<%@ Language=VBScript %> Contributors - Mused - the BellaOnline Literary Review Magazine
MUSED
BellaOnline Literary Review
Pantheon, Rome by Lisa Shea

Table of Contents

Contributors
Mark Berkerey Mark Berkerey

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 lives - the best he can - as a form of meditation. He expresses his ongoing exploration of nature´s spiritual value through his writing and pictures at www.beingmark.com

Isobel Blackthorn Isobel Blackthorn

Isobel Blackthorn has lived in England, Australia, Spain and Lanzarote (Canary Islands). She is a writer, blogger and activist now living in rural New South Wales. Her passion for social justice inspires all her writing. Her first short-story collection, All Because of You, was published by Ginninderra Press 2012. She is currently serialising on her blog her first novel, Asylum. To catch a glimpse go to http://isobelblackthorn.wordpress.com/ Isobel is at work on her next novel.

Carole Bouchard Carole Bouchard

Carole Bouchard is a self-taught photographer with a deep passion for this art form. Though she had an interest in this medium for many years, it was digital photography that fired her creativity. Fortuitous meetings with on-line friends and mentors pointed the way to more creative experiments. She particularly enjoys macro photography of nature subjects and the magic of water reflections. You can see more of her work at www.carolebouchard.smugmug.com. Carole lives in Groton, MA.

Christine Catalano Christine Catalano

Christine likes to take photographs and play with them on the computer. She dedicates her work to her muse and longtime friend, who passed away recently.

Joanne Cucinello Joanne Cucinello

Joanne Cucinello is a poet and writer who to date has published three books of poetry and an illustrated Children´s Fairytale. Her works include lyric essays and free form poetry, often visionary and insightful. Joanne is a member of the Academy of American Poets and the Society of Children´s Book Writers and Illustrators. She has been published in "Shadows Ink Selected Poems 2008" and "A Splash of Verse 2008" with an Award of Excellence. http://icthebridge-moonspirit.blogspot.com/

Ruth Z. Deming Ruth Z. Deming

Ruth Z. Deming, winner of a Leeway Grant for Creative Nonfiction, has been published in Creative Nonfiction, Haggard and Halloo, Ray’s Road Review and other venues. A mental health advocate, she runs New Directions Support Group for people and families affected by depression and bipolar disorder. She lives in Willow Grove, PA, suburban Philadelphia.

Ellen Erlanger Ellen Erlanger

Ellen´s love of nature began when she was a child in western Pennsylvania. Her maternal grandfather further ignited her love of nature with his beloved rose garden. Although she has a BS degree in Journalism from Ohio University, she discovered her passion for photography in 2011. She is currently building a website - http://beautyeverywherephotography.com. She will offer photographs on fine art paper, canvas, and metal along with boxed note cards, jigsaw puzzles, and other gift items. Photography is her joy!

Bob Evans Bob Evans

A late-comer to art photography, Bob spent his early career working in engineering. He finds that creating something from nothing gives a tremendous rush. Bob strongly believes in taking the subject ‘as-is’ - no posing, no moving of the subject matter. It is capturing the essential essence of the subject matter that is vital to him. As well as photography, Bob is also a keen sculptor and abstract painter. Visit ArckArts.com or follow on FaceBook.

Michael Fitzgerald-Clarke Michael Fitzgerald-Clarke

Australian poet Michael Fitzgerald-Clarke has called tropical Townsville home since 2009. The Bulletin, the Townsville mass circulation daily newspaper, has termed him "the Poet Laureate of Townsville." He has many publication credits, but prefers people to know that if he could have just one wish, he would give that wish away.

Elaine Frankonis Elaine Frankonis

Over the past 50 years, Elaine Frankonis has published poems in a variety of small presses and magazines. Her weblog, Kalilily Time (www.kalilily.net) has been active online since 2001, and Finishing Line Press has just published her first chapbook, "What the Seasons Leave." Having retired from the New York State Education Department in 2000 to be the caregiver for her mother, who had dementia, she now lives with her daughter, son-in-law, and home-schooled grandson in Western Massachusetts.

Baker Jim Gilbert Baker Jim Gilbert

Born in Chicago, Illinois 1949. Resides and writes in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

Richard Hartwell Richard Hartwell

Rick Hartwell is a retired middle school English teacher living in Southern California with his wife of thirty-five years (poor soul; her, not him), their disabled daughter, one of their sons and his ex-wife and their two children, and twelve cats. Yes, twelve! He believes in the succinct; that less can be more; the least can be the best. When not writing Rick wishes he were still pushing plywood in Coquille, Oregon.

Art Heifetz Art Heifetz

Art Heifetz teaches ESL to refugees in Richmond, Va. He has had over 170 poems published in 12 countries. In 2013 he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and won second place in the Reuben Rose International Competition in Israel. In 2014 he was nominated for Best of the Net. A sampling of his work may be found at polishedbrasspoems.com

Leslie E. Hoffman Leslie E. Hoffman

Leslie Hoffman is a writer; freelance editor of fiction and non-fiction; a member of Poetry Center San Jose´s "Caesura" Editorial Team, San Jose, CA; and Co-founder of Laudably Tarnished: A Poetry Workshop, Las Vegas, NV. Several of Leslie´s poems have been published in "Mused". Various other poems, short stories, and articles have been published in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. More of Leslie´s writing and photography can be viewed at: http://lesliehoffman.blogspot.com.

Thomas Hollyday Thomas Hollyday

Tom Hollyday currently edits the popular YOU GOT THAT RIGHT daily video broadcast on YouTube (YOU GOT THAT RIGHT BY THOMAS HOLLYDAY) with comments on science, books, cartoons, pets, education, automobiles, and people. He studied fiction at the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars and with Michael Curtis of the Atlantic Monthly. He has published drawings, non fiction, and fiction in various media. He lives in Boston with his wife, two children and his cat. See books and reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

A.J. Huffman A.J. Huffman

A.J. Huffman has published eleven solo chapbooks through various small presses. Her new full-length poetry collection, Another Blood Jet, is available from Eldritch Press. She has another full-length poetry collection being release in Summer 2015: A Few Bullets Short of Home, mgv2>publishing. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee, and her work has appeared in hundreds of national and international journals. She is the founding editor of Kind of a Hurricane Press. www.kindofahurricanepress.com

JackiGail JackiGail

For most of her adult life JackiGail did not believe she had an eye for photography. When she was given a digital camera as a present at the tender age of 59 she began to take pictures of her garden. She already had a passion for her garden and her passion for photography grew rapidly. Although most of her photographs are of flowers, she also loves taking pictures of all the creatures that inhabit her mountain. www.jackigail.com

Cynthia Jalynski Cynthia Jalynski

Cynthia Jalynski oversees child care programs for the Michigan Department of Human Services. Her essays have appeared in The Monarch Review (October 2014) and Mused (Fall 2014). She is excited to be completing her first novel, Farsight.

Linda Ann Loschiavo Linda Ann Loschiavo

Native New Yorker LindaAnn Loschiavo is a busy dramatist, journalist, activist, historian, theatre critic, and poet. Her plays include "Courting Mae West" and "Diamond Lil, Queen of the Bowery" (last onstage in NYC August-November 2013 and available on You Tube). Presently, she is completing a screenplay and also her latest book: "Flirting with the Fire Gods." Come up sometime and see her Mae West Blog, online since 2004: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com

J Lynn Marshall J Lynn Marshall

JLynn Marshall lives in Central New Jersey where she teaches high school English, collects tattoos and cultivates her addiction to writing. Her work has appeared online in Flashshot and The Molotov Cocktail.

Lucy Gregg Muir Lucy Gregg Muir

Lucy Gregg Muir is a writer and middle school English teacher. When she’s not beating her students with a stick for splitting infinitives, or chasing one daughter out of tattoo emporiums and the other away from absurd My Little Pony videos, she writes.

Al Rollins Al Rollins

Al Rollins is a retired Local Government Budget Manager. Prior to his Budget Manager´s job, he worked on the Eastern Test Range, in Meteorology for 16 years. In connection with the Space Program he worked and traveled to many foreign countries. He also owned and operated a Photography Studio for several years. Al loves to travel the USA with his wife, Janet, and photograph all the wonders of this great country. To see more of his photography contact: www.AlRollins.com

Jefferson Rowland Jefferson Rowland

Jefferson runs for pen and paper, now and then, when something inside says, with some urgency, ´write this down´ (i.e., ´... get it out son). During the day he´s an epidemiologist working for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Richard Schnap Richard Schnap

Richard Schnap is a poet, songwriter and collagist living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His poems have most recently appeared locally, nationally and overseas in a variety of print and online publications.

Andrew R Sciandra Andrew R Sciandra

Andrew is a retired Alternative High School Art Teacher.

Donna Sciandra Donna Sciandra

Donna has always been adventurous and loved to travel. She spent two years in Jamaica (as a teacher trainer in Kingston) and five years in the Solomon Islands on Guadalcanal (as a Community Developer in a rain forest living in a leaf house) with the Peace Corps. Donna is now a retired elementary school teacher who is enjoying her “free” time traveling and photographing North America.

Bob See Bob See

Bob See´s photography explores the world around us. From birding to airshows, from bridges to Irish horse races, Bob finds the balance of motion and stillness. Bob can be reached at his golfing site at http://enjoyma.com/golf/.

Georgia Seitz Georgia Seitz

Georgia Seitz,the tatting editor for BellaOnline.com, has been tatting over 34 years! It is both her pleasure and passion. She finds that it is both relaxation and stress management. An avid stamp collector also, she has studied several foreign languages and had the good fortune to be stationed overseas while working in the Army Security Agency. After returning to civilian life, she traveled and then lived in Alaska for 18 years. Her photos are cherished memories of AK. www.georgiseitz.com

Lisa Shea Lisa Shea

Born in Maryland, Lisa Shea has been contentedly nestled in the rolling hills and mossy forests of central Massachusetts since 1995. She is drawn to the ocean and cherishes quiet evenings as the orange glow of sunset glistens across wooden docks. Lisa relishes the challenge of conveying meaning and memorable characters in a measured bounding of time and space. Her stories, poems, and images celebrate natural beauty and serenity. Enjoy thousands of her photos at http://www.lisashea.com

J. Scott Shields J. Scott Shields

Years ago, Scott left the Midwest for the deserts of Arizona. Music, literature, and writing are his passions, and he strives to share his love of the written word with his high school English students each day. Scott’s writing has appeared in the English Journal, Mused, Canyon Echo, and Treoir magazine (a publication of Comhaltas, an international organization that promotes traditional Irish music and culture). He is also a regular contributor to the blog, Writing Is Cake.

Craig W. Steele Craig W. Steele

Craig W. Steele resides in the countryside of northwestern Pennsylvania, not far from Lake Erie. When not writing poetry, he’s a professor of biology at Edinboro University. Besides Mused: the BellaOnline Literary Review, his poetry has appeared in numerous anthologies, literary journals and magazines, most recently in The Lyric, Ottawa Arts Review, The Autumn Sound Review, Halcyon and Stone Path Review, amongst others.

Emily Strauss Emily Strauss

Emily Strauss has an M.A. in English, but is self-taught in poetry and photography. Over 200 of her poems and over a dozen pictures appear in dozens of online venues and in anthologies. The natural world is generally her framework; she also take her camera out to record her visions. She is a semi-retired teacher living in California.

Phibby Venable Phibby Venable

Phibby Venable´s work has been published in 2River, Poetrybay, Southern Ocean Review, Sow´s Ear, Voices, the Appalachian Journal and various other national & international magazines. Venable has published three chapbooks & four collections of poetry. A book of poetry, The Wind Is My Wine, is due out in September, from Key Publications. Women of the Round Table, a first novel, by All Things That Matter Press, will also be published this year.

Ann Waller Ann Waller

Making her first ocean voyage at the age of five, Ann is an inveterate traveler. Her wanderlust has taken her to various parts of the U.S., Canada, both coasts of Mexico, the islands of the Caribbean, England, France, Portugal, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Monaco, Croatia, Montenegro, China, Hong Kong, and Ukraine. She has a particular fondness for Italy and has returned at least a dozen times to explore the country from the tip of the Alps to the southern shores of Sicily.

Jody Zolli Jody Zolli

Jody Zolli has enjoyed writing poetry since she was seven. 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 thirty years, and feels it is the perfect marriage between creative writing and engineering.

Korie Beth Brown
Korie Beth Brown submitted the work


David Edwards
David Edwards was born, and continues to live, in Muncie, Indiana.


John Grey
John Grey is an Australian born poet. Recently published in Oyez Review, Rockhurst Review and Spindrift with work upcoming in New Plains Review, Big Muddy Review, Willow Review and Louisiana Literature.


Martha Landman
Martha Landman submitted the work


Victoria Palmer
Victoria Palmer has previously written and performed children´s theatre, taught drama to special needs children and sung in local bands. Her story, The Dinner Guests, can be seen on the Stories page of the website Romanceflash. Whilst she is relatively new to writing fiction, the love of a good story, great characters and entertaining drama are deeply ingrained. Victoria writes and looks after her family in Oxfordshire, England. You can visit her blog at victoriapalmer2014.wordpress.com.


Rich Persoff
Rich Persoff submitted the work


Joanna M. Weston
JOANNA M. WESTON. Married; has two cats, multiple spiders, a herd of deer, and two derelict hen-houses. Her middle-reader, ‘Those Blue Shoes´, published by Clarity House Press; and poetry, ‘A Summer Father’, published by Frontenac House of Calgary. Her eBook, ‘The Willow Tree Girl’ at her blog: http://www.1960willowtree.wordpress.com/