So it’s that time, or if your reading this post 1/8/20 it was that time. Time for Issue 6. Not many things get to a sixth. Toilet rolls, finger rolls in supermarkets, Henry VIII’s wife count. Now I’m not saying all those things are good or end well but you can rest assured that Issue 6 of Impspired is going to be nothing but a pleasure.

So sit back, scroll down a bit and find your first writer. (NOTE: If sitting back makes reading your screen difficult then consider sitting back forward again…)

A

Fizza Abbas

Fizza Abbas is a Freelance Content Writer based in Karachi, Pakistan. She is fond of poetry and music. Her works have been published on quite a few platforms including Poetry Village and Poetry Pacific.

Angelina Der Arakelian

My name is Angelina Der Arakelian and I am a writer and poet. I will be going to University to study Film and English come September. Aspiring to be an author, I spend my spare time writing fiction and poetry which typically contain themes ranging from love to loneliness and prejudice. What motivates me is the state of the world we live in and the means through which art and literature can be used to create a powerful and positive impact on society. There is always something to be inspired from and apply within the fields of art. 

Sheila Arnold

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

B

Danny P. Barbare

Danny P. Barbare has been published recently in Plainsongs, North Dakota Quarterly, and DASH. He attended Greenville Technical College where his poetry won the Jim Gitting’s Award. He lives in the Upstate of the Carolinas with his wife and family and sweet dog Miley.

Danny Best

Danny is a retired Professional Cook and Truck Driver (5 state area) and is currently working on creating an entirely new career for himself as a Poet/Writer & Actor (having portrayed an auto shop owner/mechanic in the short film “Your Carriage Awaits” and is slated to portray the character of Randall Sutto in the up coming production of the “Cracked Mirrors” Episode/s).

            Danny considers poetry a wonderful opportunity for him to communicate and connect with all kindred souls in a more personal manner to share some good old “practial food for thought” while also encouraging readers to journey beyond their own comfort zones and explore other subject matter, thoughts and things.

            In his words;  I usually write from various memories of my own life lessons and experiences and whatever dream remnants I might gather from amongst the disheveled peaks and valleys of my somewhat threadbare cotton pillow cases.

Mark Blickley

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.

Charlie Brice

Charlie Brice is the author of Flashcuts Out of Chaos (2016), Mnemosyne’s Hand (2018), and An Accident of Blood (2019), all from WordTech Editions. His poetry has been nominated for the Best of Net anthology and twice for a Pushcart Prize and has appeared in The Atlanta Review, The Main Street Rag, Chiron Review, Permafrost, The Paterson Literary Review,and elsewhere. 

Judith Brice

Judith Alexander Brice is a retired Pittsburgh psychiatrist whose love of nature and experiences with illness inform much of her work. She has had over 80 poems published in journals and anthologies, including in The Golden Streetcar, Voxpopulisphere.com, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Magnolia Review.com, and Annals of Internal Medicine. On two occasions, Judy has twice received the Editor’s Choice Award in The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Prize, sponsored by The Paterson Literary Review. Judy has authored two poetry books: Renditions in a Palette and Overhead From Longing published by WordTech Communications (David Robert Books Imprint). A third book, Imbibe The Air is forthcoming next year by the same publisher. Her poem, Mourning Calls, set to music by Tony Manfredonia, can be heard on his web-site: https://www.manfredoniamusic.com/mourning-calls.

Arthur Broomfield

Dr Arthur Broomfield is a poet and Beckett scholar from County Laois, Ireland. His work has been published in Acumen, Agenda, Orbis, North and in the US, Ireland and India. He has been writing Surrealist poetry for the past two years, inspired by the English surrealist poet Hilda Sheehan and by the writings of Andre Breton.

C

Steve Carr

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

Jack Coey

Jack Coey is a seventy-two year old grandfather of two who has experienced most of life’s events, and survived them not only, but without hurting anyone else which he would say was a good life. Writing satisfies him like nothing else and he works as a cashier to eat and writes to love.  

Ken Cumberlidge

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

* the prize was a chocolate cake.  He guessed its weight.

D

Marc Darnell

Marc Darnell is a custodian and online tutor in Omaha, Nebraska, and received his MFA from the University of Iowa.  He has published poems in The Lyric, Shot Glass Journal, Blue Unicorn, DASH, Stickman Review, The Poet, and elsewhere.

DC Diamondopolous

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

Manasi Diwakar

I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Technology. I spent the last twelve years working as a Technical Lead until I gave in to my true calling- writing romance novels, poems, and short fiction. You can find a few at http://myintuitivemind.blogspot.com/. I also write at https://medium.com/@manasi.diwakar. At present, I am working as a Volunteer Editor for a literary journal- Wingless Dreamer.

Philip Dunkerley

Philip Dunkerley is an active member of open mic communities in Peterborough and Stamford. He is the Poetry Society representative for the Stamford Stanza and runs a U3A Poetry Group in Bourne, where he lives. His poems have been published in Magma, Orbis, Dream Catcher, The Fenland Reed, Ink Sweat and Tears, Obsessed With Pipework, The Blue Nib, and elsewhere. His translations from Portuguese and Spanish, and poetry reviews, have been published in Orbis. His work has appeared in several anthologies, including Poems for Peace with a forward by Benjamin Zephaniah.

G

Raine Geoghegan

Raine Geoghegan, M.A. is a poet and prose writer of Romany, Welsh and Irish descent. Nominated for the Forward Prize, Best of the Net & The Pushcart Prize, her work has been published online and in print with Poetry Ireland Review; Travellers’ Times; Ofi Press; Under the Radar; Fly on the Wall and many more. Her pamphlet, ‘Apple Water: Povel Panni’, was launched in December 2018 with Hedgehog Poetry Press and was listed in the Poetry Book Society Spring 2019 Selection.  Her new pamphlet, ‘they lit fires: lenti hatch o yog’ also published by Hedgehog  in December 2019 is out now.  Her work was featured in the film, ‘Stories from the Hop Yards,’ made by Catcher Media. She gives readings in UK and Ireland and teaches ‘Poetry and Prose Performance Skills’ as well as one-to-one mentoring sessions. Website: rainegeoghegan.co.uk – follow Raine at twitter.com/RaineGeoghegan5

Pranab Ghosh

Pranab Ghosh is a journalist, poet, translator and blogger. He runs a blog “Existential Problems”. His poems and prose piece have been published and accepted by Dissident Voice, Spillwords, The Piker Press, Setu Magazine, Pangolin Review, Visual Verse, Memoryhouse, Tuck Magazine, Transendent Zero Press, Scarlet Leaf Review, Literature Studio Review, Leaves of Ink, Hans India, etc. He has coauthored a book of poems, titled Air & Age. He has to his credit a translation of a book of Bengali short stories. The title of the English translation is Bougainvillea and Other Stories. His second book of poems and first solo book “Soul Searching and Other Poems” (2017) has been published by Scarlet Leaf Publishing, Toronto. He is married and lives in Kolkata with wife, daughter and mother.

Howie Good

Howie Good is the author of THE DEATH ROW SHUFFLE, a poetry collection forthcoming from Finishing Line Press.

Michael Griffith

Michael A. Griffith teaches at Raritan Valley and Mercer County Community Colleges in central NJ. He is the author of three chapbooks of poetry, Bloodline, Exposed, and the forthcoming New Paths to Eden. Besides writing poetry, Mike is a textbook editor and writer of short features. He lives near Princeton, NJ.

Rachel Grosvenor

Rachel Grosvenor is a British writer and tutor, with a PhD, MA and BA Hons in Creative Writing. She writes in various genres and forms, from travel writing to fantasy, and her work has been published in equally diverse places – from Cadaverine Magazine to the wall of the blue bedroom at the National Trust’s Baddesley Clinton. Rachel’s writing news can be followed on Instagram at @teachmecreativewriting, or on her website www.RachelGrosvenorAuthor.com.   

H

Nicole Hatch

My name is Nicole Hatch. I am the author of Timeless Poetry available on amazon. I have just started writing poetry in January, although I wrote my first poem 20 years ago. I created a group called Nikki’s Nook in February so I could share my poems and read other people’s poetry as well as give them a place to share their work. I have over 200 members now and it’s growing more every week. I just want to keep it a safe place for people to come and enjoy poetry.

    I have 5 kids of my own from my first marriage and 2 stepdaughters from my second marriage, one of which passed away in 2013 at the age of 28 in a tragic car accident. I have 15 grandkids.

     I have been married to my husband for 10 years. We’ve been together for 17 years. He is the one who pushed me to follow my dream of writing poetry and publishing my book. 

     This journey has helped me to deal with having severe anxiety and PTSD. I also suffer from depression. I have had these issues since I was a young girl and at times it can be debilitating. Writing has helped me learn to deal with my feelings and express them in a healthy way. I have seen that I am not alone as the people I follow in various poetry groups suffer from the same diagnosis.      I hope you enjoy reading my poems. Thank you for your support.

Ceinwen Haydon

Ceinwen Haydon lives in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. She writes short stories and poetry. She has been widely published in web magazines and print anthologies. She was Highly Commended in the Blue Nib Chapbook Competition [Spring 2018], won the Hedgehog Press Poetry Competition ‘Songs to Learn and Sing’ [August 2018] and was shortlisted for the Neatly Folded Paper Pamphlet Competition, Hedgehog Press [October 2018]. She is a winner in the Nicely Folded Paper Pamphlet Competition (July 2019). Her first Chapbook is due to be published shortly, (‘Cerddi Bach’ [Little Poems], a Stickleback by Hedgehog Press. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Newcastle University (2017) and she is developing practice as a creative writing facilitator with hard to reach groups. She believes everyone’s voice counts.

John Heath

John Richard Heath teaches at American University in Washington, DC. He has recently published poetry in Pendemic, Horror Sleaze Trash and the Boston Literary Magazine. 

John Higgins

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.

I

Linda Imbler

Linda Imbler is the author of four poetry collections published at Amazon.  Soma Publishing published two of her poetry books and one poetry-short fiction hybrid.  She began writing in earnest five years ago.  In addition to putting pen and paper to inventive use, Linda is an avid reader. This writer, yoga practitioner, and classical guitar player lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband, Mike the Luthier, several quite intelligent saltwater fish, and an ever-growing family of gorgeous guitars.  She’s been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and several Best of the Net awards. Learn more at lindaspoetryblog.blogspot.com.

J

Michael Lee Johnson

Michael Lee Johnson lived 10 years in Canada during the Vietnam era and is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.  Today he is a poet, freelance writer, amateur photographer, and small business owner in Itasca, DuPage County, Illinois.  Mr. Johnson published in more than 1072 new publications, his poems have appeared in 39 countries, he edits, publishes 10 poetry sites.  Michael Lee Johnson, has been nominated for 2 Pushcart Prize awards poetry 2015/1 Best of the Net 2016/2 Best of the Net 2017.

K

Nigel Kent

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 been published.

For more information visit his website: www.nigelkentpoet.wordpress.com or follow him on Twitter @kent_nj

Jane L King

Jane King is a full-time faculty member at the University of Phoenix, where she teaches online.  She is also a retired business lawyer.  After many years, she has returned to writing fiction.  She is also an avid animal lover—with cats being at the top of the list.  Her first short story is a complete act of love for the cats in our lives—all around the world.

Boris Kvaternik

Boris Kvaternik is a Croatian author living in Zagreb. He was born in 1987. He earned a master’s degree in the fields of Indology and Croatian studies.

He is mostly writing poetry, short stories and art reviews, while also translating poetry from Sanskrit and Pāli into Croatian language.

L

Lori R. Lopez

Lori R. Lopez dips her pen in poetry, prose, and art. A resident of Southern California, the wearer of many hats, she also writes songs and enjoys filmmaking. Two of her poems were nominated for 2020 Rhysling Awards. Books include The Dark Mister Snark, Darkverse: The Shadow Hours (nominated for a 2018 Elgin Award), Leery Lane, Odds & Ends: A Dark Collection, The Witchhunt, and An Ill Wind Blows. Lori’s verse and prose have appeared in The Horror Zine, Weirdbook, The Sirens Call, Terror Tract, Bewildering Stories, plus a number of anthologies including H.W.A. Poetry Showcases, Dead Harvest, Fearful Fathoms, and California Screamin’ (the Foreword Poem).  She and her talented sons co-own a creative company, Fairy Fly Entertainment.

M

Samantha Maw

Samantha Maw is a teacher living in Lincoln (England).  She has recently completed her MA in Creative Writing and is a member of Lincoln Creative Writers and Outspoken Poets. She performs at local Spoken Word events and is a regular contributor for the Impspired Literary Journal. She also hosts Word Perfect on Siren FM.

Jessica McCarthy

Jessica is a recovering Law graduate, and a current Master of Literature student. (AKA a walking quarter life crisis) As a legal secretary by day, she ensures the administration of justice takes place, slowly, one letter at a time. By night she’s an aspiring writer cooking up blogs, articles and other treasures.

Stephen McQuiggan

Stephen McQuiggan was the original author of the bible; he vowed never to write again after the publishers removed the dinosaurs and the spectacular alien abduction ending from the final edit. His other, lesser known, novels are A Pig’s View Of Heaven and Trip A Dwarf.

Gordon Meade

Gordon Meade is a Scottish poet based in the East Neuk of Fife. His most recent collection, Zoospeak, a collaboration between himself and the Canadian photographer and animal activist, Jo-Anne McArthur, which uses poetry and photography to examine the experiences of animals in captivity throughout the world, was published in 2020 by Enthusiastic Press in London.

O

Jennifer Fytelson O’Brien

Jennifer Fytelson O’Brien is a freelance writer currently based in Los Angeles who is known for her insightful poetry. With over a decade of poetry writing, Jennifer has a unique voice that shines through her collection and speaks to her readers.  Jennifer has an MA in Creative Writing from The Lincoln University. Jennifer’s work has appeared in numerous outlets such as The Blue Nib, The Borgen Project and Canada’s oldest literary magazine, The Mitre. She currently writes for the number one TV site, Screen Rant. Jennifer also enjoys keeping up to date with her personal blog, ALettertoWrite.com and encourages you to visit! When Jennifer is not writing she enjoys traveling, going to the beach, and playing with her dog. 

Edward O’Dwyer

Edward O’Dwyer is from Limerick, Ireland, and writes poetry and fiction. His most recent book, Cheat Sheets, was published by Truth Serum Press (2018) and features on The Lonely Crowd journal’s ‘Best Books of 2018’ list. His third collection of poems from Salmon Poetry is due in 2020, entitled Exquisite Prisons. The collection The Rain on Cruise’s Street (2014) was Highly Commended by the Forward Prizes, while the poem ‘The Whole History of Dancing’, from Bad News, Good News, Bad News (2017), won the Eigse Michael Hartnett Festival 2018 ‘Best Original Poem’ Prize. His story ‘The Man Who Became Poems’ was recently a Finalist in the London Independent Story Prize. He is on Twitter at @EdwardODwyer2.

Abigail Ottley

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. In the same year, Abigail’s poem ‘Bull Male, Sleeping’ was chosen for ‘Poems on the Move’ at the Guernsey Literary Festival. (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. In the same year, Abigail’s poem ‘Bull Male, Sleeping’ was chosen for ‘Poems on the Move’ at the Guernsey Literary Festival.

P

Fabrice Poussin

Fabrice Poussin teaches French and English at Shorter University. Author of novels and poetry, his work has appeared in Kestrel, Symposium, The Chimes, and many other magazines. His photography has been published in The Front Porch Review, the San Pedro River Review as well as other publications. 

Carson Pytell

Carson Pytell is a poet living in a small town outside Albany, NY. His work has appeared in numerous venues online and is currently available or forthcoming in print from such publications as Vita Brevis Press, The Virginia Normal, NoD Magazine, Blue Moon Lit & Art Review, Spank the Carp, Crack the Spine, Futures Trading, Down in the Dirt Magazine, Gideon Poetry Review, and Children, Churches & Daddies, among others. His debut collection, First-Year (Alien Buddha Press, 2020), is available on Amazon and his chapbook, Trails (Guerrilla Genesis Press, 2020), is in the works.

When he isn’t writing, reading, sleeping or picking the blues, Carson enjoys silent and foreign film, documentaries on fellow writers, the music of Townes Van Zandt, the art of Odilon Redon and the politics of absolutely no one.

R

Margaret Royall

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 with poetry editor Tracy Gaughan was featured in The Blue Nib.

Margaret has recently won the Hedgehog Press’ poetry collection competition and this second collection will be published in 2021.

In Nottinghamshire Margaret leads a women’s poetry group and is a member of four local writing groups. She performs regularly at Writers Live in Nottinghamshire.

Her ambition is to publish her first novel.

S

Vahid Husen Sayyad / Mehreen Ahmed

Vahid Husen Sayyad is from India. He is an educator and a writer. He mainly writes poems in Hindi-Urdu. He also writes short stories and dramas. Vahid has won a literary prize in poetry writing competition in India at The Taluka Youth Festival in 2012.

Vaidehi Soni

Vaidehi Soni, from India, is a teacher by profession . She is an armature poet and painter. She discovered her passion for poetry writing and painting in her early 40s.

Steven Stone

I am originally from Flushing, Queens. I went to Queens College and graduated in 1973 with a B.A. in Drama & Theatre. I began writing poetry when I was in high school. Also I am a painter, starting from about 1969. I have been published in many online magazines and some print magazines.

W

Scott Waters

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.