Mark Pearce is a Pushcart Prize nominee with stories published in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies and plays produced on the New York stage.  His first published story was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and was selected as Granfalloon magazine’s “Story of the Year.”  Lifeboat A large lifeboat floated in the middle of a calm sea.  In the background could be seen a luxury liner in flames, sinking beneath the surface of the water.  Two men sat in the lifeboat, each eating a can of beans.  Edmund Graves had an oar across his lap.  Victor Stavenger had one at … Continue reading Mark Pearce

Duke LaRance, who fancies himself as The Drugstore Cowboy poet resides on the High Plains of the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana. USA.  After toiling in obscurity and flying under the radar for nearly twenty years, his work took off in Facebook poetry sites, at his paid hangout, allpoetry.com, just two and a half years ago.  He has been published in three anthologies and considers his being published in impspired to be a very high point in his life. Rainbow Stardust Memorial Day Homily, 2022 We are Stardust, lit by Moonbeams Blazing in our Patch of Sky Always and Forever, … Continue reading Duke LaRance

John Tustin’s poetry has appeared in many literary journals, online and in print, since 2009. fritzware.com/johntustinpoetry contains links to his published poetry online. AS SUNDAY BECOMES MONDAY The shower-water still saturates my beard an hour after. My hair is in the way. My stomach growling and a fistful of nuts are not enough To shut him up. I’m thinking about her but you know I do that And I’m sorry but I also know that you know I can’t help it. The bed is becoming swaybacked And the clean laundry waits for me in a pile in its far corner. … Continue reading John Tustin

James Mulhern’s writing has appeared in literary journals over one hundred and fifty times and has been recognized with many awards. In 2015, Mr. Mulhern was granted a writing fellowship to Oxford University. That same year, a story was longlisted for the Fish Short Story Prize. In 2017, he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His novel, Give Them Unquiet Dreams, is a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2019. He was shortlisted for the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2021 for his poetry. Recently, two of his novels were Finalists for the United Kingdom’s Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Mia Bambina After I showed my paperwork to the girl at the desk and signed in, David, … Continue reading James Mulhern

Alan Catlin has several new books in the works including a long series of noir movie poems concluding with three chapbooks in one book under the title Exterminating Angels from Kelsay for mid-year 2022. he also has two chapbooks coming soon as well: Satan’s Kiss from Gutter Snob ad Dream Rider from Orchard Street Press. Kamikaze They must have started out somewhere in another country and hit every bar between wherever there was and here. They ended up against the bar around midnight looking for kamikaze shots. “Give me one good reason to serve you guys.” I sd. “We want … Continue reading Alan Catlin

The Odyssey of JUDGE Santiago Burdon begins in the “City of Big Shoulders”, as Sandburg called it in his poem “Chicago”. His father named him Judge, hoping he would pursue a career in law. He had no idea his son would end up appearing in front of so many. He attended Universities in the United States and abroad, focusing his studies on Victorian Literature and Authors. Santiago’s short stories and poems have been featured in over one hundred fifty Magazines, On-line Literary Journals, Podcasts and Anthologies. He was listed in “Who’s Who of Emerging Writers 2020” and again in 2021. … Continue reading Judge Santiago Burdon

Douglas Colston – who finds himself approaching his mid-50s and living at the Sunshine Coast in Australia – has played in Ska bands, picked up university degrees, supported his parents during terminal illnesses, married his love, fathered two great children, had his inheritance embezzled, transitioned into Counselling as a vocation and experienced chronic mental and physical illnesses consequential to workplace harassment. Now, among other things, he is pursuing a PhD. As for his publishing history throughout 2022, in addition to appearing on a few occasions in Impspired, his fiction, nonfiction and poetry has been published in traditional and online anthologies and journals including: POETiCA REViEW; Otherwise Engaged Literary and Arts Journal; Written Tales; Inlandia; The Graveyard Zine; The Antonym; Rue Scribe; Mercury … Continue reading Douglas Colston

Paul Ilechko is a Pushcart nominated poet who lives with his partner in Lambertville, NJ. His work has appeared in a variety of journals, including The Night Heron Barks, Tampa Review, Iron Horse Literary Review, Sleet Magazine, and The Inflectionist Review. His first album, “Meeting Points”, was released in 2021.   The Failing Along the main street the buildings were fading into pale pastel shades of green or pink as if someone had applied a silvery wash to the entire town starting in the central area and gradually infiltrating the less developed neighborhoods the ones where people were uncommon and … Continue reading Paul Ilechko

Darrell Petska, a retired university engineering editor, is a 2021 and 2022 Pushcart Prize nominee. His poetry can be found in 3rd Wednesday, Muddy River Poetry Review, Verse-Virtual, Chiron Review and widely elsewhere (conservancies.wordpress.com). Father of five and grandfather of six, he lives near Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife of more than 50 years.  Rubbish Day Tuesday here is Rubbish Day. To the curb each Monday night we dutifully wheel our rumbly bins. It’s all planned out: pay the tax, consume, toss what’s left to the lumbering trucks that make it disappear: fait accompli! Fifty-two Tuesdays each year, we observe … Continue reading Darrell Petska

Chris Wood lives in Tennessee with her husband and several fur babies. She works as a lease maintenance manager for a real estate management company and is a member of the Chattanooga Writers’ Guild (CWG), where she serves as treasurer. Her work has appeared in several journals and publications, including Poetry Quarterly, Three Line Poetry, Haiku Journal, Panoply, and the American Diversity Report. She won second prize in the 2016 CWG Spring Contest for her poem, “Thus Your Live Grows,” and in June 2022, she won third prize in The Tennessee Magazine’s Poet’s Playground for her poem, “See Rock City.” Her work also appears in … Continue reading Chris Wood