John Higgins is a 23-year-old Irish writer. His work has been featured in The Blue Nib, New Pop Lit, and Honest Ulsterman, among others. He lives in Galway. You can find his work on Twitter: @JohnhigginsW. A Reluctant Acceptance of the Fundamental Axiom I             He couldn’t quite bring himself to look at anything else other than his shoelaces.               Someone came and asked him did he want tea or coffee, pausing for an awkward moment before adding the name of a popular soft drink. He shook his head, no, and smiled a thanks that wasn’t seen.             He … Continue reading John Higgins

New York fine arts photographer Amy Bassin and writer Mark Blickley work together on text-based art collaborations and videos. Their video, Widow’s Peek: The Kiss of Death, was selected to the 2018 International Festival of Experimental Video and Film at Bilbao, Spain. They published a text-based art chapbook,’ Weathered Reports: Trump Surrogate Quotes From the Underground’ (Moria Books, Chicago). Bassin is the co-founder of the international artists cooperative, Urban Dialogues. Blickley is the author of ‘Sacred Misfits’ (Red Hen Press) and proud member of the Dramatists Guild and PEN American Center. Their text-based art book, ‘Dream Streams,‘ has just been published by Clare Songbird Publishing House. … Continue reading Mark Blickley

Scott Waters lives in Oakland, California with his wife and son.  He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.  Scott has published previously in The Blue Nib, The Pacific Review, Loch Raven Review, Adelaide, Better Than Starbucks, A New Ulster, Selcouth Station, The Courtship of Winds, Scarlet Leaf Review, The Pangolin Review, Ink in Thirds, and many other journals. BOULDER SITTING Buffalo clouds stampede west to east sitting on the back stairs on the ledge of a continent hummingbirds zip from pomegranate blossoms to Mexican sage to oleander to plum branch one hovers directly above my head eyeing my … Continue reading Scott Waters

DC Diamondopolous is an award-winning novelette, short story, and flash fiction writer with over 225 stories published internationally in print and online magazines, literary journals, and anthologies. DC’s stories have appeared in: 34th Parallel, So It Goes: The Literary Journal of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, Ball State University, Lunch Ticket, Progenitor, Blue Lake Review, and many others. DC was nominated for Best of the Net Anthology. She lives on the California central coast with her wife and animals. dcdiamondopolous.com Boots The same sun scorched downtown Los Angeles that had seared the Iraq desert. Army Private First Class Samantha Cummings stood at … Continue reading DC Diamondopolous

Sheila Arnold was born and raised in rural West Tennessee into a hard working tenant farming family. A retired educator, she earned degrees from Union University in Jackson, TN and from the University of Memphis. She now lives in Jackson, TN with her husband, Bobby and their dog, Louie. She is the mother of two and grandmother to six. She is an avid supporter of local artists and an advocate for improving the livability of her community and the literacy and educational opportunities for locals In My Dream In my dream, I am driving, probably too fast and definitely on … Continue reading Sheila Arnold

Abigail Elizabeth Ottley (formerly Wyatt) writes poetry – and some short fiction – from her home in Penzance in Cornwall. Since 2009, her work has appeared in more than 150 journals, magazines and anthologies including The Blue Nib, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Atrium Poetry and Words With Jam. She was also one of the poets featured in Wave Hub: new poetry from Cornwall (2014) edited by Dr Alan M Kent and published by Francis Boutle. In 2019, 12 of her poems were translated into Romanian for Pro Saeculum and Banchetul. For this, much gratitude to translator and bilingual poet, Mariana Gardner. … Continue reading Abigail Ottley

Steve Carr, from Richmond, Virginia, has had over 420 short stories published internationally in print and online magazines, literary journals, reviews and anthologies since June, 2016. He has had seven collections of his short stories, Sand, Rain, Heat, The Tales of Talker Knock and 50 Short Stories: The Very Best of Steve Carr, and LGBTQ: 33 Stories, and The Theory of Existence: 50 Short Stories, published. His paranormal/horror novel Redbird was released in November, 2019. His plays have been produced in several states in the U.S. He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize twice. His Twitter is @carrsteven960. His website is https://www.stevecarr960.com / He is on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steven.carr.35977 I, SUPERMAN From … Continue reading Steve Carr

Margaret was shortlisted for the Bangor Literary Journal and Crowvus poetry prizes in 2018. Her first collection ‘Fording The  Stream’ under the pen name Jessica De Guyat appeared September 2017 and her poems have featured in many journals and webzines under her own name, most recently The Blue Nib, Hedgehog Poetry Press and Impspired.  Hedgehog Press published her micro chapbook October 2019  ‘Singing The Earth Awake’. Her prose/poetry memoir of childhood ‘The Road to Cleethorpes Pier’ written in the style of a Japanese Haibun, was published May 2020 to great acclaim with Crumps Barn Studio. Also in May  her interview … Continue reading Margaret Royall

Nigel Kent is a Pushcart Prize nominated poet (2019) who lives in rural Worcestershire. He is an active member of the Open University Poets Society, managing its website and occasionally editing its workshop magazine. He has been shortlisted for several national competitions and his poetry has appeared in a wide range of anthologies and magazines. Some of his work has been translated by Mariana Zavati Gardner for the literary journals, Banchetful and Pro Saeculum. In 2019 Hedgehog Poetry Press published his first collection, ‘Saudade’, following the success of his poetry conversations with Sarah Thomson, ‘Thinking You Home’ and ‘A Hostile Environment’. His pamphlet, Psychopathogen, about life during Lockdown has just … Continue reading Nigel Kent

62 year-old prize-winning* poet and recovering actor Ken Cumberlidge was born in Birkenhead and cut his performance teeth on the Liverpool pub poetry scene of the 1970s.  His work has appeared variously in print and, more recently, in numerous online journals.  Since 2011 Ken has been based in Norwich, but can be lured out of cover by good company and an open mic – a proclivity that has led him to become an habitué of the fetid underworld that is the slam poetry/spoken word scene.  He likes it.  A lot. Ken’s poetry on Soundcloud:  https://soundcloud.com/ken_cumberlidge_poetry Ken’s YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrEPf1MlegfAJyKDA5-wNqQ * … Continue reading Ken Cumberlidge