Contributors - Mused - the BellaOnline Literary Review Magazine

<%@ Language=VBScript %> Contributors - Mused - the BellaOnline Literary Review Magazine

MUSED

BellaOnline Literary Review

Spring 2009
Volume 3, Issue 1

Contributors

	Jane Adams Jane Adams Dallas based painter/sculptor/interior Designer started writing poetry ten years ago about the evolutionary progression of the human Soul. Her book about the Soul is entitled “ONE”, a work in progress. Jane writes fiction, poetry, and commentaries about Metaphysical spirituality, Quantum thought, and Angels. For Jane poetry is her first love because poetry is how this all started for her. She has said “Poetry is a dance for the intellect and for me it is a dance for my heart and Soul”.

	Lydia Renee Armstrong Lydia Armstrong is a writer and painter whose work often explores how people interact and the complicated sides of life. She is currently studying literature and art, and is working on her first screenplay. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her dog Cleo.

	Mark Berkery Mark was born to itinerant Irish parents which set the scene for a restless life. Like the Gypsy he couldn´t accept the moribund values of a soulless society, what passed for important or posed as spiritual. The resulting roller-coaster of experience and inner conflict eventually gave way to a love of the simple sense of nature that he now teaches in a form of meditation. He also expresses his ongoing exploration of nature´s spiritual value through his writing and pictures at www.beingmark.com.

	Don Berry Don graduated from Ithaca College with a master´s degree in Corporate Communication in 1995. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Don relocated to Connecticut a decade ago and has spent the past 3 years as a video producer, writer, director, and instructor for public access television. He presently runs his own consulting firm out of his home in Hartford, Connecticut where he also finds time to write and publish short fiction and poetry as well as pursue his own independent film projects. DONBERRY.NET.

	Cherylann C. Bertoncini Cherylann Bertoncini is a school librarian and enjoys reading a little bit of everything, especially memoirs. She writes sporadically to make sense of life. She prefers to write non-fiction and hopes someone in the world will relate to her experiences. Cold Whispers was written to help relive the night her mother-in-law died. Cherylann wrote Cold Whispers in the middle of the night in January after hours of tossing and turning.

	Carolyn Lee Boyd Carolyn Lee Boyd writes fiction, poetry, essays, and memoirs celebrating the spirituality and creativity in women´s everyday lives. Over the past three decades, she has published in women´s and feminist literary, art, and spirituality magazines, both in print and online. You may read her musings and published writings, as well as find out where to purchase her new novel or download a free copy, by going to her blogsite, http://goddessinateapot.wordpress.com.

	Carole Conner Davis Carole Davis has been writing poetry for many years, and has a particular affinity for children’s literature, science fiction, and fantasy novels. Her writing has appeared in The Whimsic Alley Book of Spells, Pawsitively Awesome Pet Poems, The Innocence of Children, Best Modern Voices, Volume 1: A Poetry Anthology, The Language of Leadership, in products from Blue Mountain Arts, Inc., and online at www.sps.com, Boomer Women Speak, Common Ties, Winning Writers, and Trellis Magazine.

	Lee Evans Lee Evans was born in Maryland, spent most of his life in that state, and is currently living in Bath, Maine. His poems have appeared in such journals as Contemporary Rhyme, The Golden Lantern, The Road Not Taken and The Deronda Review. He has produced two poetry collections, Maryland Weather and Nor’easter, which are available on Lulu.com.

	Karen Pruitt Fowler Karen Fowler is a modern-day chimera, albeit a nicer, cuter version. An Accountant (gasp) by day; at night she wrestles children and the written word, though usually not at the same time. Her non-fiction has been in Virginia papers and online at Suite101, Absolute Write, The Imperfect Parent, and BellaOnline. Fiction has been in True Confessions and Chick Lit Review. Inspired to live a little Greener, she runs QuirkyGurl.com plus several other sites (each dedicated to one of her personalities).

	D. E. Fredd D. E. Fredd-lives in Townsend, Massachusetts. He has had fiction and poetry published in several journals and reviews. He received the Theodore Hoepfner Award given by the Southern Humanities Review for the best short fiction of 2005 and was a 2006 Ontario Award Finalist. He won the 2006 Black River Chapbook Competition and received a 2007 Pushcart Special Mention Award. He has been included in the Million Writers Award of Notable Stories for 2005, 2006 and 2007.

	Marita Froimson Marita Froimson has been taking pictures for as long as she can remember. She is intrigued by textures and basic shapes and is always trying to capture the mood that makes each photo unique. She has been working as a graphic designer for the past 20+ years, but is secretly hoping to some day travel the world as a full time photographer. She currently works out of her studio in Worcester, Massachusetts. You can visit her website at: http://www.marita-f-design.com.

	Candice E. Geary Candice Geary enjoys writing poetry, especially poetry for children. Her work has appeared in Cold Coffee Magazine as the Featured Poet and will appear in the Young Readers Section of the upcoming issue of Silverblade.net. Candice resides in Ohio with her husband, Joe, Golden Retrievers, Tucker and Riley and her duck, Eleanor. A retired Litigation Paralegal, Candice enjoys gardening, sketching, travel, pursuing humanitarian causes and digital photography.

	Jessica German Jessica has worked in nonprofit fund raising for nearly a decade. In her free time she is an aspiring writer and photographer. When not working or pursuing her creative interests she enjoys reading, movies, knitting and hiking with her dog. She holds a B.A. in English from Wells College.

	Stacy Gittleman Stacy Gittleman is a freelance writer and lives in Rochester, New York with her husband and three children. She has a bachelor´s degree in Journalism from Rutgers University and has worked on public relations campaigns in the high-tech and healthcare industries. When she is not taking care of her family, and when the spring thaw finally arrives in Western New York, you can find Stacy in her favorite place -- her garden.

	Alessandra Diridoni Grigsby Alessandra owes her love of writing and literature to a high school teacher who introduced Shakespeare and O Henry, among others, as the earliest masters to impress Alessandra. Alessandra now writes short stories, prose, and small poetic pieces for fun in her spare time, spending her work days writing legal documents and mentoring younger professionals. Her daydream is a beach house where she can just write for the fun of it. Visit Alessandra at www.invernesshousepress.com.

	Elizabeth Hoover Elizabeth is a church administrator by day and a freelance writer by night! In addition to creating brochures, newsletters and copy for websites, she enjoys writing about women’s issues, leadership, faith and the arts. You can find more of Elizabeth’s writing on her blog - www.bethhoover.blogspot.com.

	Rachael Z Ikins Rachael was born and raised in NY’s Fingerlakes region. She began writing poetry in 8th grade when an inspired English teacher taught poetry. The teacher made it possible for Rachael to publish her first poem. In recent years Rachael received several fellowships to Colgate’s writer’s conferences in Hamilton NY and to the Downtown Writers Center Retreat through the YMCA writing program in Syracuse. Rachael has won numerous prizes. Her chapbook Slide-show In The Woods was published by Foothills.

	Kim Kenney Kim Kenney is a professional writer and curator who loves to take photos! The three photographs accepted in this issue of Mused each mean a lot to her. "Bailey" is a close-up shot of her adorable silver tabby cat. "Balloon" was taken at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival in 2008. "Sunflower on the St. Lawrence" was taken in her mother-in-law´s garden in the waning days of summer 2008. Kim´s favorite thing to photograph is flowers.

	Elaine Priscilla Kilshaw Elaine Kilshaw. Born in London in 1935. Young at heart loves rock and roll. Began writing in the last few years,and has several poems published in Vanity Publications. Completed and passed Open University ´Creative Writing´, which includes story and poetry writing. Writes from the heart.

	Melissa Knoblett-Aman Melissa Knoblett-Aman is a freelance writer who has loved all forms of writing for as long as she can remember. She currently serves as BellaOnline’s editor for Catholicism and Cats, and writes for Squidoo.com. Melissa also enjoys many other creative activities, like digital photography and crafting projects. She loves natural beauty, especially mountains and waterfalls. Visit her at her BellaOnline sites or at her Squidoo page: http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/melryn.

	Rachel Grace Koller Rachel is a recent honors graduate from the University of Minnesota English department. A well-traveled gal, Rachel is planning a big move to the United Kingdom in the fall to pursue a masters degree. She is currently beginning her freelance writing career and maintaining a blog at http://readwatchbuy.wordpress.com.

	Gregory A Kompes Gregory A. Kompes, The Writerpreneur (www.Kompes.com), is an Internet self-promotion expert, author of the Writer´s eBook Series that includes Endorsement Quest, Should You Write an eBook, and Your Online Media Kit, and editor of the Fabulist Flash newsletter for writers and the award winning Eighteen Questions.

	Nellie Levine Nellie Levine is a writer living in the foothills of the Vermont mountains. Her work has been published in a diverse number of journals, online and off, and her writing home is at www.multabasia.com.

	Felicia Logan Felicia Logan is a 4th year Political Science Major at the University of South Carolina. She has been a fan of creative writing all of her life. She began writing poetry in the Fall of 1999 and has yet to put her pencil down. While she finds most of her writings to be personal and does not share them with others she was compelled to share this particular piece. Enjoy!

	Peggy Theresa Love Peggy Eldridge-Love is a poet, playwright, screenwriter and novelist. Her works include the poetry collection, You Beckon, and stage play, The Knoll Frames. Her poetry and non-fiction appear in American Greetings African-American Almanac Day-At-A-Time Calendar, the book "Help! I´ve Turned Into My Mother" and literary journals Lorraine and James and Mipo~Print. Peggy is the editor of Emerging Music at BellaOnline.com - visit her site at http://EmergingMusic.BellaOnline.com.

	Stephanie Arwen Lynch Published in fiction as one half of the writing team of Marilu Mann, Arwen is also a professional tarot consultant. She´s been writing since she was old enough to realize verbs and nouns created word pictures. Arwen uses poetry as a creative opener when she is stuck. A personal poet hero of hers is Maya Angelou for her ability to make music out of words. Arwen hopes to write as well some day. Visit her at http://www.tarotbyarwen.com.

	Karen Maxwell Karen is the Associate Editor for the NYC Informer a community newspaper in New York City. She writes poetry and short stories and authored the book: "Incidents From A Shelter: The Season of the Larva," about menatlly ill women in a homeless shelter. She is very happy to see "Manville" in Mused the story that took her 40-years to write.

	Ruthe McDonald Ruthe McDonald is a freelance writer, author and editor. Ruthe is a Biblical Studies teacher, associate Minister, and travels as an inspirational speaker. She is involved in her community, promoting activities that help aid those that are in need. Ruthe is current editor at BellaOnline.com, for its African American Culture site. Her book, Reflections: Encouragement In The Face of Adversity, was recently released: https://www.createspace.com/3372019. Also available at Amazon.com.

	Joyce Ann Moore Having served as Executive Director of Human Resources for most of her working life, Joyce recently retired to The Adirondack Foothills with her husband of 38 years. She says the Winters there are long, quiet, and sometimes hard, but still very beautiful; Spring always on its way. Reflecting on retirement, Joyce said her life is more fulfilling, mostly in the "not" doing of many things. "Life is in the spaces, in the quiet places, where true comprehension begins and ends." she said.

	Patricia Palmer Hurd Patricia got her start in writing at the Times Herald Record where she wrote a weekly column, as well as several human interest stories. She is currently a frequent contributor for Poughkeepsie Journal, as well as Hudson Valley Life and Hudson Valley Parent Magazines. Writing is a secret passion that she has always had and has spent the past decade pursuing it.

	Cynthia Parker Cynthia Parker is a writer of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. She has found that if she gives in to the genre that is inspired by her moods, she will be most happy with the resulting works. Cynthia writes a single parents column for BellaOnline.com at http://www.bellaonline.com/site/SingleParents. Relying upon her experiences as a single mother and the wisdom shared with her by other single parents, she discusses topics she believes to be relevant to single parents today.

	Ms. "V" (Victoria Thomas) Poller Ms. “V” (Victoria Thomas Poller) – The ‘Dear Abby’ of the Christian circuit. She has a target audience that includes everyone. Her main objective is to answer questions and give advice from a Christian perspective, to all nationalities. Ms. “V” will touch subjects that may not come across the pulpit. Victoria (Ms. “V”) posts a Blog on her web site and other social network pages, and welcomes your comments: www.victoriapoller.com. Come by and take a look. Don’t stay away from God.

	Julia Reed Zaic Julia is a practicing lawyer in Laguna Beach, CA. She enjoys sailing, SCUBA diving, and is the Business Travel Editor for Bella Online. Originally from Florida, Julia lives in California with her husband and stepsons and serves as a member of the President´s Advisory Council for the National Wildlife Federation, a leading organization in conservation. She would like to start a movement to change courtroom dresscodes to include flip-flops and bermudas. The effort has not been successful...yet!

	Angela Saunders Angela is a co-author in the upcoming book "Road to Hope"-book 1 in the common thread of faith series coming out early summer of 2009. She is BellaOnline´s poetry editor. Her writing comes from the heart and she immerses herself in reading in her spare time. You can find out more about Angela at www.poetry.bellaonline.com.

	Melissa Scholes Young Melissa Scholes Young is a writer, mother, and teacher. Her work has been published in Front Porch Magazine, Literary Mama and in Mothering. She has been anthologized in Cup of Comfort for Teachers and won Front Porch Magazine’s Best New Nonfiction Author Contest. Melissa has taught English and Creative Writing for the past ten years. She is currently working towards an MFA degree in Creative Writing at Southern Illinois University. She can be reached at http://www.melissasyoung.com.

	Bob See Bob See has been actively interested in photography for many years. He enjoys taking images of air shows, wildlife, and landscapes. The camera used for the Irish Point-to-Point race was a Nikon 8008 with a Sigma 75-300 APO. For the Nantucket lighthouse he used a Canon EOS 20-D with a Canon EFS 17-85mm IS. Bob can be reached at his golfing site at http://enjoyma.com/golf/.

	Lisa Shea Lisa relishes the challenge of conveying meaning and memorable characters in a limited amount of time and space. She is drawn to the ocean and has spent many quiet evenings watching the sun set over docks and fishing boats. Her stories, poems, and images are often full of natural beauty and peaceful serenity. She also enjoys the expansive possibilities of sci-fi writing. You can enjoy thousands of her photos at http://www.lisashea.com.

	Erika Lyn Smith Erika Lyn Smith is a self-taught photographer, artist, and freelance writer. Erika has a hidden talent for finding the unique beauty in everyday ordinary items. All of Erika´s digital artwork originates Erika´s personal photography. Please visit ErikaLynSmith.net or .com to contact the artist, and to view more of Erika´s photography, artwork, or articles. All artwork and photography is available for purchase. Have a blessed day!

	Ethel Catharine Smith E. Catharine Smith has worked in the field of education and writing for over thirty years. She holds a BA in Elementary Education and an MA in Administration/Professional Writing. Creatively, Cathy writes poetry, short stories, and screenplays. She also does a variety of Desktop Publishing projects and basic web design. The inspiration behind Cathy´s latest collection of poems, the Gram´s Collection, is her newest muse - her granddaughter.

	Brooke Spicher Brooke Spicher is an amateur photographer and aspiring travel writer. On a recent journey to Northern Spain´s remote and rugged wine region, the Priorat, she captured the macro image of the purple flower with a Canon PowerShot A590. When not behind the lens of a camera, Brooke is at her studio where she creates jewelry, and blogs about wine, travel and living aboard her sailboat in Seattle. To see more of her photography, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/bspicher/.

	Michelle Leigh Taylor Michelle is the Spirituality editor at BellaOnline. Having billed herself as a "Stay at Home Mom" for the past 17 years, she is now recognizing all the time spent at the keyboard and declares herself a freelance writer. You can read more of her work at http://www.bellaonline.com/site/spirituality. "The Fairy Pageant" was inspired by her 11 year old daughter, Jordan´s 1st beauty pageant this year and the beautiful, changing, autumn foliage in the mountains of North Georgia.

	Leslie Lamont Tribolet Leslie Tribolet lives on Kauai with her husband and animals. She studied at Santa Barbara Art Institute back in the 70’s concentrating on pencil portraits. She was introduced to the Genesis Heat Set Paints in 2007 and loved them because they are dried with heat, which speeds up the process of portrait painting. She has always been drawn to faces, so she decided to try her hand at painting them with Genesis with some good results. She hopes you enjoy what she does whether faces or fruit.

	Jane Warren Waller Jane Waller was born in 1924 in Lincoln County, Tennessee. She grew up an athletic tomboy; her childhood dream was to be a circus acrobat riding on horses. She could out-shoot her fiance, who was "one of Uncle Sam´s sharp shooters," and graduated from college in an era when many felt a woman could not handle the rigors of higher education.

	Theresa Louise Whitworth Theresa Whitworth lives in Yorkshire with her husband Stephen, and ten, yes ten, children, who are the inspiration behind much of her. Her other constant source of inspiration is her Christian faith which is very important to her. When Theresa is not writing she tries to spend as much time as possible with her family. They can often be found camping around the coastal areas of North Yorkshire. Theresa often writes stories and poems for her children, and children’s literature is her big passion.

	Jody Zolli Jody Zolli has enjoyed writing poetry since she was 7. Poetry runs in the family, though, as both her mother and grandmother wrote poetry, and had a knack for doggerel verse. Jody has enjoyed being a technical writer for over 20 years, and feels it is the perfect marriage between creative writing and engineering.

Sheila Ann Bell Sheila has been writing poetry since childhood and began writing haiku about 10 years ago. She lives in a rural area and draws the inspiration for much of her poetry from the beauty of the land around her. Sheila also writes prose and has been journaling for 35 years. She is still a hippie and especially fond of bovines.

Claire Crowley Claire Crowley is a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University. Her short fiction has appeared in SNReview.

Christine "Kesara" Dennett Christine’s art education and career started in 1972. During this time she was given the name, “Kesara”, meaning beautiful flower, by a Vietnamese Monk, Thien Thic An, whom ordained her into Buddhism. Today this name represents her art.

Natasha Anne Komanski Natasha Anne Komanski is a rapidly aging but still youthful spirit, currently living mid-way between Chicago and Detroit. She occasionally writes, often sings, regularly photographs and even performs a little close up magic on a rare occasion. She is a long time psychotherapist, activist and lover of the cello. She was last seen at www.myspace.com/22Natasha.

Alpana Patel Alpana Patel-Camilli is a freelance writer with a passion for nature, bird watching, outdoor activities and reading. Currently, she is working on a creative non-fiction novel about her grandparent´s life in 1920´s British India. She has attended ClarityWorks creative writing classes for women in Asheville, North Carolina and Harvard University for fiction and non fiction writing classes.

Donna Sciandra Donna is a retired elementary school teacher.

Maya Sharma Sriram Maya Sharma Sriram is a full time writer based in Mumbai, India. She writes fiction and poetry; both have appeared in many magazines and journals. She is currently working on her first novel.

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