CHIRPS FROM THE SPARROW
Editor Diane Smith
POETRY
Our National Treasure, Presidential and Pulitzer Prize Poet Maxine Kumin
July, Against Hunger, The Envelope, After Love [Archives offline]
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Pillar of Fire, Greed, Steve Castro [Published 8/9/10]
Accent Becomes Metalogue, Different Time Zones, Bobby Steve Baker
Comfort in Certainty, Ted O. Badger [Published 8/4/10]
Skeleton Games, Liz N. Clift
Love Struck at 40 miles per hour, N.W. Hall
Barren Fork Creek, Delivered, Harvest Home, Kevin Heaton
Chimerical Alley, Nigel Holt
Sociology, Behind Mercado La Comdamine, Jonathan Dubow
The Troubles, The 6:00 a.m. Bus From Newburyport to Logan Airport, A Friday in June, Sharron Singleton
Five Ways to See an Island, Les Prescott
Gaden Snake, Water, Dalenna Moser
Classified 17, Benjamin C. Krause
Burnpile, Ingenue, Catherine McGuire
Nirvana, Mangesh Naik [Published 8/12/10]
Prelude, Lance Le Grys [Published 8/14/10]
FLASH FICTION
Rain After Ice, Lakota Moon, Janet Shell Anderson
The Altered Room, Transparent, Nets of Light, Alexandra Isacson
Boots, Pamela Gay
Keys on Fire, Season, edward j. rathke
Ice Cream/I Scream Time, Hugh Fox
Still Life, Chicago, Gary Wilson [Published 8/11/10]
War Hero, Jeffrey Miller [Published 8/14/10]
SHORT STORIES
Continental Divide, L. McKenna Donovan
Annand’s First Birthday, Annam Manthiram
Le Catedral, Kelly Lynn Thomas
Outside Help, Caroline Curran
Muddy Icicles, Ferdinand E. Hintze
PHOTOGRAPHY
James S. Oppenheim
CONTRIBUTORS
Maxine Kumin earned the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and served as our United States Poetry Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from1981 to 1982. While reading, July, Against Hunger, one lauds the hands that lift bales of straw and write poetic songs “on either side of now.” Interconnectedness is a theme of Poet Kumin’s; independence and interdependence with family, friends, and life on her farm. The Sparrow is honored to share Poet Kumin’s poetry in our national treasure series of American poets. Poet Kumin speaks to those fragile moments bred from loss and deep understanding with care. A review of her new release, “Where I Live,” by Maxine Kumin, WW Norton, 2010, will be featured in our fall issue along with Presidential Poet and Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Pinsky and his poetry.
The poems July, Against Hunger, After Love, and The Envelope are reprinted from SELECTED POEMS: 1960-1990 by Maxine Kumin. Copyright(c) 1997 with kind permission of the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., and Presidential Poet Maxine Kumin. They will be featured at the website for six months from the date of the summer publication.
Janet Shell Anderson writes flash fiction and recently had her work published in Vestal Review, Pindeldyboz, The Scruffy Dog Review and LITSNACK. Ms. Anderson said, “I sometimes set my work on the Pine Ridge Oglala Lakota Indian reservation in South Dakota. I also practice as an attorney.”
Paul Anderson lives on the west side of the White Mountains in New Hampshire along the NH/VT border. In the spring it’s beautiful, the summer is hot and ever changing, the fall is breathtaking with the color changes in the leaves, and the winters are cold. I’ve taken on some challenges in my life. Things that have slowed me down a litle, but not taken me out. I have had two below-the-knee amputations. So view my photos, comment on them. Be honest; this is how I learn.
Ted O. Badger: native Texan, graduate Baylor University, veteran of World War II, author of five books of poetry, published in many journals over years. Editor of the Lucidity Poetry Journal since 1985, founder of the annual Lucidity Ozark Poetry Retreat in 2001. Life member of both the Poetry Society of Texas & Missouri State Poetry Society.
Bobby Steve Baker is a Cosmetic Surgeon in Lexington Kentucky. He is about to complete theMFA in Creative Writing at National University as a Poetry major. His poems have appeared in Poet’s Podium, Jones Av., Gnu, tinfoildresses, Strong Verse, Public Republic, Divine Dirt Quarterly, Yellow Mama, The Boston Literary Review, and The Ann Arbor Review.
Steve Castrois a former Los Angeles Dodgers intern who has walked on four continents: Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. The poet is working on a subsequent degree in Germanic Studies at Indiana University – Bloomington. For the 2010 – 2011 Academic Year, Herr Castro will be studying at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg which was founded in 1457 A.D. Birthplace: San José, Costa Rica.
Liz N. Clift lives in Ames, Iowa where she teaches composition at Iowa State University. She is the managing editor of Flyway: Journal of Writing & Environment. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in several publications including: Green Mountains Review, Boston Literary Magazine, Post: A Journal of Thought and Feeling, and CICADA.
Caroline Curran has just moved back to the U.S., after teaching English in central Italy for 12 years. She has been a sports reporter for two daily newspapers. In addition, she is a member of the Backspace Writers Group.
Chase Dearinger is an MFA candidate at the University of Central Oklahoma and the founding editor of Arcadia, a literary journal. His fiction is forthcoming in Cooweescoowee and Sugar Mule, and he was recently a finalist in Glimmer Train’s Short Story Award for New Writers. He lives in Edmond Oklahoma with his wife and two dogs.
Roger Real Drouin is an MFA student in creative writing/fiction at Florida Atlantic University. His short stories have been published, or are forthcoming, in the print journals The Litchfield Review and Leaf Garden and online at Canopic Jar, Offcourse Literary Journal, and Green Silk. He was a journalist for seven years before coming to FAU in Fall 2009. His Web site is http://www.rogerdrouin.com
Jonathan Dubow currently teaches English in southern Patagonia. Other works from this series have appeared as part of an e-chap on Gold Wake Press, and in the Barrier Islands Review.
Hugh Fox , writer, poet, editor and archeologist, has been described as ‘the Paul Bunyan of American Letters, part myth, part monster and, myself-as-subject, a magnificent non-stop story-teller’ (Bill Ryan, The Unborn Book). Born in Chicago in 1932, he has written an astonishing 105 books, 85 of which have been published. While an undergraduate, he dropped out of medical school to concentrate on the humanities and gained a Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of Illinois. Amongst many distinguished posts, he has held that of Fulbright Professor of American Studies and Literature at the universities of Hermosillo (Mexico), Caracas(Peru) and Florianopolis (Brazil). Hugh has edited a number of respected journals, including the International Quarterly of Experimental Poetry, the Western World Review and the North American Review. His recent publications include Defiance (Higganum press 2007), Finalemente/Finally (Solo press 2007), Rediscovering America (World Audience 2008), The Collected Poems (World Audience 2008), Ice House and The Thirteen Keys to Talmud (Crossing Chaos 2009).
Pamela Gay teaches Flash Fiction at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Her writing has been published in Iowa Review Web; Other Voices ; Paterson Literary Review; Vestal Review; BOGG: Journal of Contemporary Writing; Neotrope: Progressive Fiction; Phoebe, Sleet, Le Forum, & FragLit. She is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) fellowship and national e-book award for creative narrative nonfiction and has also received grants from the New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA) for installations based on her writing.
N.W. Hall has had a rough past year. He lives in CA with his dog, Mr. Bear. Some of his work is forthcoming in Writers’ Bloc, Zygote in My Coffee, and Yellow Mama.
Kevin Heaton’s work has appeared or is forthcoming in: Foliate Oak, Pembroke Magazine, Sacred Journey, Calliope Nerve, Kansas Poems, and MB Herald. He is a freelance writer currently living in South Carolina. He is originally from Oklahoma where he published and produced Country Music.
Ferdinand E. Hintze is a financial software developer who also writes fiction. He said, “In some of my stories, I fictionalize my cancer experience. In others, I address the profit-oriented elements of human nature, romance from a male point of view, and when the two merge, both. http://www.mobiusmagazine.com/fiction/covermys.html links to one of my other stories.”
Nigel Holt has lived and worked in the education field in the United Arab Emirates for a number of years. He has been most recently published in Counterpunch, The Recusant, Soundzine and Snakeskin magazines. He has work forthcoming in The Raintown Review, The Anglican Theological Review, The Flea, Decanto, Cordite and Poetry Salzburg amongst others. He is the editor of The Shit Creek Review (www.shitcreekreview.com)
Eric Howerton is a Fiction PhD student at the University of Houston. He received his MFA from The Pennsylvania State University and completed his undergraduate work at the University of New Mexico. His fiction has been published in Johnny America, Scribendi, Conceptions Southwest, Haggard and Halloo, The Bigface, and Duck and Herring Review. The Sparrow will release his story in October as part of the Halloween specials.
Alexandra Isacson is a graduate of Arizona State who lives and works in the Phoenix area. Her writing appears or is forthcoming in DOGZPLOT, Elimae, Emprise Review, Medulla Review, Metazen, PANK, and elsewhere. Visit her at alexandraisacson.com
Benjamin C. Krause is the author of Classifieds, erbacce-press 2010. His works have previously appeared in Tipton Poetry Journal, Nibble, Houston Literary Review, The Literary Bohemian, and Foundling Review, among other places, He can be found on the web at http://benjaminckrause.com/
Lance Le Grys has published most recently in Caveat Lector, The Naugatuck River Review, The Lullwater Review, The Licking River Review, and The Southern Humanities Review.
Annam Manthiram is the author of two novels; The Goju Story and After the Tsunami, and a short story collection. Her short fiction has recently appeared in the Chicago Quarterly Review, the Cream City Review, the Concho River Review, and Straylight. A graduate of the M.A. Writing program at the University of Southern California, Ms. Manthiram resides in New Mexico with her husband and son.
Originally from LaSalle, Illinois, Jeffrey Miller is no stranger in a strange land having worked and lived in South Korea since 1990. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Artful Dodge, Bartleby Snopes, Camel Saloon, Clutching at Straws, Notes Magazine, Orion headless, Stirfry Literary Magazine and the Trillium Literary Journal. He’s recently finished his first novel, War Remains and is trying to find a publisher.
Catherine McGuire has been widely published over the past two decades, more than 140 poems, in such publications as The Lyric, New Verse News, The Smoking Poet, Poetry In Motion, Downgo Sun and Main Street Rag. She has published a chapbook, Joy Into Stillness: Seasons of Lake Quinault.
Adam Moorad’s writing has recently appeared or is forthcoming in 3 A.M., elimae, Evergreen Review, Mad Hatters Review, Pindeldyboz, Underground Voices, Word Riot, among many other places. His debut novella, Oikos, will be published by nonpress in 2010. He lives in Brooklyn and works in publishing. Visit him here: http://adamadamadamadamadam.blogspot.com”
Dalenna Moser is an MFA student at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her poem Wounded Horse is forthcoming in Coal Hill Review. She begins each day with a pot of coffee and, if time permits, a dose of Regis and Kelly.
Mangesh Naik lives and works in Pune. His work has appeared/is forthcoming in Thieves Jargon, Autumn Sky Poetry, Tipton Poetry Journal , Porchlight and Gloom Cupboard.
James S. Oppenheim was born in Washington, D.C., raised in Montgomery County, Maryland, schooled in West in Oxford, Ohio and resident in half a dozen Maryland towns (and, for a summer, Jacksonville, Florida). Jim has published in Equus, The North American Review, The Washington Post and Firehouse Magazine, worked as managing editor of the University of Maryland graduate literary magazine, Ethos. He has also had a life in music, producing one album and playing venues from cabin porches Virginia to bars in Florida. James offered the lovely dove that graces the back of the book. Today finds him in Hagerstown, Maryland as a photographer, singer/songwriter, and the editor of a blog: Oppenheim Arts & Letters devoted to the understanding of political conflicts and small wars, also art, culture, and language.
Sofia Piel is a photographer of artists and performers. She lived in Gothenburg, Sweden from 1995-2002, where the multicultural landscape of the city inspired an interest in black & white portraiture. Her work has been published in local and national publications including The Wall Street Journal. Sofia is also a writer, cyclist, hiker, immigrant rights activist, and baker. For more of her work please go to sofiapielphotography.com.
Ajay Prasannan was born and raised in the UK, where he currently works as a web designer and all-round IT troubleshooter. Regular trips to Kerala allow him to re-connect with his Indian roots and better understand the country he hopes to retire in. He has served as Grey Sparrow’s art editor for one year and we hope he continues.
Les Prescott was born in Glasgow. He has toured as a songwriter extensively in Europe with various bands. His songs have been recorded by himself and other artists in Europe and beyond. He worked with Cabuwazi Theatre Circus and has had exibitions of his drawings in Berlin. He has published his poetry in various journals and magazines including Cannon`s Mouth, Innesfree Poetry Journal, Bär Fax, Argitost Online, Aufenthalt, Collagen einer Stadt, Type Poetry Review, Magma, and The Glasgow Review. He lives in a cottage on Reiswerder; a tiny island on a loch in Berlin.
edward j rathke is a wandering sort who wastes his days away making bad decisions and trying to not die. More of his life and words may be found atedwardjrathke.wordpress.com
Guest Artist Diane Schofield said, “Roughly six years ago a traumatic event changed everything in my painting world; until that point I had been a watercolorist yet suddenly I was unaccountably driven to go out and buy my first pastels, acrylics and canvas. Since then I have been obsessed with the individuals that appear in my work, their experiences, memories, hopes and aspirations and how they bridge the gap between imagination and reality. Consumed with color, I incorporate pattern in my paintings partly because I just can’t help myself, but mainly to enhance the emotions I am trying to express. I graduated from The London College of Printing as a graphic designer, but have always been a painter at heart. I have exhibited in mixed shows in France, England, Scotland, and Wales. If you would like to see more of my work, please go to http://www.artistsdirectory.co.uk or you can contact me at dianeschofield1@btinternet.com ”
Sharron Singleton,before turning to poetry, was a Social Worker with low-income families and the mentally ill, and a community organizer around issues of civil rights and the anti-nuclear war movement. Her poems have been published in Agni, Rattle, The Spoon River Poetry Review, Many Mountains Moving and Atlanta Review, among others, and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. In 2009, Sharron won the James River Writers Contest. She has a chapbook which will be published this fall by Finishing Line Press. She also teaches poetry in a small rural Virginia town, and is married with two children and five grandchildren. Sharron is also known as a passionate gardener.
Justin David Spallerhas a degree in Philosophy and Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Gary Wilson’s work has previously appeared in In Posse Review,Glimmer Train, Speak, Quarterly West, Witness, Orchid, The Baltimore Review, The Tin Parachute Postcard Review, Quick Fiction, Quick Fiction Online, Slow Trains, Amelia, The William And Mary Review, City Paper Of Baltimore, WisconSin Review, Kansas QuarTerLy, ItinerAry, Wind, Descant, Nimrod, Quartet, Vanderbilt Review, SmackWarm, CottonWood Review, Little Balkans Review, Outerbridge, Green’s MagaZine, The Laurel Review, Naked Man, Telescope, And Sun Dog. A City Paper story was anthologized in Street Songs I: New Voices In Fiction from Longstreet Press. Another was included in Anyone Is Possible, a fiction anthology from Valentine Press. A Quick Fiction story was included in Flash Fiction Forward from W. W. Norton. His novel, Sing, Ronnie Blue, was published in September 2007 by Rager Media.
Gary teaches fiction writing at the University of Chicago, Graham School of General Studies.
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