[33] CONTRIBUTORS

Our National Treasure, Pulitzer Prize Poet:

Frank Bidart is the author of Metaphysical Dog (FSG, 2013), Watching the Spring Festival (FSG, 2008), Star Dust (FSG, 2005), Desire (FSG, 1997), and In the Western Night: Collected Poems 1965-90 (FSG, 1990). He has won many prizes, including the Wallace Stevens Award, the 2007 Bollingen Prize in American Poetry, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. His book Half-Light: Collected Poems 1965-2016 won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize and the 2017 National Book Award. He teaches at Wellesley College and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. [Biography courtesy of Macmillan Publishers/FSG.]

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Seema Aavas is a Nepali poet and short story writer with two poetry collections, Sanjhko Sangharbata and Ma Stri Arthat Aaimai, along with a short story collection, Tapuka Sworharu. She has won the Dhana Bani Nava Prativa Puraskar, Biratnagar, and Khemlal Lamichane Smriti Puraskar awards in Nepal.

Sarah Ambrose began writing poetry in the form of songs at the young age of ten. Her passion for writing developed into poetry during her senior year in her English class; “Peace, Protest, and Tolerance.” Sarah is one of millions of men and women working in New York City in the restaurant industry in Manhattan. Writing and poetry help rationalize the every day craziness of the city and her life. Two of her poems have been published by the Boston Literary Magazine in the Winter issue of 2017. She enjoys yoga and relaxing in her free time. Her apartment is filled with many house plants and lots of neutrals.

Khem Aryal, Ph.D., is the author of two poetry collections, Epic Teashop and Kathmandu Saga and Other Poems. He teaches creative writing at Arkansas State University.

P.V. Beck’s writing has been published under various names in magazines, books, and journals. Her essays on the fool, ritual clowning, patterns in the natural world, and consciousness have appeared in Parabola, North Atlantic Press, and Seal Press. Her seminal works include The Sacred: Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life a study of North American indigenous sacred systems; Oremos, Oremos: New Mexican Midwinter Masquerades; and the novel, Sweet Turnaround J. She has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Mexican Humanities Council. She lives in the mountains of northern New Mexico where she is also a musician, artist, and works on habitat restoration projects in her watershed. “Restless” is from a cycle of poems, Fox Went Out, which traces a picaresque gray fox’s journeys through the seasons—meditations on the demise of wise fools, the loss of wild places, and the unspooling of nature.

Judith Chalmer’s poems have appeared in the anthology, Birchsong, Poetry Centered in Vermont, and in journals, Passager, Leaping Clear, Stone Canoe, Blaze Vox, Blue Unicorn, Third Wednesday, Homestead Review and Leveler. In 2012 she was first prize winner in the Lilith Magazine Newberger Prize. She is the author of one collection of poems, Out of History’s Junk Jar, Time Being Books, St. Louis, 2005 and is co-translator of two books of haiku and tanka with author, Michiko Oishi, Red Fish Alphabet, Honami Syoten, Tokyo in 2008 and Deepening Snow, Plowboy Press, E. Burke, VT, 2012. Before retiring in 2018, she was Executive Director of VSA Vermont, a nonprofit that uses the magic of the arts to engage the capabilities and enhance the confidence of children and adults with disabilities. For her work she received the 2018 Arthur Williams Award from the Vermont Arts Council for Meritorious Service in the Arts.

Kosrof Chantikian is the author of Prophecies & Transformations and Imaginations & Self-Discoveries. His poems have appeared in Amerus, Blue Unicorn, Dogwood (finalist for the Dogwood Literary Prize in Poetry for 2018), Green House, Grey Sparrow Journal, Leveler Poetry, Marin Poetry Center Anthology (2016, 2017, & 2018), Snow Jewel, Verse Wisconsin, and other journals. He is the editor of Octavio Paz: Homage to the Poet and The Other Shore: 100 Poems by Rafael Alberti. He was Series Editor of the KOSMOS Modern Poets in Series. His essay on Octavio Paz entitled “The Poetry and Thought of Octavio Paz: An Introduction” appeared in Octavio Paz: Homage to the Poet and was reprinted in Octavio Paz edited by Harold Bloom. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, and the San Francisco Foundation, and was poet-in-residence at the San Francisco Public Library.

Mukul Dahal is a poet and a translator. He has to his credit one Nepali poetry collection, Seemateet Seemanta, which was recognized with the Best Book Award (2001). He was an Absolute Winner of the Nosside International Poetry Contest Italy (2009).  His poems have appeared in such journals as London Grip, Glasgow to Saturn, PENnings, November Sky Poetry, and Poet’s Printery. Dahal has translated a number of works of fiction and poetry from Nepal.

Padma Devkota is a poet, essayist, fiction writer, and English professor. His books include Dawn Cycle and Other Poems, Harischndra, A Pond of Swans and Other Essays and Madness of Sort. He currently heads Mahakavi Laxmi Prasad Devkota Study and Research Center, an organization devoted to promoting works of the arguably greatest Nepali poet Laxmi Prasad Dvkota.

Anthony DiMatteo’s poems and reviews have sprouted in the Cortland Review, Front Porch, Hunger Mountain, Los Angeles Review, Smartish Pace, Tar River Poetry, Verse Daily, Waccamaw and elsewhere. His current book of poems In Defense of Puppets (FutureCycle Press 2016) has been hailed as, “a rare collection, establishing a stunningly new poetic and challenging the traditions that DiMatteo (as a Renaissance scholar) claims give the poet ‘the last word'”(Cider Press Review). A former group home supervisor for a decade, he now defends the mysteries of literature, art and writing at the New York Institute of Technology where he is a professor of English. Please feel free to leave a trace at this website: anthonydimatteo.wordpress.com

Clive Aaron Gill, told by a professor at Los Angeles City College he had a talent for writing, took the compliment literally. The encouragement continued from professors at the University of California, where he earned his degree in Economics and today, has resulted in numerous published works. Born in Zimbabwe, Clive has spent time in Southern Africa, Europe and North America. He creatively draws from these experiences. His inspiration also stems from his imagination, listening to people’s stories and reading. In addition to being an author, Clive served as a mediator for the Superior Court of California, the Crime and Substance Abuse Prevention Commission for the City of Vista, and an adjudicator for the cities of Oceanside and San Marcos. Gill may be contacted at: Storyteller@CliveAaronGill.com View his bookshelf at: https://www.amazon.com/Clive-Aaron-Gill/e/B00FADQIR6

Sitara Gnanaguru is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she studied English. She has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, and has been writing them down ever since kindergarten. A lifelong reader and lover of poetry, it wasn’t until recently that she began to actually write poetry. Sitara is interested in human behavior and likes to explore the topics of family and relationships within her work. Growing up in a multi-generational home has had a profound impact on her Indian-American identity, which she seeks to reconcile through her writing. When she’s not at work or home, you can find Sitara frequenting her favorite coffee shops, exploring new parks and trails, or attending various literary events throughout the state. She currently resides in Avon, CT.

Chandra Gurung is the author of a collection of poems, Usko Mutubhutra Deshko Naxa Nai Thiena. His poetry has appeared in various national and international publications. He has translated many foreign poets into Nepali and some Nepali poets into Hindi.

M.J. Iuppa is the Director of the Visual and Performing Arts Minor Program and Lecturer in Creative Writing at St. John Fisher College; and since 2000 to present, is a part time lecturer in Creative Writing at The College at Brockport. Since 1986, she has been a teaching artist, working with students, K-12, in Rochester, NY, and surrounding area. She was awarded the New York State Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching, 2017. She has four full length poetry collections, This Thirst (Kelsay Books, 2017), Small Worlds Floating (2016) as well as Within Reach (2010) both from Cherry Grove Collections; Night Traveler (Foothills Publishing, 2003); and five chapbooks. She lives on a small farm in Hamlin NY. Check out her blog: mjiuppa.blogspot.com for her musings on writing, sustainability & life’s stew.

Momila Joshi is an Assistant Professor of Nepali literature at Golden Gate International College, Tribhuvan University and Chair of the Nepali Art and Literature Dot Com Foundation. She is also the winner of several literary awards: Padmakanya Award, Nepal Academy Award for poem, Shatabdee Yuwa Honor 2000, Mohan Regmi Smrit Honor, Gunjan Talent Award, Yuwa Moti Award and several others. Mrs. Joshi has also published the following books: Painyu Phunla Thalepachhi (Poem Collection), Neelo Neelo Aakash ra Dui Thopa Aansu (Poem-Essay Collection; Co-writing), Junkiriharu Orlirahechhan (Poem Collection- 2055), Durgam Unchaima Phoolko Aandhi (Poem Collection),: Ishwor Ko Adalatma Outsiderko Bayan (Essay Collection), An outsider in the court of God (Collection of lyrical essays), Several Poems of Hem Chandra Pokharel (editor), ‘Nobel’ Annual Literary (editor), Kalchakra Poetic Issue (editor), and the Sagarmathako Nrityamagna Aatma (editor).

Gita Karki is the author of two poetry collections, Malai Andhyaro Nai Chahincha and Sal Ka Thuta Ra Ek Tukra Gham. A recipient of Mohan Regmi Bandi Smriti Samman, Karki has also edited a collection of short stories Labha Ka Baaf Haru. Currently, she teaches Nepali literature at Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Kathmandu.

John P. (Jack) Kristofco has published over six hundred poems and fifty short stories in about two hundred different publications, including: Folio, Rattle, Bryant Literary Review, Cimarron Review, Fourth River, Stand, The MacGuffin, Sierra Nevada Review, Blueline, Slant, Snowy Egret, and Big Muddy. He has published four collections of poetry (most recently The Timekeeper’s Garden from The Orchard Street Press, at orchpress.com) and is currently putting together a book of short stories.  Jack has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize five times. He lives in Highland Heights, Ohio with his wife, Kathy.

Peter Leight lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.  He has previously published poems in Paris Review, AGNI, Antioch Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, FIELD, Raritan, and other magazines.

Shreedhar Lohani is a professor English and an inspiration to a whole new generation of Nepali writers writing in English today. His poems can be read in Of Nepalese Clay.

Daniel Moro was born and raised in Nanuet, New York. He has had his work featured in Triggerfish Critical Review and Harbinger Asylum. He enjoys making music, hiking, and skateboarding. He currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Craig Bruce McVay comes from Lafayette, Indiana and has lived with his family in Columbus, Ohio for most of the past forty years.  His degrees are in Classics and English, which he has taught in schools, community colleges, and prisons in Central Ohio.  Poems and stories appear in Blue Unicorn, Cap City Poets, Icon, Pudding Magazine, and others.

Terry Martin used to teach, but now she doesn’t. She has published hundreds of poems, articles, and essays, and has edited journals, books, and anthologies. Her most recent book of poems, The Light You Find, was published by Blue Begonia Press. She lives and writes in Yakima, Washington—The Fruit Bowl of the Nation.

Claire Rubin is an award winning poet who has received multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. Her work has been accepted by the Atlanta Review, Bellevue Literary Review, New Ohio Review, Enizagam and Healing Muse among others. Claire is the author of Waiting to be Called and Until I Couldn’t. She is the co-author of Unfolding in Light: A Sisters’ Journey in Photography and Poetry.

Gopi Sapkota is a poet and playwright from Nepal, currently living in London. He writes mostly in Nepali and occasionally in English. Sapkota has eight books of poems and plays to his credit, including a collection of English poems titled A Suicide Note. One of the most influential playwrights of Nepal, Sapkota was the founding director of the Street Theater Group back in 1992. He has directed dozens of plays at various national and international venues like the South Asian Theater Festival. He also writes children’s literature and co-edited Sunkeshra, a popular children’s magazine in Nepal. He also served as the Secretary of the Society of Nepali Writers in English for over six years. Sapkota is a recipient of Nawakawita Pratibha Purashkar, Jamarko Balpatrakarita Purashkar, and Krishnajung Dambarjung Sahitya Purashkar.

Roger G. Singer, D.C. has been in private practice for 38 years in upstate New York. He has four children, Abigail, Caleb, Andrew and Philip and seven grandchildren. Dr. Singer has served on multiple committees for the American Chiropractic Association, lecturing at colleges in the United States, Canada, and Australia, and has authored over fifty articles for his profession and served as a medical technician during the Vietnam era.

Dr. Singer has over 980 poems published on the internet, magazines and in books and is a Pushcart Award Nominee. Some of the magazines that have accepted his poems for publication are: Westward Quarterly, Jerry Jazz, SP Quill, Avocet, Underground Voices, Outlaw Poetry, Literary Fever, Dance of my Hands, Language & Culture, The Stray Branch, Tipton Poetry Journal and Indigo Rising, Down in the Dirt, Fullosia Press, Orbis, Penwood Review, Subtle Tea, Ambassador Poetry Award, Massachusetts State Poetry Society, and the Louisiana State Poetry Society Award.

Tim Stobierski is a writer, editor, marketing consultant, and the founder of StudentDebtWarriors.com, a website dedicated to helping college students and graduates pay off their student loans. He was formerly in the publishing industry. His poetry has appeared in a number of publications, including Grey Sparrow, The Midwest Quarterly, Poetica Magazine, The Connecticut River Review, Emerge Literary Journal, and others. His first book of poetry, Chronicles of a Bee Whisperer, was published in 2012 by River Otter Press.

Mir-Yashar Seyedbagheri is a native of Boise, Idaho and a graduate of Colorado State University’s MFA program in fiction. He received a BA in Political Science from Boise State University. A recipient of two Honorable Mentions from Glimmer Train, he has had work nominated for The Best Small Fictions. Mir-Yashar’s fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in journals such as The Blue Moon Literary and Art Review, Riggwelter, Bending Genres Journal, Sinkhole Mag, and 100 Word Story. Mir-Yashar lives in Fort Collins, Colorado where he tries to abide like The Dude from The Big Lebowski. A self-proclaimed Romantic and Tchaikovsky devotee, he is presently working on a flash fiction collection.

Cassandra Steudlein is the youngest poet Grey Sparrow Press has published to date. She is 13 years old. Steudlein hails from Louisiana. She explained her inspiration. “Sometimes I’ll just look at a random thing in a room and try to tell a story about why someone else might be looking at the same thing as if it makes them remember someone or reminds them of a certain event.” A prior publication can be found in Teen Ink Magazine.

Lee Woodman’s essays and poems have been published in Tiferet Journal, Zócalo Public Square, Grey Sparrow Press, The Ekphrastic Review, vox poetica and The New Guard Review. Lee is a longtime artist and media producer, whose radio and film awards include five CINEs, two NY International Film Blue Ribbons, and three Gracies from American Women in Radio and Television. She recently received an Individual Poetry Fellowship from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for FY 2019. Her letter/poem, “Voices in the Void,” published this November in The New Guard Review, Vol. VII, has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. http://www.poetleewoodman.com