Opening Letters > From the Editors

There are mornings in October when my sons and I find ourselves sitting motionless, shoulder to shoulder in our deer blind, in the middle of an invisible world. Bright stars move, as if pushed by the breeze, across the inky expanse above. Andromeda and Cassiopeia slip in gentle arcs, and there are times when we can almost hear the earth rolling on its belly. Slowly, the stars begin to fade, and the void before us gives way to silhouettes—phantom shapes of familiar trees and contours of land. If it is cold enough, everything is covered in a crystalline blanket of frost. Minute by minute, light seeps in around the soft edges of everything; shadows glow before they melt into things we recognize. As dawn emerges, the colors and textures surrounding us explode like fireworks in the waning dim: the depth and richness of leaves, bark, grasses, lichen, and stones, unlike anything our home in the city can offer. The city—the cacophony of concrete, screens, noise, and distraction that we leave behind—makes us strangers to the blood of our ancestors coursing through our veins. It removes us from our surprisingly vulnerable place in the natural world. The hunt allows us to, once again, feel the blood of our ancestors singing through us. The hunt allows us to, once again, understand our common bond with the earth and accept our rather humble station among its other creatures. Watching morning arrive from our deer blind is like watching autumn set every leaf ablaze; you simply can’t look away.

And so it is with Issue 14 of Sky Island Journal. The brilliance of its contributors is a sight to behold. Every piece, just like every October sunrise, is a gift beyond the telling.

Our species stands on the knife edge of its own future, in so many ways. With so much at stake, every single day, it’s easy to overlook the beauty our world offers so freely. Our cortisol levels rise; our vision narrows and polarizes; we start to feel angry, then numb; we begin to lose hope. Jeff and I believe that literature can provide the hope that our world so desperately needs right now. We believe that resistance, renewal, and resilience—all made possible by this hope—will ultimately become the keys to our survival. Whether we’re in Wisconsin or New Mexico, immersing ourselves in the natural world forces us to expand our understanding of “what is possible.” Wilderness remains the source of our positive energy, our rugged independence, and our relentless tenacity as an independent, international literary journal. It helps ensure that every step we take is made with kindness and humility. Reading and responding to every submission—then being able to share the work of writers from around the world, with readers from around the world—are privileges beyond the telling. We're grateful for our contributors and our readers.

Whether you're new to Sky Island Journal, or you're already one of our over 75,000 readers in 145 countries, we're confident the new writing in our stunning 14th issue will find a home in your heart.

We've elected to leave the "scroll-through experience" and pop-up ads to other literary platforms. By design, each published piece of writing in Sky Island Journal opens as a protected Word document for an authentic, focused, and immersive experience that encourages a close, intimate, distraction-free reading of the work. Readers, we want your experience with each of our contributor's work to be singular: just as it would be on the printed page, with crisp white paper between your collective fingertips. With no advertising on our website, you can fully engage with the works our contributors have so carefully created for you. With no subscription fees, you are welcome to read and enjoy whenever you like. We understand this is a radical departure from how many literary journals present writing to their readers online, but we think it's a refreshing change for the better. It's okay to slow down. It's okay to take your time. It’s okay to simply be present—to savor, to reflect, and to gather strength.

Of the 1,465 individual pieces that we received from around the world for Issue 14, we found these 36 to be the finest. Welcome to Sky Island. Welcome home.

Respectfully,

Jason Splichal, Co-Founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief

We recently adopted a puppy.  Let's be honest, I often throw that term around willy-nilly and use it to describe just about any dog I see.  I've called my adult dogs "pups" and "the puppers" for years, but in this case I mean that we welcomed a little guy who was only eight-weeks old into our home.  He's a puppy, with all of the connotations that go with that word.  Summit is absolutely adorable, insatiably curious, a bit awkward when he tries to walk and jump, which adds to his charm, and draws lots of positive attention when out exploring the neighborhood.  He also requires a lot of training, which takes time, undivided attention, and patience, all of which are not always in high supply after a long day of work.  There's a part of me that wants to skip ahead to the time when he will respond to his name when he is called, obey orders like "sit," "stay," and "leave it," wait to go to the bathroom until he is outside, and refrain from chewing anything and everything within his reach (including my hands, arms, shoes, and socks).  I want to feel comfortable leaving the room or the house for a few minutes without fear that he will have made trouble or orchestrated a destructive mess.  On the other hand, there are parts of the puppy stage that I love and will surely miss.  Summit weighed twelve pounds when he first arrived; he was just a little nugget that could fit comfortably on my lap.  After only a month with us, he is now about twenty pounds, and will likely end being twice that size by the time he is a full adult "pup."  I swear his legs grow several inches each day, and the unmistakable cuteness of a true puppy passes quickly.  I would never want to wish this time away.  All of it is temporary.

I have no misgivings that these sentiments lead to earth-shattering insights or epiphanies, but rather, reminders.  Lately, I find myself reflecting on the finite nature of all aspects of life.  Not just life itself, but all of the collected moments that comprise each day.  I've been trying to remind myself to appreciate and cherish the moments of happiness, clarity, confidence, and peace, because they slip away quickly, like the kaleidoscope of a sunset.  When I experience stress, frustration, doubt, and anxiety, I take solace knowing that they too are finite.  They don't always move as rapidly as I'd like, but they do pass, even if only temporarily.  Almost twenty years ago I read a book titled, Tuesdays with Morrie.  One of the lessons from the book is still with me -- that the emotions we feel each day (sadness, glee, guilt, contentment, and many others) are natural, so we should accept them, experience them, and then move on.

While experiencing these moments in life, the hope is that we are always learning and growing.  In some cases, people even take distinct feelings or experiences and create something meaningful and thought-provoking with them.  In the most recent episode of our podcast, Voices from the Sky, Chad Broughman talks about how an overwhelming feeling he had while listening to a "throwaway line" in the movie Radio, which propelled him to write the story of the young boy who was mentioned in passing.  In this issue, you'll hear our contributors commemorate family members who have moved on from this world, examine the significance of a bubble floating across a lawn, wrestle with identity, and so much more.  In Issue 14 of Sky Island Journal, these tremendous works of poetry, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction are brief enough to experience in just a few moments, let them sink into your being, and they will always be here to return to time and time again for a renewal of mind and spirit.

Thank you for joining us!  We appreciate you spending your precious moments with us, and we hope that these works will transport and inspire you.  Enjoy!

Respectfully,

Jeff Sommerfeld, Co-Founder, Co-Editor-in-Chief, and Host of Voices from the Sky

Anne E. Raustol > Flash Fiction > North Carolina, USA

Anne E. Raustol received her MFA in writing and literature from Bennington College in 2001. Her stories and essays have appeared in The Florida Review, Rock and Sling, Rapid River Magazine, Literary Mamma and Willow Springs. “The Bees, Their Rising,” her first published story, won second place prize in Glimmer Train’s Flash Fiction Award in 2003. Currently, she is seeking representation for her young adult novel, The Smell of Bacon (And Other Things That Linger) based on her father’s death in 1989 of AIDS.  She lives in the mountains of North Carolina with her three children, a highly sensitive dog named Lucy and the newest member of the family, a ball python named Willow, who, according to her 10-year-old son is very cute AND has beautiful eyes. 

Ashley Lewin > Creative Nonfiction > New Mexico, USA

Ashley Lewin is originally from Nashville, Tennessee and, after living in six other states, now writes and farms in Belen, New Mexico. She has a BA in English from Ball State University and an MA in English from IUPUI. She spent 15 years as a vet tech in private practice, nonprofit, and research before teaching writing to college freshmen.

Betsy Mars > Poetry > California, USA

Betsy Mars is currently grounded in the Los Angeles suburbs with her menagerie. She is a poet, photographer, once upon a time educator (pre-Covid), and an occasional publisher. She founded Kingly Street Press in the summer of 2019, releasing her first anthology, Unsheathed:24 Contemporary Poets Take Up the Knife in October 2019. She is currently working on a second, entitled Floored, which will be out in the fall. In the Muddle of the Night, co-authored with poet Alan Walowitz, due soon from Arroyo Seco Press. Her chapbook, Alinea (Picture Show Press), debuted in January 2019. Recent work has appeared online in Verse-Virtual, Live Encounters, The Blue Nib, and The New Verse News. Poetry is her solace at all times, but even more now when the possibility of travel and seeing friends and family is so remote. 

Carol Sadtler > Poetry > Illinois, USA

Carol Sadtler is a poet, writer and editor who has her best ideas on, in or near the water. Her poems can be found in The Humanist, Bangalore Review, Sky Island Journal, Pacific Review and other publications. She has served as an associate editor of RHINO Poetry and is an active member of a local poetry group, Plumb Line Poets. She lives in Chicago with her spouse and their corgi.

Carrie Sword > Creative Nonfiction > Minnesota, USA

Carrie Sword started her career as a journalist, feature writer and editor in Minnesota and South Dakota. A few years later, a series of intense dreams propelled her to discover Jungian dream analysis. She took a career turn – learned about the language of dreams, earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology, and then a doctorate in clinical psychology. She currently specializes in experiential dreamwork as a Jungian psychotherapist through her private practice in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She began writing again three years ago and started a blog in March of 2020. The beauty and spirit of nature have been continual companions since childhood.

Catherine Garrett > Poetry > British Columbia, Canada

Catherine Garrett is a queer line cook turned poet-journalist currently living in Prince George, British Columbia. She was born in Ontario, raised on Haida Gwaii, and went to Journalism school in Vancouver. She is currently the associate editor for Dovecote Magazine, and a full-time reporter. She has represented Vancouver and Victoria a total of six times on national and international poetry stages, and really loves hockey. Her work has been featured in Room Magazine, Cotyledon, Moria Literary Journal, WAVAW’s Recognition Zine, Oratorealis, Turnpike Magazine, and Link Magazine. You can find her on Twitter @Cath_Garrett.

Celine Low > Poetry > Singapore

Celine Low is a writer, painter, dancer, and secret bathroom-singer. Her fiction, poetry and art are either published or forthcoming in Tempered Runes Press, The Fiction Pool, Beyond Words, and BALLOONS Literary Journal, among others. She holds an MA in English Literature, and posts raw drafts of her poetry on Instagram @_ckye.

Chad V. Broughman > Flash Fiction > Michigan, USA

Chad V. Broughman was the recipient of the Rusty Scythe Prize Book award in 2016 and in 2017 was awarded the Adobe Cottage Writers Retreat honor in New Mexico. As well, Chad was awarded a chapbook contract for his collection of short stories, “the forsaken,” which was published by Etchings Press. His fiction can be found in journals nationwide––such as Carrier Pigeon, East Coast Literary Review, River Poets Journal, Burningword, Pulp Fiction, From Whispers to Roars, and Sky Island Journal––and he is currently anthologized in the Write Michigan Short Story Anthology and On Loss, an anthology. He is a Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominee, holds an MFA from Spalding University, and served as Co-Editor for the poetry/fiction blog, Café Aphra, based out of the United Kingdom. Chad teaches English and Creative Writing at the secondary and post-secondary levels but, most importantly, is a husband and the proud father of two feisty young sons.

Christien Gholson > Poetry > New Mexico, USA

Christien Gholson is the author of two books of poetry, On the Side of the Crow (Hanging Loose Press); All the Beautiful Dead (The Bitter Oleander Press); and a magical realist novel, A Fish Trapped Inside the Wind (Parthian Books). A long eco-catastrophe-earth-praise poem, Tidal Flats, can be found at Mudlark. The sequel, Solutions for the End of the World, can be found at The American Journal of Poetry. He lives in New Mexico, facing the day and the burning stones, and facing the night and the night's black feathers.

David Antrobus > Flash Fiction > British Columbia, Canada

David Antrobus is a freelance writer and editor whose origins lie in northern England and who currently lives in the Vancouver area. He has published two books, both nonfiction, and has written numerous dark yet lyrical tales scattered among various anthologies and websites, including but not limited to Storgy Magazine, Woven Tales Press, Dark Moon Digest, Pidgeonholes, Mash Stories (third place finish in their seventh flash fiction contest), Indies Unlimited (twice winner in their flash fiction contest), and Ripen the Page.

David Pérez > Creative Nonfiction > New Mexico, USA

Born and raised in the South Bronx in New York City and now living in the Southwest, David Pérez is a writer, journalist, actor, editor, radio host, teacher, and author of two memoirs: WOW! (11B Press, 2011) and WOW! 2 (Nighthawk Press, 2016), which chronicle his multi-faceted coming of age. People from all walks of life have taken his popular Theater Games and Read Your Work Aloud workshops. As an actor, David has performed in roles ranging from Othello to Santa Claus. He lives in Taos, New Mexico, and is married to poet Veronica Golos. 

Diane Goodman > Flash Fiction > Arizona, USA

Most of Diane Goodman’s publications are in fiction, including 3 collections of short stories (Party Girls, from Autumn House Press; The Plated Heart and The Genius of Hunger, both from Carnegie Mellon University Press: Series in Short Fiction); most recently, she has a piece in the current collection FlashNonfiction: Food (Woodhall Press, Summer 2020). She lives in Phoenix, Arizona, where she is an English professor.

Emily Marcason-Tolmie > Flash Fiction > New York, USA

Emily Marcason-Tolmie is a proud military wife, mama to two adorable little boys, writer, and prospect researcher at a small liberal arts college in upstate New York. She's a flash fiction contributing editor at Barren Magazine, an online literary magazine. In 2018, she won the Scintillating Starts Writers Advice Fiction Contest and she's published in Every Day Fiction, Ghost Parachute, and Flash Fiction Magazine. A graduate of the prestigious New York State Summer Writers Institute, Emily holds an MA in English and is pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing through Southern New Hampshire University.

Esther Ra > Poetry > South Korea

Esther Ra is the author of book of untranslatable things (Grayson Books, 2018) and the founder of The Underwater Railroad, a literary reunification project. Her work has also been published in Rattle, The Rumpus, Border Crossing, and Korea Times, among others. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Pushcart Prize and the 49th Parallel Award for Poetry. Esther currently works in Seoul to support healthcare for North Korean defectors. In writing, as in life, she is deeply interested in the quiet beauty of the ordinary.

Jacqueline Bédard > Flash Fiction > Ontario, Canada

Jacqueline Bédard lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. She entertains herself on long runs by thinking through stories.

Jeffrey Kahrs > Prose Poetry > Washington, USA

Jeffrey Kahrs is the author of One Hook at a Time: A History of the Deep Sea Fishermen’s Union of the Pacific (Deep Sea Fishermen’s Union, 2015), funded through a grant from 4Culture, the cultural funding agency for King County, Washington. Kahrs co-edited an issue of the Atlanta Review on poetry in Turkey (Spring/Summer 2006, Volume XII, Issue Number 2), and also co-edited a section of the Turkish translation magazine Çevirmenin Notu on English-language poets in Istanbul in 2011. His poetry has appeared in Subtropics, Talisman, What Rough Beast, The Bosphorus Review of Books and other journals. Kahrs was a 2012 winner of the Nazim Hikmet Poetry Contest. He holds a BA in Dramatic Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an MA from Boston University. He was born in the Hague, Netherlands, and raised in California.

Jesse Miksic > Poetry > New York, USA

Jesse Miksic is a graphic designer and writer living in Peekskill, New York. He spends his life writing poetry, nursing unfinished projects, and having adventures with his wonderful wife and daughter. Recent placements include Leveler Poetry, Juke Joint, Bodega Magazine, and others.

Jessica Barksdale > Poetry > Washington, USA

Jessica Barksdale’s fifteenth novel, The Play’s the Thing, is forthcoming from TouchPoint Press in 2021. Her debut poetry collection When We Almost Drowned was published in March 2019 by Finishing Line Press. She is a Professor of English at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California and teaches novel writing online for UCLA Extension and in the online MFA program for Southern New Hampshire University. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, she now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.

Lisa Creech Bledsoe > Poetry > North Carolina, USA

Watched by crows and friend to salamanders, Lisa Creech Bledsoe is a hiker, beekeeper, and writer living in the mountains of Western North Carolina. She is the author of two full-length books of poetry, Appalachian Ground (2019), and Wolf Laundry (2020). She has new poems out or forthcoming in American Writers Review, The Main Street Rag, The Public Poetry 2020 Anthology, Star*Line, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, and River Heron Review, among others.

Lorrie Ness > Poetry > Virginia, USA

Lorrie Ness lives in Virginia. On weekends she can be found hiking through Shenandoah National Park, birding and writing outdoors. Nature is a refuge and source of inspiration for her. She has past or forthcoming publications at Sky Island Journal, THRUSH Poetry Journal, Barren Magazine, FRiGG, Crack the Spine, SOFTBLOW, The Maryland Literary Review, The American Journal of Poetry, Rosebud, and others.

Marci Rae Johnson > Poetry > Michigan, USA

Marci Rae Johnson is a freelance writer and editor, and the poetry editor for WordFarm press. Her poems appear or are forthcoming in Image, The Christian Century, Main Street Rag, The Collagist, Rhino, Quiddity, Hobart, Redivider, Redactions, The Valparaiso Poetry Review, The Louisville Review, and 32 Poems, among others. Her most recent book, Basic Disaster Supplies Kit, was published by Steel Toe Books. Her first collection of poetry won the Powder Horn Prize and was published by Sage Hill Press in 2013, and her chapbook won the Friends of Poetry chapbook contest for Michigan authors in 2014 and was published by Celery City Chapbooks.

Melissa Spohr Weiss > Poetry > New Brunswick, Canada

Melissa Spohr Weiss is a graduate student at the University of New Brunswick. Her poetry has been published or is forthcoming in Barrelhouse, Riddle Fence, The Malahat Review, CV2, Prairie Fire, The Maynard, Sky Island Journal, Oakland Arts Review, and elsewhere. 

Nicole M. Pyles > Flash Fiction > Oregon, USA

Nicole M. Pyles is a writer living in Oregon. Her writing has been featured in WOW! Women on Writing, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, and Restless Magazine. In addition to freelance writing, she also works as a Blog Tour Manager for WOW! Women on Writing.

Perveen Shakir (translation by Ateeb Gul) > ghazal Poetry > Pakistan

Perveen Shakir (1952-1994) is one of the most well-known Urdu poets of the 20th century. A teacher and bureaucrat who served in the civil service of Pakistan, she was primarily celebrated for her contributions to the ghazal genre and for her unique feminine voice in Urdu poetry. She was awarded Pakistan’s Pride of Performance in 1976.

Ateeb Gul is a doctoral student at Boston University. He is also a professional editor, translator, and poet—his creative work has been published in the Sky Island Journal, Literary Imagination, Ink in Thirds, and Eureka Literary Magazine.

Sandra Fees > Poetry > Pennsylvania, USA

Sandra Fees is the author of The Temporary Vase of Hands (Finishing Line Press, 2017) and Moving, Being Moved (Five Oaks Press, 2017). She served a term as Berks County Poet Laureate (2016-2018), and her work has appeared in The Comstock Review, New Madrid, Poets Reading the News, and The Blue Nib, and is forthcoming in Kissing Dynamite and Leaping Clear. Her work was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2020. She holds degrees in English Literature from Shippensburg University (B.A.) and Syracuse University (M.A.), as well as degrees in theology from Lancaster Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry). She serves as a Unitarian Universalist minister, and lives in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Sherry Mossafer Rind > Poetry > Washington, USA

Sherry Mossafer Rind is the author of five collections of poetry and editor of two books about Airedale terriers. She has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Anhinga Press, Artist Trust, Seattle Arts Commission, and King County Arts Commission. Her most recent book is Between States of Matter from The Poetry Box Select Series, 2020.

Sophie Scolnik-Brower > Creative Nonfiction > Massachusetts, USA

Sophie Scolnik-Brower is a professional pianist in the Boston area with a longtime passion for writing poetry and creative nonfiction. An active participant in writing workshops throughout the city, she is drawn to prose that sounds like music.

Stephen Coates > Flash Fiction > New Zealand + Japan

Stephen Coates comes from New Zealand but is currently living in Japan. His stories have been published in Landfall, Takahe, So It Goes, Meniscus, Sky Island Journal, and elsewhere.

Supriya Lopez Pillai > Flash Fiction > California, USA

Supriya Lopez Pillai is a writer and mother based in Oakland, California.  Her work has been published in outlets such as the Nation, and most recently some of her poems were included in the installation Art in the Time of Covid at the Raspberry Neon Art House, Sebastapol, California.  She is the Executive Director of the Hidden Leaf Foundation, dedicated to transformative change and social justice movement building. 

Susan Polizzotto > Creative Nonfiction > North Carolina, USA

Susan Polizzotto served twenty years in the Coast Guard, including seven at sea. Her fiction and creative nonfiction stories are often inspired by personal experiences and the lives of fellow veterans. Her work has been published in As You Were: The Military Review. She was delighted to be the 2019 Carl Sandburg Writer in Residence at the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site. Currently she is working on a memoir and living near the Atlantic Ocean. With daily encouragement from her husband and dog, she will graduate in 2022 with an MFA from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. As a meditative practice and way to engage with and celebrate the natural world, she enjoys writing haiku.

Vanessa Mancos > Flash Fiction > California, USA

Vanessa Mancos is a writer living in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in NY Tyrant, The Coachella Review, and Memoir Mixtapes, among others. She was a finalist for the 2019 Esalen Emerging Voices Fellowship and has appeared as a storyteller on the critically acclaimed live show and podcast Mortified!  In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, hanging out with her fluffy Calico cat, and finding new and inventive ways to destroy the patriarchy.