Opening Letters > from the Editors
Although we are an independent, international journal—with readers and contributors hailing from 145 countries—our home is the United States. The few months between Issues 14 and 15 have tested us.
We’ve moved closer to a grim milestone of 400,000 souls lost to the COVID pandemic: some of our readers, among the dead.
We’ve survived a failed coup attempt: a violent attack on our nation’s capital by domestic terrorists—enemies of our democracy who threaten the very constitution that allows us to exist as a publication.
We’ve lost one of our literary mentors, and one of our brightest polestars, to cancer: Barry Lopez. His book, Desert Notes—a gift from my mother and stepfather in 1991—was the catalyst that ignited my love for the high desert and eventually brought me to New Mexico, where Jeff and I began Sky Island Journal in 2017.
We’ve lived a lot of life between Issues 14 and 15, and we have survived as a publication. Our team, our family of contributors, and our constellation of readers are ALL stronger and more committed than ever. Our trials temper us, and, like the steel of a fine blade, the more we are tempered, the stronger we become. If writing is our sword, let reading be our compass; may we all find our way to kindness, compassion, logic, and bravery, through literature’s selfless gifts of discovery.
Whether you're new to Sky Island Journal, or you're already one of our over 80,000 readers, we're confident the new writing from around the world in our stunning Issue 15 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, regardless of your means. We believe in removing barriers between readers and access to high quality literature—especially in regions of the world that have traditionally been underserved by English language journals or completely ignored by the literary establishment.
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 1,003 individual pieces that we received from around the world for Issue 15, we found these 27 to be the finest. Welcome to Sky Island. Welcome home.
Respectfully,
Jason Splichal, Co-Founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief
On a recent trip to the Florida Mountains, Sky Island Journal's birthplace, we made a few stops along the way. (I'll spare you ways that we could wax poetically about the green chile cheeseburgers and pecan pie shake at Sparky's in Hatch, NM; let's just say that if you're ever in the area, arrive early and arrive hungry.) Each time we return to New Mexico, we always try to experience more and more of what its natural world has to offer for exploration, rejuvenation, and appreciation. If we're patient enough, tenacious enough, and keep our minds, hearts, and eyes open, the wonders are limitless.
As we headed south on I-25, between Albuquerque and Deming, we saw a sign for Elephant Butte Lake State Park. It had been on our list of spots to explore for several years, and we had plenty of daylight left to get our camp set up before sunset below the Floridas, so we took the exit and began to search for a road that would lead us to the water. We drove for miles up and down the sideroads that ran adjacent to Elephant Butte and eventually found our opportunity. We just wanted to get close to the water, see what kind of habitat existed, and snap a few photos for the journal. We parked the truck, felt the crunch of gravel underneath our boots, and then something incredible happened. We looked up and saw dozens of sandhill cranes came flying overhead, gracefully traveling north, presumably to the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. In the few minutes that we stood there, the dozens of cranes became hundreds, and then thousands. I'd heard of the great migration, watched stunning films by National Geographic, but nothing compared to this sight. It was simply breathtaking.
Once back in the truck, I sat in the passenger seat and began to research as much as I could about sandhill cranes and the wilderness refuge to the north of us. It reminded me of when I was a kid, on road trips with my family, and my mother would pick up copies of travel guides or soak up the words on every historical marker. She was curious—she still is—and this is one of the many traits I admire about her. It's a trait I hope to keep with me my entire life and continually aim to inspire my students to stay curious as lifelong learners.
It was curiosity that implored us to stop on that trip in New Mexico. I'm so thankful we took the time, rather than blazing by at 70 (or so) MPH to make it to Deming a bit earlier. Dear readers, I'm equally thankful that you took the time to visit us here. You'll soon find that Issue 15 has an incredible collection of poetry, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction to feed your curiosity and awaken your heart.
Thank you for joining us! Enjoy!
Respectfully,
Jeff Sommerfeld, Co-Founder, Co-Editor-in-Chief, and Host of our podcast: Voices from the Sky
Amanda Leal > Poetry > Florida, USA
Amanda Leal is a poet from South Florida. She is a Registered Nurse by day and a poetry fanatic by night. She runs on caffeine, and you'll find her most days chasing her toddler and pitbull around.
Brittney Corrigan > Poetry > Oregon, USA
Brittney Corrigan is the author of the poetry collections Navigation and 40 Weeks. A chapbook responding to events in the news, Breaking, will be published by WordTech Editions in April 2021. Daughters, a series of persona poems in the voices of daughters of various characters from folklore, mythology, and popular culture, is forthcoming from Airlie Press in 2021. Brittney was raised in Colorado and has lived in Portland, Oregon for the past three decades, where she is an alumna and employee of Reed College. She is currently at work on her first short story collection.
Dagne Forrest > Poetry > Ontario, Canada
Dagne Forrest lives and works in a small town just west of Canada's capital. She shares her life with several other humans, an athletic labrador retriever who suffers from separation anxiety, three cats, and a small flock of chickens. Her poetry has appeared in K'in Literary Journal, Prime Number Magazine, and Not Very Quiet, and her creative nonfiction in Paper Dragon.
Deepa Paul > Creative Nonfiction > The Netherlands
Deepa Paul is a Filipina-Indian freelance copywriter from the Philippines living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Her personal essays have been published in the Expanded Field Journal and Quince Magazine. Find her on Instagram or Twitter as @storiesbydeepa.
Emily Pulfer-Terino > Poetry > Massachusetts, USA
Emily Pulfer-Terino is a poet and writer whose work has appeared in Tupelo Quarterly, Hunger Mountain, The Collagist, The Southeast Review, Poetry Northwest, Stone Canoe, The Louisville Review, Juked, and other journals and anthologies. Her poetry chapbook, Stays The Heart, is published by Finishing Line Press. She has been a Tennessee Williams Poetry Scholar at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and has been granted a fellowship for creative nonfiction at the Vermont Studio Center. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Syracuse University, and she lives in Western Massachusetts.
Fredric Hildebrand > Poetry > Wisconsin, USA
Fredric Hildebrand is a retired physician living in Neenah, Wisconsin. He is the author of two poetry chapbooks, Northern Portrait (Kelsay Books, 2020), and A Glint of Light (Finishing Line Press, 2020). His recent poetry has appeared in The MacGuffin and Third Wednesday. When not writing or reading, he plays acoustic folk guitar and explores the Northwoods with his wife and two Labrador retrievers.
Ife Afriye Kilimanjaro > Creative Nonfiction > Virginia, USA
Ife Afriye Kilimanjaro’s experiences as a grandmother, author, connector, researcher, administrator, teacher, activist, and traditional healer both inform and are informed by her deep commitment to justice and a better world. Underlying her personal and professional accomplishments has been a deep understanding that as we fight for and bring into being a better world for all, it is important to simultaneously make our inner worlds (i.e., mind-body-spirit) and relationships healthy and whole. She posts regularly to "Ife's Blog."
Jay Udall > Poetry > Virginia, USA
Jay Udall lives in northern Virginia with his spouse (Suzanne, a social worker and activist) and daughter (Rachel, a visual artist and banjo player extraordinaire), among assorted other animals. His work has appeared in many publications, including North American Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, Prairie Schooner, Verse Daily, and Sky Island Journal. His sixth, latest book of poems, Because a Fire in Our Heads, won the 2017 X.J. Kennedy Poetry Prize.
Joanna Milstein > Creative Nonfiction > New York, USA
Joanna Milstein is a New York-based writer and historian. In 2019, she received her MFA in Fiction from NYU, and was awarded a scholarship to the New York State Summer Writers Institute. She holds a PhD in History from the University of St Andrews. Her thesis, "The Gondi: Family Strategy and Survival in Early Modern France,” was published by Ashgate in 2014. She is currently working on her first novel.
Ken Homer > Poetry > Georgia, USA
Ken Homer has taught English and reading at a number of community colleges, recently retiring from East Georgia State College in Statesboro, GA, where he lives with his wife Pat and dog Belle. Before majoring in English, Ken considered a career in forestry or archeology. These early interests remain and influence the poems that he writes. Besides writing poetry, he is an avid reader and hiker and has been a literacy tutor for many years. Ken has been published in Verse, The Corner Club Press, The Southern Tablet, The Great American Poetry Show, and The Blue Unicorn among others.
Kim Haines-Eitzen > Poetry > New York + Arizona, USA
Kim Haines-Eitzen is a professor of ancient Mediterranean religions at Cornell University. Her poetry has appeared in Cathexis Northwest Press and The Write Launch. She lives in the rural Finger Lakes region of New York and spends her summers off-grid in the high desert of remote Southeastern Arizona.
Laura Ann Reed > Poetry > Washington, USA
Laura Ann Reed, a native of Berkeley, California, is an emerging writer who completed Masters' Degree programs in both the Performing Arts and Clinical Psychology. She was a dancer and dance instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area before working in the capacity of Leadership Development Trainer at the San Francisco Headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency, prior to the Trump Administration. Her work has been selected for inclusion in a forthcoming anthology edited by James Crews: How to Love the World: Poems of Hope and Gratitude, to be published in the Spring of 2021. She currently lives with her husband in Western Washington.
Leonardo Josue Espinal > Creative Nonfiction > Honduras
Leonardo Josue Espinal was born in Honduras on November 30th, 1999. As a young, ambitious writer, it may come as no surprise that his dream was to become a renowned author, but in his case, that has not always been true. He wrote his first novel during high school, and, interestingly enough, he had no idea what to do once he graduated. Thanks to his honors and grades, he was granted a full scholarship to study in Taiwan. His first year in the Asian country completely changed his life, as it became apparent that both his skills and his ambitions lied in the realm of literature, which should have been obvious after writing a full-length fantasy novel between the ages of 15 and 17, but enlightenment often comes in the strangest and most curious of ways. He has been published in Revista Literaria Galeradas and Esperanta Revista Digital.
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 in 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.
Michele Lovell > Creative Nonfiction > Washington, USA
Michele Lovell lives in S.W. Washington state where she and her partner run a small nonprofit senior dog and horse rescue. Prior to this, she worked with children in the mental health field for many years.
Mike Gravagno > Poetry > Colorado, USA
Mike Gravagno can’t stop moving or making things: he’s a pop-culture critic, poet, nonfiction writer, copywriter, and podcaster. Mike received a BA in Creative Nonfiction from Columbia University, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Chapman University. His poetry, nonfiction, and reviews can be found in Calliope, TAB, the Gordian Review, Shark Reef, and the Moon Tide Press poetry anthologies, Lullaby of Teeth and Dark Ink.
Nandini Bhattacharya > Creative Nonfiction > Texas, USA
Nandini Bhattacharya was born and raised in India and has called the United States her second continent for the last thirty years. Wherever she's lived, she's generally turned to books for the answers to life's questions, big or small (that includes philosophy and recipes). Her short stories have been published or will be in the Saturday Evening Post Best Short Stories from the Great American Fiction Contest Anthology 2021 (forthcoming 2021), the Good Cop/Bad Cop Anthology (Flowersong Press, 2021), Funny Pearls, The Bombay Review, Meat for Tea: The Valley Review, Storyscape Journal, Raising Mothers, The Bangalore Review, OyeDrum, and more. She has attended the Bread Loaf Writers' Workshop and has been accepted for residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, VONA, and the Centrum, Ragdale, and Craigardan Writers Residencies (forthcoming). She was first runner-up for the Los Angeles Review Flash Fiction contest (2017-2018), and long-listed for the Disquiet International Literary Prize (2019 and 2020). She’s currently working on a second novel about love, minorities, racism, Hindutva politics in India, and xenophobic mentalities in Donald Trump's America titled Homeland Blues. She lives outside Houston, Texas and serves a marmalade cat. In 2021, she will attend Warren Wilson College’s MFA program with a Holden Opportunity Grant from the Friends of Writers.
Phebe Jewell > Flash Fiction > Washington, USA
Phebe Jewell's recent flash appears or is forthcoming in Bending Genres, Crack the Spine, After the Pause, Literally Stories, and Sky Island Journal. A teacher at Seattle Central College, she also volunteers for the Freedom Education Project Puget Sound, a nonprofit providing college courses for women in prison.
Rachel Kuanneng Lee > Poetry > Singapore
Rachel Kuanneng Lee is a Singaporean poet. Her work appears in or is forthcoming at Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, The Tiger Moth Review, wildness, Entropy and the Live Canon 2020 Anthology. She is a Brooklyn Poets Fellow. She is also co-founder of a data science startup and hopes that someday, she might be able to make a coherent narrative out of her career choices, even if today is not quite that day.
Richard Spilman > Poetry > West Virginia, USA
Richard Spilman is the author of two collections of poetry: In the Night Speaking and Suspension. He has also published two books of short stories, including the New York Times Notable Book: Hot Fudge. He grew up in Normal, Illinois, and now lives with his novelist wife, Joan, and two grandsons in Hurricane, West Virginia.
Sarah Dickenson Snyder > Poetry > Vermont, USA
Sarah Dickenson Snyder has written poetry since she knew there was a form with conscious line breaks. She has three poetry collections: The Human Contract (2017), Notes from a Nomad (nominated for the Massachusetts Book Awards 2018), and With a Polaroid Camera (2019). Recently, her poems have appeared in Rattle, The Sewanee Review, RHINO, and Sky Island Journal. She has been a 30/30 poet for Tupelo Press, nominated for Best of Net in 2017, and the Poetry Prize Winner of Art on the Trails 2020.
Tanya E. E. E. Schmid > Creative Nonfiction > Switzerland
Tanya Elizabeth Egeness Epp Schmid was a Doctor of Oriental Medicine until 2014 when she started a permaculture farm. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Canary Literary Magazine, Poet’s Choice Global Warming Anthology, Whistling Shade Literary Magazine, Flash Fiction Magazine, The Dewdrop, and others. She is a teacher of Kyudo, Zen Archery, and the author of Tanya’s Collection of Zen Stories (2018).
Tegan Blackwood > Poetry > Missouri, USA
Tegan Blackwood lives in Columbia, Missouri. In 2019, she was Sequestrum's New Writer of the Year for poetry. Her work has also appeared in The Write Launch, The American Journal of Poetry, and Hamilton Stone Journal.
Terese Brasen > Creative Nonfiction > Alberta, Canada
Terese Brasen is the author of KAMA, a Viking feminist novel published by OutPost19 in San Francisco. She is currently completing a collection of creative nonfiction titled, The Thing That’s Wrong with Me. Stories from the work have appeared in The Write Launch, Ravensperch, and Iris Literary Journal (forthcoming). They have also made Room Magazine and Fish Publishing’s prize lists. Terese lives in Canada. She has an MFA from Cedar Crest College’s Pan-European MFA in Creative Writing.
Vincent Antonio Rendoni > Poetry > Washington, USA
Vincent Antonio Rendoni is a writer based out of Seattle, Washington. He has a Master of Fine Arts from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His work has appeared in Fiction Southwest, Burrow Press, Atticus Review, and Litro.