LETTER FROM THE EDITOR                             


A new year often means changes, large and small. At this, we're not immune to the annual promises to do better, be better and to take ourselves closer to the idealized version of who we are. While we are firm in our goal of publishing new and emerging writers in a plethora of genres, we're excited about the changes that will shape the 'zine over the next few months, beginning with a shot of invigoration to our website. We hope you like the alterations. We'd love to hear from you.

There are changes in our editorial staff as well. We're excited to have poet Bill Yarrow join us. We also welcome the addition of two new fiction editors to our staff, Cherise Wolas and Javy Gwaltney, and a new editorial assistant, Sara Neall. You can read about our talented staff, old and new, on our masthead.

In February, I'm heading three miles south to attend the annual Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Washington, DC. This will be my first year at the conference and, of all the offerings available, I'm the most eager to meet other lit journal editors and publishers. I look forward to sharing with all of our readers my AWP experience.

In the meantime, I'm thrilled to present to you our current issue. To read the issue front to back, start with Brian Hendrickson's poems, or feel free to select another writer of interest below.

Yours,
Lacey N. Dunham
Editor




 FICTION                                           

Len Kuntz
Acts of Love

 I remember my wife’s negligee, the outfit she wore a few months after our honeymoon when she said she’d be sure to keep things interesting, when she promised we’d never grow bored.


James R. Silvestri
Diva-Toxic Winter

 Diva-Toxic (at Minotaur every Tuesday night at 10 p.m. sharp) began smoothly. The crowd was sparse enough to control, but thick enough to allow for decent tips. It was always a craps shoot these days, though. Times were tough.


Sweetman
Dish at Java Juice: A Ten Act Story

 “Dish on Missy.”
“She met someone on the Internet!”
“No!”
“And he’s staying with her now!”
“No!”
Jen reaches out her hand.
“Let me try a bite of that.”
Suzanne hands over the pastry.
“He’s like fifteen years younger than she is and I don’t think he’s working. I think she’s actually selling furniture for rent money.”


Ron Koppelberger
Taste of Pleasure
The taste, the breath of another love, the love of confection in creamy crumbling slices of cake.












 POETRY                                         

Brian Hendrickson
Two Poems

Risa Denenberg
Female Gynecologist's Dream

Jules Archer
Lay On Me

Matt Dennison
Two Poems

Peter Magliocco
Windshear in the Smoking Lounge

 Cathy Calkins
Cher

Ray Carns
Two Poems

William Doreski
Such Greasy Zeal

Dennis Mahagin
Death Would Love to Sell You a Rolex

Bill Yarrow
Three Poems



















































 ESSAY                                                       

LM Baker
Butch Need

 There is a subtle shift between the boys and the girls in grade six; something is changing. Boys are noticing girls and girls are noticing boys and boys want girls to notice them. I want girls to notice me, too, but they don't.



 PHOTOGRAPHY                                           

Julie Hrudova
Street Melancholy

Tammy Ho Lai-ming
Empty (cover art)
Mulled Wine



 EROTICA                                                     

Shannon Barber
I Cannot Wait
 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS                            

this is now accepting submissions for our March/April issue (#8). Deadline for submissions is February 15. Visit our submissions page for guidelines.


We are also accepting submissions for our third Poet Spotlight. Deadline is May 15 with publication in our September/October issue. Please review the complete guidelines prior to submitting.