will Be Silence While You Wait (Plain View Press). He lives in Sterling, VA.

Robert Laughlin lives in Chico, California. His poems have appeared in Bryant Literary Review,Camroc Press Review, elimae, The Orange Room Review and Pearl. His website is at: www.pw.org/content/robert_laughlin.

Austin McCarron is from New Zealand but has lived in London for many years.  His work has appeared in various poetry magazines in the United Kingdom, France and America in recent years.

Vincent McGillivray lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. His poetry has appeared in Grain, CV2,Misunderstandings Magazine, Ascent Aspirations, Skidrow Penthouse, Juked and All Rights Reserved. Vincent has recently decided to undertake a (self-imposed) project to rediscover his province, via its backroads.

Michael Tugendhat has a memoir due out by Turquoise Morning Press in 2012. He’s been published in Poetry SZ and has poems forthcoming in Blue and Yellow Dog. He’s dedicated to writing about mental illness to educate and inspire.

Matt Prater is a poet from Saltville, VA. His writing has appeared in Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, NANO Fiction Magazine, and Alcalines, among other publications. He is currently studying towards an MA in English at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

Christine Reilly lives in New York City. She is getting her MFA at Sarah Lawrence College and won full scholarships to the Sarah Lawrence Poetry Seminar and Bucknell University Seminar for Younger Poets. Her poems will be featured in “The Clearing: Forty Years with Toni Morrison”. Her chapbook of poetry, “The Blue Of”, was a finalist in the Pulled Pork Susquehanna University Contest. She has been published in 31 journals. She was named Breadcrumb Scabs’ Editor’s Pick. She has just finished her first novel. She teaches poetry to teenagers on the Lower East Side. Her website is: www.christinejessicamargaretreilly.com

Shriram Sivaramakrishnan likes to call himself as a budding poet who is trying to learn the art called Poetry. A fan of John Keats, he is a true slave to poetry and boast himself for that. His works have appeared in journals such as Short Fast and Deadly, Right Hand Pointing, Dirt Cakes, Wingposse, and so on. He writes a blog called “Thought Pebbles” and publishes poems on other poetry communities. His blog link is: http://thoughtpebble.blogspot.com/

Parker Tettleton’s work is featured in &/or forthcoming from Gargoyle, elimae, > kill author, Mud Luscious, & PANK, among others. His chapbook SAME OPPOSITE is available from Thunderclap! Press. More or less is here.

Robert Vaughan’s plays have been produced in N.Y.C., L.A., S.F., and Milwaukee where he resides. He leads two writing roundtables for Redbird- Redoak Studio. His prose and poetry is published in over 150 literary journals such as Elimae, Metazen and BlazeVOX. He has short stories anthologized in Nouns of Assemblage from Housefire, and Stripped from P.S. Books. He is a fiction editor at JMWW magazine, and Thunderclap! Press. He co-hosts Flash Fiction Fridays for WUWM’s Lake Effect. His blog: http://rgv7735.wordpress.com.

Michael Uhall, Jr., lives in Champaign, Illinois.

Editor Biographies

Joanna C. Valente is a MFA candidate in Poetry Writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is also a part-time mermaid. More can be found at her website: http://joannavalente.com

Stephanie Valente lives and writes in New York. Her work has appeared in Italics Mine and other journals. She is currently working on a collection of short stories and as always, poetry. She enjoys candlelit smiles and diamond cut laughter. One day, she would like to become a silent film star. Her favorite desserts are crème brûlée and strawberry-rhubarb pie. She can be found at: kitschy.tumblr.com.

G. Taylor Davis, Jr is from the Milky Way.

Photographer Biography

Brett Stout is a 32 year old punk rock artist and writer living in Myrtle Beach, SC. He is a high school dropout and former construction worker turned college graduate and paramedic. He creates art while mainly hung-over from a small cramped apartment in Myrtle Beach, SC. He is the owner and operator of the Anti Condo Art group and puts on controversial art projects throughout the Southern U.S.