Ariel Alexander Fiore is a Cleveland-based writer, filmmaker, and multidisciplinary artist whose work blends spiritual introspection with lived experience. His poetry has been featured in The Hessler Street Fair Collection as well as The Voices of Real (Issues 6 and 10). With over two decades of writing, Fiore’s work explores themes of grief, faith, memory, and transformation. His creative practice spans film, photography, and literature, grounded in a voice that is both vulnerable and fiercely honest.

Amber Waves of Grain

The farmer tills for a spring seedbed,
loosens compacted soil, buries crop residue,
stirs moisture to sun, deters winter weeds.

Espresso-rich wet burrows and mounds
ripple the brittle ochre of harvested corn, wheat,
summer’s bounty spent.

A snowy owl glides the killing field.

We, too, could use a good tilling; churn out
dormant seeds, strangle roots; unearth
complacency before the field is too fallow to yield.

The owl snatches its prey.

Catherine Arra is the author of four full-length poetry collections and four chapbooks. A former English and writing teacher, she now facilitates local writing groups. Her newest collection of poems, Last Evening With All the Versions of Myself, was first finalist in the 2025 Donna Wolf-Palacio Poetry Book Prize and will be published by Finishing Line Press, September 2026. Arra lives in the Hudson Valley of upstate New York with her partner Alex Stolis and their dog Daisy. www.catherinearra.com

Alex Stolis’ photos have previously appeared or are forthcoming in Ink in Thirds, San Pedro Review, Unleashed Lit, L’Esprit Review, and Anti-Heroin Chic. His full-length book Pop.1280, is a poetry and photo collection, available from Amazon. His chapbook, Postcards from the Knife-Thrower’s Wife, was released by Louisiana Literature Press in 2024, RIP Winston Smith from Alien Buddha Press 2024, and The Hum of Geometry; The Music of Spheres, 2024 by Bottlecap Press. He lives in upstate New York with his partner, poet Catherine Arra and their dog Daisy. He can also be found at https://alexstolis.myportfolio.com/

In my work with T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land," I deconstructed and reconstructed several copies of the poem to present each of its five sections separately to be read in any order. I, then, engaged in a process of "inverse ekphrasis," which involved representing the text's allusions via artistic illustrations rather than textual footnotes. Each image has an allusive meaning within the poem's context. For instance, the chalice in the first image alludes to the cover of "From Ritual to Romance" by Jessie Weston, about which Eliot states: "...so deeply am I indebted, Miss Weston's book will elucidate the difficulties of the poem much better than my notes can do."

Zoë DeSousa is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist who specializes in mixed-media collage using paper.

Join us October 24 & 25, 2025 for two days of connection and creativity while learning from some kickass writers!

Find Mary Kamerer’s website here and follow her on Instagram here.

From Courtney Liu: At the first gaze of the Three Works of Art by Mary Kamerer, I felt instantly mesmerized. The paintings talked about the connection and the inspiration which the author associated with The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. They are exquisite works of art with hidden meanings of spirituality. They showed the fusion of human and water that is of contrast, the statement of overwhelming emotion, layered by feminine desire for exploration and emotional depth, which aligned with the seemingly contrary scene of the little mermaid’s love-and-adventure-driven inclination on land. With the little mermaid’s rise from the water and the woman’s diving into it, the tension of contrast is powerful, but with an odd sense of overlapping resemblance. Both are soul-searching for the unknown forthcoming, which, in the end, are uplifted with metamorphosis.

Fathoming the Little Mermaid: A Journey Through Soul and Sea

Courtney Liu

I recognized her—in the gallery. 
Three paintings of The Little Mermaid’s soul were the metamorphosis of Andersen’s writing. They represented intricate beauty, laced with quiet grace— 
the weight of sorrow and grief mingled with the ocean’s dual nature of hope and uncertainty. 
They were speaking to me in magical synchronization with the storm within my inner world lately. 
I had just emerged from post-breakup chaos. 
The feeling of abandonment, followed by a subtle sense of loss, was like love’s lingering sea foam— 
with the Daughter of the Air whispering in my ear. 
I felt the irony, the hidden meaning, and an epiphany. 
This was no coincidence. 
The cool breeze brushed through my state of being. 
In those passing moments, there was a beautiful echo— 
like an enchanting, tuneful love theme submerged into unknown infinity. It felt like the calling of guiding spirits. 
From there, I plunged into the deep. 
My attempt was to capture the wonder, to obtain the wisdom and the knowing. They emerged through the symbolic triptych— 
depicting a divine trial that unlocked the deep yearning of sacred desires, entwined with a restless soul’s quest for meaning. 
Fathoming my future—how could it be easy? 
Yet inspiration spoke to me without hesitation. 
I should look forward to the forthcoming. 
A mixture of fear, excitement, and the urge to begin anew took over me. 
A healing journey was slowly forming. 
I had a heart for love that drove me through a swim of unforeseeable misery. Perhaps this is how life is meant to be. 
It begins with a pure-hearted, youthful dream. 
Then come the struggles and obstacles—
they overwhelm and drown, 
as if the Sea Witch’s dark curse had returned with its forceful pull. 
I was left with nothing but the mentorship of survival instinct. And that instinct, in time, taught me the beginning of spirituality. 
I thought of The Little Mermaid—of her love and loyalty. For love, she sacrificed her voice in exchange for a chance at being human and bonding with the prince. 
Her eventual outcome was a camouflaged tragedy 
that transcended into spiritual ascension. 
The depth of her love and integrity suddenly dawned on me. I was no longer drowning. 
Surrender became clarity. 
The love lost was an experience traded for growth. 
Finally, my rebirth began— 
layered with positive thinking, 
gifting my mourning with nostalgic memories. 
Maybe this is what it means to love fully, 
without insecurity— 
an immortal imprint.

: Tell me about your process.

Jennifer Lynne Roberts: As an artist with bipolar, the transitory nature of balance I'd experienced for most of my life made me keenly aware of the tension created between seemingly incompatible ideas trying to dominate space at the expense of the other: nature and human; body and mind; creation and destruction.

It's the investigation on how we can achieve equilibrium between oppositions that fascinates me. I want us to witness the beauty that comes in the textures of decay, see the dichotomy and harmony of nature and human, science and superstition… These are only a few contradictions I want to investigate.

I use visual arts as a form of exploration and storytelling to make sense of these concepts as a way to make sense of my world and how to move through it.

: Tell me about each of these works.

Jennifer Lynne Roberts: The red, white, and teal one is untitled: Untitled is mixed media collage using painted papers, chalk, pastels, house paint, newsprint and other found papers. I was inspired by the way the bright red played against the blue-green with the glimpses of under layers of chartreuse and green. For me, it was a study in color and texture and decay. I wanted something to resemble years of exposure to the elements of nature.

Pattern Making is a 3D collage using some of my grandmother's thread and vintage fabric. Inspiration for Pattern Making came about when I inherited a box of my grandmother's vintage fabrics from the sixties and early seventies. I don't sew, but I wanted to honor her in a way that showed respect for her pattern making and the clothes she used to make for us. Pattern Making is mixed media using fabric, paint, and found papers.

The two blue, orange, and chartreuse ones were inspired by water and its calming effects: I'm making various pieces to represent various bodies of water that I've experienced. A Bright Day By The River, and the other is Napa River with Poppies. Both of these pieces were created using the ancient 500 year old Korean technique of paper felting called Joomchi. Joomchi is layers of individual hanji papers bound together by water and aggressively manipulated with your hands until the fibers break down and all of the layers fuse into one creating a fabric-strength piece of paper. Joomchi was used to make clothing due to its cloth-like texture and strength.

Jen Knox: Thank you, Jennifer! For any of our poets and writers, we invite you to respond to any of these works under our Ekphrastic call through the end of 2025.

John the Revelator at the Garage

Waldo’s Garage & Collision Repair.
A garage is the union of gust & push broom.
The mechanics of oil rag.
Fender. Door. Bumper. Headlamp.

He was called to see the Benghal tiger.  To shift gears on the old Range Rover.  To shape the edges of the road with his tire tracks.  His work at Waldo’s Garage & Collision held to the straight margin of the wall.  Afterwards John the Revelator drove the dust roads for events.  No one wanted to attend.  On Patmos the grizzly called for its den but could not find.  The whole process installed.  Lord you are my radiator.  My resolute.  My resolution.  Your hand smashed with a spike as you became the way you were going.  The road not wide enough for all.  You were the bridge that bridged the gorge. Your space grew less crowded all the time.  The arguments pushed against the wall.  Until the pistons ignite.  

About the poet:

DIANE GLANCY's latest books are "Piece," "Psalm to Whom(e)" and "A Line of Driftwood, the Ada Blackjack Story." Her other books are on her website, www.dianeglancy.com. Currently she lives in North Central Texas. February 21, she received the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award from Christianity and Literature at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania, actually driving there from Texas through winter storms. Actually, another book "Home Is the Road, Wandering the Land, Shaping the Spirit" is another title of one of her books. She has received numerous awards, also on her website.

Pash Rash - ACT 1

X. The Prologue
Stitches embedded in fingers—
such is the story
of the bruise of a love that lingers.

A shade of burning red stains my skin,
tattooed by your callous scoff—
at the nonsense language
of heartbeats within.

You were never safe,
just familiar.

I. The Question
Have you found out what you wanted me for
just yet?
I am a part for you to use in your play,
A melodic plot device—and I guess that’s
okay.
At least with me, I think I’m good.
You sort of treat me like you should.

Every morning, you wake up to her.
I never fell asleep.
Looking past the moody, muddy pools,
I found what you didn’t see.

I know what you are to me.
But figure—
What am I in you?

II. The Push and Pull
I bounce back when you insult me and make
me small.
I swing back into you when you spin me
away.
You broke my gifts and gifted me nothing.
But still, your gift is being present.

Breathing in the dark,
The clean scent of hair too smooth
Between my fingers to be so undeservedly
mine—
I snap back and remember it isn’t.
It wasn’t then.
Say it could have been.

III. The Self-Realization
I can honestly say I think I am what you
need.
Maybe you’re what I deserve.
I never said hello so I’d never have to say
goodbye.

Now, every time you look at me— 
In the before,
In the ask,
In the yes,
In the grip,
At the end,
Before I breathe again—
I say hi. Hey. Hello.

A thousand greetings to mitigate the feeling
Of the silent departure—
A bloody, bloody Irish goodbye.

Pash Rash - ACT 2

IV. The Inevitable Comparison
But his preference is redheads anyway.
I wasn’t his type until I changed
My favorite things about myself.

Where am I in him?
I see what he is to me
And what I seem to be to him.

Every breath of mine he steals
Emboldens his love for everything I am not.
Shortens my time.
I am hopeless,
And he is as helpless.

V. The Distance
Less am I helpless,
And more do I find in him—
My self-destructive opportunism.

It reemerges
To see if I can lick the edge of the knife
You use to maintain the needed distance
Between me
And your respect,
Your love,
And anyone who looks, sounds, cries, asks,
begs, screams,
And breaks like I do.

There’s nothing I hate more than
The way I am after you.

VI. The Heart’s Humor
Your heart must have a sense of humor—
The way I watch your absent-minded,
Accidental comparisons.

Little things I do differently.
Little things she does so right.

Let me down gently.
My head is already at the base.
I await the way
My head is lopped
From the heart
That’s beating in time
With the new kind of rhythm
I learned to dance to—
Just to keep in step with you.

VII. The Masquerade
The elevator music hums to your mind
(In those places where you sing to mine).
It’s canned, it’s panned,
Like late-night talk shows
When I’m in my masque,
Staying awake with my Ouija board,
Late-night TV with my demons
and some Devil
with his legions.

About the Poet:

Emma Alexis Woodard is occasionally the name of our poet. She has a lot to say, but no idea how to say it, so it comes out in various shades of anger and sadness in prose. She's 31, a west coaster, and a double Aquarius. Emma Woodard doesn't have a favorite or least favorite thing about herself. She's a big proponent of eating your waffles slightly burnt with creamy peanut butter. There are not many impressions she does well, but she does do a startlingly astute impression of a 30-something with their life together. Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Fluoxitine.

Join us October 24-25, 2025 for Create, Clarify, Connect. Early bird registration open now.

This art was selected for our ekphrastic issue. If you are a writer who is inspired by what you see here, please consider submitting your words here.

Jonathan Borthwick, a British-born cartoonist residing in Houston, Texas, is entirely self-taught. His cartoons primarily delve into the political and social dynamics of the United States in recent years. They strive to encapsulate a culture that feels foreign to him, employing a satirical style reminiscent of the popular UK cartoons of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.

This art was selected for our ekphrastic issue. If you are a writer who is inspired by what you see here, please consider submitting your words here.

Alex Stolis lives in Minneapolis; he has had poems published in numerous journals. Two full length collections Pop. 1280, and John Berryman Died Here were released by Cyberwit and available on Amazon. His work has previously appeared or is forthcoming in Piker’s Press, Jasper's Folly Poetry Journal, Beatnik Cowboy, One Art Poetry, Black Moon Magazine, and Star 82 Review. His chapbook, Postcards from the Knife-Thrower's Wife, was released by Louisiana Literature Press in 2024. http://www.louisianaliterature.org/2024/04/11/new-release-announcement-alex-stolis/ RIP Winston Smith is forthcoming from Allen Buddha Press. He has been nominated multiple times for the Pushcart Prize. He can also be found at https://alexstolis.myportfolio.com/

This art was selected for our ekphrastic issue. If you are a writer who is inspired by what you see here, please consider submitting your words here.

Jennifer Shneiderman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, writer and visual artist. Her work has appeared in many publications, including: Yale University’s The Perch, UCLA’s Windward, The Rubbertop Review, and Kent State University's The Listening Eye. She studies art with Israel Lopez at East Los Angeles College. Her visual art has been featured, or is forthcoming, in Rock Salt Journal, Harpy Hybrid Review, and God's Cruel Joke. 

The Best

Most Lies

About the Artist:

Uzomah Ugwu is a poet/writer, curator,  editor, and multi-disciplined artist. Her poetry, writing, and art have been featured internationally in various publications, galleries, art spaces, and museums. She is a political, social, and cultural activist. Her core focus is on human rights, mental health, animal rights, and the rights of LGBTQIA persons. She is also the managing editor and founder of Arte Realizzata.

This art was selected for our ekphrastic issue. If you are a writer who is inspired by what you see here, please consider submitting your words here.

Jennifer Shneiderman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, writer and visual artist. Her work has appeared in many publications, including: Yale University’s The Perch, UCLA’s Windward, The Rubbertop Review, and Kent State University's The Listening Eye. She studies art with Israel Lopez at East Los Angeles College. Her visual art has been featured, or is forthcoming, in Rock Salt Journal, Harpy Hybrid Review, and God's Cruel Joke. 

En Toi Je Regarde

Dans Mes Meditations

This art was selected for our ekphrastic issue. If you are a writer who is inspired by what you see here, please consider submitting your words here.

An Interview with the Artist:

AH: What or who inspires you?

EW: Politics, nature, personal successes and failures all inspire me.

AH: What is the best advice you ever received?

EW: To think globally.

AH: Do you write to prompts? If so, what's your favorite? If not, why not?

EW: Yes. I do not have a favorite prompt. Prompts are all around us and prompts are within us. When I was an English professor, I had students write to assigned writing prompts.

About the Artist:

Ernest Williamson III has published poetry in over two hundred journals including The Roanoke Review, Pinyon Review, Westview, I-70 Review, Decanto, The Cannon’s Mouth, and Poetry, Life, & Times. Ernest is a three-time Best of the Net nominee. Currently, he lives in Tennessee.

This art was selected for our ekphrastic issue. If you are a writer who is inspired by what you see here, please consider submitting your words here.

Howie Good is a writer and artist on Cape Cod.

Title: Skin
Dimensions: 12 x 9.5 Inches
Year: 2022

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Description: This work was created when the artist was struggling with schizophrenia. The work presents sketchy paint strokes and leaves a visual mark that will be translated into a form of a language for the audience to understand.

Title: Blue
Dimensions: 89 cm x 61 cm
Year: 2024
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Description: The color deep blue in this painting demonstrates a call for help from a human being who is propelling oneself out of the deep color blue. The work Blue depicts the struggle of a human being with a sense of panic.

Title: Sea
Dimensions: 61 cm x 122 cm
Year: 2024
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Description: The work Sea depicts each creature under the ocean as a simple movement. Detangling strings of movement of one another compliments each other, creating a sense of rhythm and music.

This art was selected for our ekphrastic issue. If you are a writer who is inspired by what you see here, please consider submitting your words here.

AH: What or who inspires you? 

MK: I tend to find inspiration in the mundane, and the extraordinary. The encounter of both creates the new and the result of the work brings the attention to the heart of the piece. And the heart can be something subtle such as an off-beat texture, or it can be something striking such as the focal that demands attention. 

AH: What is the best advice you ever received? 

MK: “Take space” would be the best advice that I have ever received. It tells me that I have more than just permission to breathe, expand, and exist. That simple sentence itself told me multiple meanings; it is okay to be me. I can allow myself to interact with others and create something new.

AH: Do you write to prompts? If so, what's your favorite? If not, why not?

MK: I tend to jot down prompts that I like and I like to read them when I am in need of inspiration. The prompts themselves serve as different kinds of inspirations for me.

About the Artist:

Mirim Koh is an artist based on Alberta, Canada and she has been working independently, constantly producing artworks on her own time. Mirim loves to draw small illustrations showcasing friendly faces for family of all ages to enjoy. Currently she is in the process of publishing with Pegasus Publishers her first children's book titled "Sunny Side Up." Her Abstract works showcases dancing colors on the canvas, evoking different kinds of emotions for the viewers to enjoy. Her works were created during different periods of time of recovery.

Just a Pinch

About the Artist:

Beth holds degrees in creative arts therapy, sociology, and majored in health science while attending Niagara University, located in Lewiston, New York. Her love for art began as a small child, watching her father paint into the wee hours of the morning. She currently enjoys photography, mixed-media composition and graphite pencil sketches.

A Pinch of Nectar

Organique

This art was selected for our ekphrastic issue. If you are a writer who is inspired by what you see here, please consider submitting your words here.

Beth holds degrees in creative arts therapy, sociology, and majored in health science while attending Niagara University, located in Lewiston, New York. Her love for art began as a small child, watching her father paint into the wee hours of the morning. She currently enjoys photography, mixed-media composition and graphite pencil sketches.

This art was selected for our ekphrastic issue. If you are a writer who is inspired by what you see here, please consider submitting your words here.

Alex Stolis lives in Minneapolis; he has had poems published in numerous journals. Two full length collections, Pop. 1280 and John Berryman Died Here, were released by Cyberwit. His work has previously appeared or is forthcoming in Piker’s Press, Jasper's Folly Poetry Journal, Beatnik Cowboy, One Art Poetry, Black Moon Magazine, and Star 82 Review. His chapbook, Postcards from the Knife-Thrower's Wife, was released by Louisiana Literature Press in 2024. http://www.louisianaliterature.org/2024/04/11/new-release-announcement-alex-stolis/

RIP Winston Smith is forthcoming from Allen Buddha Press. He has been nominated multiple times for the Pushcart Prize. He can also be found at https://alexstolis.myportfolio.com/

This art was selected for our ekphrastic issue. If you are a writer who is inspired by what you see here, please consider submitting your words here.

Howie Good is a writer and artist on Cape Cod.

This art was selected for our ekphrastic issue. If you are a writer who is inspired by what you see here, please consider submitting your words here.

I have been photographing sites on the edges of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. With real estate prices rising, new projects are built and the old decay and face demolition. The poor are squeezed out and the middle class edges toward a precipice as the entertainment industry flees, taking money and jobs. Crime, lawlessness and thousands of unhoused persons have left the cities exhausted, restless and tense. I hope my photographs convey the ongoing transformation and document the vestiges of what these cities used to offer--hope.

Jennifer Shneiderman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, writer and visual artist. Her work has appeared in many publications, including: Yale University’s The Perch, UCLA’s Windward, The Rubbertop Review, and Kent State University's The Listening Eye. She studies art with Israel Lopez at East Los Angeles College. Her visual art has been featured, or is forthcoming, in Rock Salt Journal, Harpy Hybrid Review, and God's Cruel Joke.