Contributors

Donna Dallas studied Creative Writing and Philosophy at NYU’s Gallatin School and was lucky enough to study under William Packard, founder and editor of the New York Quarterly. She was on the editorial team of Red Fez and she currently serves on the editorial team for New York Quarterly.

Douglas Walters lives and writes in Norwich, Connecticut, where he is also an online English instructor to international students. A former police officer, he has been published in The Auburn Circle, The Filibuster, Daedalus, The Connecticut Bards Poetry Review 2025, ManicWorld Magazine, NeonOrigami.com, and TheWriteLaunch.com. When he isn’t in front of his laptop or his virtual classroom, he’s reading, writing, or exploring New England with his wife Megan and his two dogs Atlas and Eros. He is currently working on a group of short stories entitled Uncomfortable.

Dr. Adyasha Acharya is a medical intern in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. She is a voracious reader and her most favourite genres are fantasy and science fiction. She has published two novels previously- "The Fearless Warriors" (2015) and "The Guardian" (2021), a short story titled "Nexus" and "The Psychics" in the Indian Periodical Magazine and "The Midnight Ritual" in the anthology "The Selection of a Sacred Strawberry" by Writefluence (2023).

Dr. Deepak Dev is an IT professional currently serving as an IT Advisor for a government organization. Holding a Doctorate and Master’s degree in Information Technology, along with numerous professional certifications, his career has been rooted in precision, security and logic. Writing, however, emerged as an unplanned refuge, an expressive departure from structured systems. Encouraged by friends on Threads.net, he ventured into poetry and storytelling, not as a poet by definition, but as an observer of life’s raw intricacies. His work is unfiltered, shaped by rebellion, grief, resilience and an insatiable need to explore beyond the visible. Each piece reflects a mind that oscillates between order and untamed emotion, crafting narratives that challenge perception.

Duane Anderson currently lives in La Vista, NE. He has had poems published in Fine Lines, Cholla Needles, Tipton Poetry Journal, and several other publications. He is the author of ‘On the Corner of Walk and Don’t Walk,’ ‘The Blood Drives: One Pint Down,’ and ‘Family Portraits.’

Author of the critically applauded debut novel Twelfth House, E.C. Traganas has published in DarkWinter Literary Magazine, Ibbetson Street Press, The Penwood Review, Sacred Journey, Agape Review, Ancient Paths, The Chamber Magazine and numerous other literary journals. Hailed as ‘an artfully created masterpiece’ and a ‘must-read’, her new work of haiku and short poetry, Shaded Pergola, was recently released by Tropaeum Press and features her original illustrations. A resident of New York City, Ms. Traganas enjoys a varied career as a Juilliard-trained concert pianist & composer, activities that have earned her accolades from the international press. www.elenitraganas.com

E. F. S. Byrne works in education and writes when his teenage kids allow it. He blogs a regular micro flash story. Links to this and over fifty published pieces can be found at efsbyrne.wordpress.com or follow him on Twitter @efsbyrne

E.P. Lande, born in Montreal, has lived in the south of France and now, with his partner, in Vermont, writing and caring for more than 100 animals. Previously, as a Vice-Dean, he taught at l’Université d’Ottawa, and he has owned and managed country inns and free-standing restaurants. Since submitting less than three years ago, more than 90 his stories — many auto-fiction — and poems have found homes in publications on all continents except Antarctica. His story “Expecting” has been nominated for Best of the Net. His debut novel, “Aaron’s Odyssey”, a gay-romantic-psychological thriller, is to be published in 2025.

Earl Nobdy lives and writes in Exile, NJ.

Eddie Malone (he/him) is a writer who lives far,far out in the boggy woods with his rescue dogs and his demons.

Edward Lee's poetry, short stories, non-fiction and photography have been published in magazines in Ireland, England and America, including The Stinging Fly, Skylight 47, Acumen, The Blue Nib and Poetry Wales. His poetry collections include A Foetal Heart, Bones Speaking With Hard Tongues, To Touch The Sky And Never Know The Ground Again and The Heart As Dust Lost In The Wind. He also makes musical noise under the names Ayahuasca Collective, Orson Carroll, Lego Figures Fighting, and Pale Blond Boy. His blog/website can be found at https://edwardmlee.wordpress.com

Eileen Patterson lives in Cudahy, Wisconsin. Along with fellow poets she has read her poetry at the local library. Her poetryshe has appeared in Underwood, Bombfire, Medusa’s Kitchen and she has a short story in Darkwinter.

Eileen Tull (she/her) is a writer, performer, and teacher based in Chicago. Her writing has been published online by Grim & Gilded, Empty Mirror, First Literary Review (East), Literature Today Journal and Scout & Birdie, among others. Eileen’s poetry has been included in the following books: The Art of Being Human Vol. 9, The Art of Being Human Vol. 10, and Veils, Halos & Shackles: International Poetry on the Oppression and Empowerment of Women. She recently self-published her first poetry collection, 33 Poems About Peanut Butter, on Amazon. As a storyteller and theatre artist, her work has been seen across the country in San Francisco, New York City, Cincinnati, Dallas, and all over Chicago. www.eileentull.com, Instagram: @Eileen.Tull, Twitter: @tullie23

Elaine McCluskey writes about the people you might find in the corners of life: boxers, bouncers, and dreamers. She has published four short-story collections and three novels. The Gift Child, a novel, was released in March 2024. Rafael Has Pretty Eyes won the 2023 Alistair MacLeod prize for short fiction. Her stories have appeared in literary journals including Room, subTerrain, and The Antigonish Review. One story was a Journey Prize finalist, another placed second in the Fish international contest in Ireland. She won the Pottersfield Portfolio Compact Fiction contest and the Other Voices Short Story Contest. She has been on both the CBC longlist and the ReLit awards longlist three times. She lives in Dartmouth, N.S. She has worked as a journalist, a book editor, and a university lecturer.

Elisha Oluyemi won the 2022 Lagos-HCAF Writing Contest (Prose) and came 1st runner-up in both the Shuzia 2021 Short Story Contest (2nd Ed.) and 2022 Flash Fiction Contest. He co-edited the PROFWIC Crime Fiction Anthology, Vol 1. Elisha has writing published/forthcoming in journals, including Mystery Tribune, Brittle Paper, Entropy, The Hooghly Review, Iris Youth Mag, Hotpot Mag, African Writer, Salamander Ink, Erato, Neurological, Kalahari, Nymphs, Shallow Tales Review, Sledgehammer, Arts Lounge, and elsewhere. He writes in the psychological and literary genres.

Elizabeth Mercurio is the author of the books Doll and Words in a Night Jar. She is an Assistant Editor at Lily Poetry Review. She earned an MFA in poetry from The Solstice Low-Residency Program. Her work has appeared in Ample Remains, The Wild Word, Thimble Magazine, Vox Populi, and elsewhere. She was the 2016 recipient of The Sharon Olds Fellowship for Poetry and was named a finalist in the Cordella Press Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Prize. You can find her at: https://www.elizabethmercurio.com/

Labrador Inuk Ella Nathanael Alkiewicz (she/hers) is a self-taught poet. She is a dual citizen and loves visiting her family in Toronto when her schedule permits. Ella teaches online poetry for Indigenous students at the North American Indian Center of Boston. She’s been published in Lucky Jefferson and other magazines. She can be reached on Facebook @ellanathanaelalkiewicz or on Twitter @ellaalk or on Instagram @ella_alk.

Elliot Wilner is a retired neurologist, living in Bethesda, MD

Émanuel Dubbeldam is a queer and trans artist of Dutch-immigrant and Acadian-settler descent based in Edmonton, Alberta. His work is mainly focused in theatre, film, and television as an actor and writer; he co-hosted the children’s TV show ONIVA! (Radio-Canada) from 2020–2024 and lends his voice to a handful of characters in animated shorts and series. In the literary arts, Émanuel works as a freelance story and copy editor, translator, and fiction writer. His short story “Viande hachée, à feu moyen” was published in À ciel ouvert, the prairies’ francophone literary magazine. Recently, Émanuel has had the pleasure of editing interactive choose-your-own-adventure stories for Story City in Edmonton and Calgary.

Bio: Emil is an American currently living in South Korea. He is enjoys reading and writing horror and sci-fi. He believes that writing is powerful art form that allows one to tell incredible, emotional and impactful stories from different perspectives.

Emily De Angelis comes from a long line of visual artists, musicians, and storytellers. She has spent many years developing her writing through involvement in the writing community, independent study, workshops, conferences, and courses. Emily has western and Japanese-style poems as well as short stories published in various periodicals and anthologies and has also won or placed in the top three of 4 short story contests. Her first YA book, The Stones of Burren Bay, released in May 2024 (Latitude 46 Publishing) and has won two gold medals in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2025. Her chapbook, In the Space Between: The New Woman in the Writing of Florence Carlyle, was released in October of 2024 and showcases her Japanese form ekphrastic poetry as well as the writing of late 19th century Canadian painter Florence Carlyle. Emily and her husband live in Woodstock, Ontario and spend summers at their cottage on Manitoulin Island.

Emily Toliver is currently a sophomore at The New School where she is studying Literary Studies with a concentration in writing and minoring in Psychology. Her love and admiration for storytelling began as a child after being introduced to Rod Serling’s, “The Twilight Zone” and since then has grown even more. In her sophomore year of high school she wrote a play titled, “Behind the Frame” that tackled the idea of capitalism’s effects on artists who simply want to pursue their professions because it's what they love rather than what they make. This play was then published by Samuel French through their LEAP OnStage program and performed at Baruch College. She continued her earlier studies in creative writing, working with TDF and NYU in specialized programs made for high schoolers in the arts. Now, she is focusing on her classes all while learning new forms of storytelling and working as a social media intern.

Eric Burbridge has been writing short fiction for years and after his retirement started to pursue his passion for story telling in earnest. He is currently working on a novel.

Eric H Janzen is the author of two fantasy series, The Dreamtrekker Journals and The Essence Tales—both available on Amazon. He also writes non-fiction and has had numerous essays on the spiritual life published online in the Clarion Journal of Spirituality and Justice. Recently, his short story, Fair Field Gate was an honourable mention in Off Topic’s July 2022 writing challenge. He lives in British Columbia, Canada, and plans to continue writing… forever.

Eric Twa (he/him) is a gay writer living with schizophrenia. He has published fiction or is forthcoming in Qwerty, Bull, A Thin Slice of Anxiety, decomp journal, and others. He also has poetry published in The Nashwaak Review.

Erich von Hungen is a writer from San Francisco, California. He lives under a giant Norfolk pine in a century old house between Golden Gate Park and the Pacific Ocean. His writing has appeared in The Write Launch, Versification, Green Ink Press, The Hyacinth Review, IceFloe Press, Fahmidan Journal, Hearth and Coffin and others. He is the author of four poetry collections, the most recent being "Bleeding Through: 72 Poems Of Man In Nature". Find him on twitter @PoetryForce.

Erin Emily Ann Vance is a Canadian poet based in the Orkney Islands. Her first collection of poetry, A History of Touch, was published by Guernica Editions in 2022. Erin is the Fresh Voices Editor for the League of Canadian Poets. Her work has been published in Grain, filling station, Freefall, The Literary Review of Canada, EVENT, Plenitude, CV2, Arc Poetry, and more.

Erin Jamieson’s writing has been published in over 100 literary magazines, including two Pushcart Prize nominations. She is the author of four poetry chapbooks, including Fairy Tales (Bottle Cap Press) and a forthcoming poetry collection. Her debut novel (Sky of Ashes, Land of Dreams) was published by Type Eighteen Books. X/Twitter: @erin_simmer

Ernest A. Youhouse, Jr. was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He attended Kent Preparatory School before being awarded a Morehead Scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he graduated in 1981. He also received a Masters of Arts in English from the State University of New York in Binghamton in 1983. After returning to North Carolina , he worked in Advertising and Marketing. When Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005, Ernest decided to apply his communication skill-set and a heightened sense of urgency to the Disaster Recovery and Property Restoration Industry. In the next several years, Ernest is looking forward to retirement and the abundance of time to write fiction.

Esther Beland is a transgender poet. She was raised in Virginia and graduated from St. John's College in Annapolis, MD. She lives in Brooklyn.

Evelyn Moriarty is a native of Co. Limerick in the West of Ireland. She holds an M.A. in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies from University of Limerick, a B.A. in English Studies from Trinity College, Dublin, and has particular interdisciplinary research interests in 21st century poetry and music. Previously published in The Ogham Stone (2019) literary journal, Evelyn is an active member of the Killaloe Writers Group and draws inspiration from liminal spaces, boundaries within and without, and the poetics of silence.

Faith Allington (she/her) is a writer of the mysterious and speculative who resides in the Pacific Northwest. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in journals such as Hexagon MYRIAD, Flash Frontier, Pyre Magazine, Cease Cows, and Crow & Cross Keys. When not writing, she's drinking too much tea and reading many books.

Faye Susan is a Canadian American poet and writer. Her passion for writing is fueled by her experiences as a queer, autistic woman and her belief in the healing and transformative nature of art. She proudly calls Toronto home and is pursuing a degree in Creative Writing and Publishing from Sheridan College.

Fija Callaghan is a storyteller who writes poetry, love letters, and fiction that can be found in venues like Gingerbread House, Mythic Magazine, Corvid Queen, and elsewhere. Her work has been featured in podcasts, recognised by international short story competitions, and nominated for Best of the Net. Originally from the Cascadia region, she now lives in Dublin, Ireland with her books.

Foster Trecost writes stories that are mostly made up. They tend to
follow his attention span: sometimes short, sometimes very short.
Recent work appears in Fabula Argentea, Across the Margin, Flash
Boulevard, and Roi Fainéant. He lives near New Orleans with his wife
and dog.

Frances Boyle was shortlisted for our 1st Anniversary Short Story Contest. She is the author most recently of Openwork and Limestone (Frontenac House 2022). In addition to two earlier poetry collections, she has also written Tower, a novella (Fish Gotta Swim Editions 2018), Seeking Shade, an award-winning short story collection (The Porcupine’s Quill, 2020) and Skin Hunger, a novel (The Porcupine’s Quill, forthcoming 2024). Recent fiction publications include work in Paris Lit Up, Bandit Fiction and Echolocation. Originally from the prairies, Frances has long lived in Ottawa. For more, visit www.francesboyle.com or follow @francesboyle19.

Frank William Finney is a prize-winning poet from Massachusetts who taught literature in Thailand for 25 years. His poems have appeared in Bitter Melon Review, Dark Poets Club, Persephone, Tales from the Moonlit Path, Toil & Trouble, and elsewhere. He is the author of the chapbooks The Folding of the Wings (Finishing Line Press, 2022), and Birds in a Boneyard (Bainbridge Island Press, 2025).

Author of two book-length narrative poems, The Adventure (Story Line Press, 1986; reissued April 2022 by Red Hen Press) and Happiness (Story Line Press, 1998), and four collections, A Poverty of Words (Prolific Press, 2015), Landscape with Mutant (Smokestack Books, UK, 2018), The Beautiful Losses (Better Than Starbucks Books, 2023), and The Liberator (Survision Books, Ireland, 2024). In print, Pollack’s work has appeared in Hudson Review, Poetry Salzburg Review, Manhattan Review, Skidrow Penthouse, Main Street Rag, Miramar, Chicago Quarterly Review, The Fish Anthology (Ireland), Poetry Quarterly Review, Magma (UK), Neon (UK), Orbis (UK), Armarolla, December, and elsewhere. Online, his poems have appeared in Big Bridge, Diagram, BlazeVox, Mudlark, Occupoetry, Faircloth Review, Triggerfish, Big Pond Rumours (Canada), Misfit, OffCourse and elsewhere. Website: www.frederickpollack.com.

G. W. McClary is a native of Ohio with a B.A. in literature and founder of The Storycraft Co-op. His stories have appeared in Nova Literary-Arts Magazine, The Haunted Portal, Razzle Dazzle Cafe, and elsewhere. You can keep up with his new releases on Instagram: @gwmcclary

GL is a 19 year old writer from Toronto, Ontario. He is currently an undergraduate humanities major in Nova Scotia, and hopes to complete an English or Philosophy degree. Prior to starting university, GL struggled with mental health and addiction before graduating high school. Prose became his form of choice, but he wants to expand his horizons as a writer and experiment with other forms of poetry.

Gabriel Sayers is a fourth-year Indigenous student at the University of Victoria, where he studies Anthropology and Environmental Studies. His writing is shaped by a lifelong fascination with the beauty of the natural world and by his grandmother’s gentle, persistent urging to write. His work has been previously published in Grain.

Gale Acuff has had hundreds of poems published in fourteen countries and has authored three books of poetry. His poems have appeared in Ascent, Reed, Arkansas Review, Poem, Slant, Aethlon, Florida Review, South Carolina Review, Carolina Quarterly, Roanoke Review, Danse Macabre, Ohio Journal, Sou'wester, South Dakota Review, North Dakota Quarterly, New Texas, Midwest Quarterly, Poetry Midwest, Adirondack Review, Worcester Review, Adirondack Review, Connecticut River Review, Delmarva Review, Maryland Poetry Review, Maryland Literary Review, Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Ann Arbor Review, Plainsongs, Chiron Review, George Washington Review, McNeese Review, Weber, War, Literature & the Arts, Poet Lore, Able Muse, The Font, Fine Lines, Teach.Write., Oracle, Hamilton Stone Review, Sequential Art Narrative in Education, Cardiff Review, Tokyo Review, Indian Review, Muse India, Bombay Review, Westerly, and many other journals.

Gareth Vieira is a Canadian writer, poet, and journalist based in Cobourg, Ontario. Much of his work emerges from the edges of things: city streets, small towns, hospital rooms, late-night bars. He is drawn to people who feel restless or out of place, carrying both beauty and ruin. His fiction circles connection and absence, fleeting moments that don’t last but leave a mark.

Garrett Rowlan is a retired sub teacher in Los Angeles. He's got a bad right knee but still plays basketball. His website is garrettrowlan.com. He's published stories and a couple of novels with one slated for July 2026. He writes movie reviews for coloradoboulevard.net.

Garry Engkent is a Chinese-Canadian. He has co-authored three texts: Groundwork: Writing Skills to Build On; Fiction/Non-Fiction: A Reader and Rhetoric; and Essay: Do's and Don'ts. His fictional stories have appeared in Exile, Many-Mouthed Birds, Emerge, and Ricepaper Magazine. Most stories have a Chinese immigrant slant: "Why My Mother Can't Speak English", "Eggroll", and “Rabbit". His recent published foray into horror is “I, Zombie: A Different Point of View.”

Gary Beck has spent most of his adult life as a theater director and worked as an art dealer when he couldn't earn a living in the theater. He has also been a tennis pro, ditch digger and salvage diver. His original plays and translations of Moliere, Aristophanes and Sophocles have been produced Off Broadway. His poetry, fiction, essays and plays have appeared in hundreds of literary magazines and his traditionally published books include 45 poetry collections, 18 novels, 4 short story collections, 2 collections of essays, 8 books of plays and 16 poetry chapbooks. Gary lives in New York City.

Gary Garafola currently resides on Long Island in New York. He is a Pushcart Prize nominee. He has written some very dark fiction, A children's book and a play. His poems have appeared in Impossible Archetype, The World of Myth Magazine, DarkWinter Literary Magazine and OH YEAH A Bear Poetry Anthology, edited by Raymond Luczak and published by Bearskin Lodge Press.

Gary Kuchar is Professor in the Department of English at the University of Victoria. A specialist in English Renaissance literature, he is the author of four academic monographs, including George Herbert and the Mystery of the Word: Poetry and Scripture in Seventeenth-Century England (2017) and Shakespeare and the World of Slings & Arrows: Poetic Faith in a Postmodern Age (2024). His poetry has appeared in Scintilla and Sky Island Journal.

Gary Porter likes to stay home and hang out with his beautiful family. He listens to all kinds of music, but the electric guitar makes his favorite sounds. He also loves vocal harmonies and handclaps. He works at a homeless shelter, and he's just trying to get a little better every day.

Geoffrey Heptonstall is the author of Heaven's Invention, a novel (Black Wolf 2017) and two poetry collections published by Cyberwit: The Rites of Paradise (2020) and Sappho’s Moon (2021). Recent fiction has appeared in Pennsylvania Literary Journal. Recent poetry has appeared in Fixing Earth, an anthology of eco-awareness from Zimbabwe. He lives in Cambridge, England.