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

Table of Contents

Contributors
Steve Andersen Steve Andersen

Steve was born just before WWII, grew up in Wisconsin, and settled in N.California´s Bay Area in his mid twenties. His careers ranged from musician to banker to traveling salesman and finally real estate. He decided that what he wanted to be when he grew up was retired, so now he´s retired, but not grown up. He´s ridden a Harley through 45 of the 50 States, across the Arctic Circle in Alaska, and all the Canadian Provinces. At home he´s an audiophile with a lovely wife, two cats & some chickens.

Manijeh Badiozamani Manijeh Badiozamani

Manijeh Badiozamani is a literary non-fiction writer. She writes mostly about her experiences growing up in Tehran, Iran, where she was born. Her short stories and articles have been published in magazines, anthologies and on the Web. She is a retired professor of English, and is currently working on a collection of short stories: "Family Tales from Tehran".

Melissa J. Bahle Melissa J. Bahle

Melissa began writing poetry in high school after being inspired by Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s "Sometime During Eternity." Discovering it was okay to write poetry that didn’t rhyme, she began experimenting with free verse. Today, Melissa is a contributor to writingiscake.com, a blog by writers, for writers. Between working at a local college and training for the next Warrior Dash, she likes to sit quietly at the kitchen table and stare at the blank screen of her laptop until an idea strikes.

Damian Balassone Damian Balassone

Damian Balassone’s poems have appeared in a variety of Australian and international publications and have been broadcast on ABC Radio. His second collection of poetry, Daniel Yammacoona, was recently published by Ginninderra Press and is available for purchase at Readings bookstores. Find him at: http://damianbalassone.wordpress.com/

Mark Berkery 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 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

Pamela Blackmon-Carroll Pamela Blackmon-Carroll

A former print journalist, Pamela has always enjoyed reading and writing fiction. The author of a yet to be published novel, she enjoys capturing the idiosyncrasies of life through short stories. She dedicates publication of this story to the memory of her AP English teacher. A graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, Pamela currently lives in Atlanta.

Susan P. Blevins Susan P. Blevins

Susan P. Blevins, an ex-pat Brit, has traveled the world extensively, lived in Italy for 26 years, and has now settled in Houston, Texas, where she is enjoying writing stories and poems based on her travels and adventures. She had a weekly column on food in a European newspaper and has published various articles on gardens in US and European magazines. She is passionate about classical music, gardening, cats, reading and of course, writing.

Virginia Lee Bliss Virginia Lee Bliss

Virginia Lee Bliss lives in Massachusetts and has been writing for eight years. Her special writing interests include poetry, 1930s-40s historical fiction and stories about Scotland and Poland. Her biography and access to her works can be accessed here: http://www.faithwriters.com/member-profile.php?id=23659

Joshua Paul Bocher Joshua Paul Bocher

Joshua Paul Bocher´s poetry has appeared in such journals as Illuminations, Burningword, and Boston Literary Magazine. He lives with his wife in Somerville, MA. More publications can be found on his website: http://cranefeather.co/publications-list/.

Noel Canin Noel Canin

Noel Canin was born and raised in South Africa during the Apartheid era. She has lived in Israel since 1968 and has two children and five grandchildren. She is a translator from Hebrew into English and has also trained as a Hakomi psychotherapist. She has published poetry in various journals in Israel, USA and England and has self-published a first collection of poems - Let the Rain Listen For Me. Noel Canin is currently preparing a new collection of poems for publication in Scotland.

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.

Pam Clements Pam Clements

Pam Clements contributed the poem Long Marriage.

David L. Cooper David L. Cooper

David L. Cooper has taught at Jefferson Community and Technical College in Louisville, Ky. for twenty-eight years. He teaches English and African American History. In 2011, he won the state´s highest college level teaching award, The Acorn Award. In 1995, he received a University of Kentucky Great Teacher Award and in 1996 he received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to study the Great Black Migration at the University of Kansas. He has an a son, Sean, and a daughter, Rachel.

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.

Murray Dunlap Murray Dunlap

Murray Dunlap´s work has appeared in countless magazines and journals. His stories have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize three times, as well as to Best New American Voices. His new book, Fires, will be published on June 7th, 2015. The extraordinary individuals Pam Houston, Michael Knight, and Fred Ashe taught him the art of writing. See www.murraydunlap.com ...

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.

Bibi Gore Bibi Gore

A Bay Stater native, Khalidah now lives with her husband in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her current projects include a short story collection and a rewrite of a novella. She’s been honing her skills through writing workshops and a supportive writers’ group. When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling.

Deborah Guzzi Deborah Guzzi

Deborah Guzzi is a healing facilitator specializing in Shiatsu and Reiki. She writes for Massage and Aromatherapy Magazines. She travels to expand her knowledge of healing and to seek writing inspiration. She has walked the Great Wall of China, seen Nepal (during the civil war), Japan, Egypt (just before ‘Arab Spring’), Peru, and France during December’s terrorist attacks. Her poetry is published in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, China,and Greece.

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

Sandi Leibowitz Sandi Leibowitz

Sandi Leibowitz is a native New Yorker, school librarian, classical singer and writer of mostly speculative poetry and fiction. Her works, which appear in places like Strange Horizons, Kaleidotrope, Mythic Delirium, Liminality and Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year 5, have been nominated for the Rhysling, Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize. You can visit her web site, "In the Raven´s Wood," at www.sandileibowitz.com.

LindaAnn Lo Schiavo LindaAnn Lo Schiavo

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

Stacy Maddox Stacy Maddox

“Stacy Maddox lives, dreams and writes in the fast-paced city of Lawrence, KS. She loves to soak up the sun by the river and feel the rush of water over her feet while spending time with her family and pets. Stacy has been published in Long Story Short, ken*again, Daily Love, The Entroper, Emerge Literary Journal, Three Line Poetry, The Fat City Review, Eskimo Pie, Mused: The BellaOnline Literary Review, Euphemism and more. She has been passionate about art in any form for over 30 years."

Billy Manas Billy Manas

Billy Manas studied English a long time ago at the State University Of New York at New Paltz, but decided to forego a career in teaching after he realized that he wanted to persue a career in Rock n Roll. Two decades later when he finally faced the fact that he was not rich and famous yet, he learned how to drive a tractor trailer and spends his free time writing poetry and being a dad.

Rosalyn Marhatta Rosalyn Marhatta

Rosalyn Marhatta loves to write and perform at Tate Street Coffee House and Common Grounds Coffeehouse. She’s published in several literary magazines and anthologies including Then&If, Quantum Fairytales, Change Seven, Kakalak 2014,Referential, Eastern Voices and Fire and Chocolate. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for her poem "Ocean Flight" in Vox Poetica. She is poetic_line on Twitter.

Dennis Maulsby Dennis Maulsby

Dennis Maulsby’s poems and short stories have appeared in numerous print and online literary journals. His first book of poetry, Remembering Willie, and all the others won silver medal book awards from the Military Writers Society of America and the Branson Stars & Stripes organization. A U.S. Army veteran, Maulsby served with the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam. His third book of poetry, Near Death/Near Life was released by Prolific Press in May of 2015. Association. (www.dennismaulsby.com)

Roberta McDonnell Roberta McDonnell

Roberta worked in mental health nursing and studied psychology, then social anthropology to doctoral level at Queen´s University, Belfast. Blissfully married with four amazing daughters, her current focus is on developing skills in creative writing and music. Publications include a book on creative mental health, as well as some short stories and poems in journals, magazines and online. She enjoys blogging at www.subliminalspaces.wordpress.com tweeting at mcdonneller & reading, especially Mused!

Levi J. Mericle Levi J. Mericle

Levi Mericle is a poet/spoken-word artist and lyricist from Tucumcari, N.M. His work can be seen in the many anthologies, magazines and reviews. He is an advocate for the mentally ill community and gives readings in the surrounding area of his home town. In 2011, Premiere magazine, (Translated from French to English) headquartered in France, described Levi’s writings as “… searing, amazing and wrung-out… Mericle is one of the craftsmen of the movement in Spectacular Poetry.”

Eva M. Olsgard Eva M. Olsgard

Eva M. Olsgard (BA, Bard College) is a mid/west based writer, artist, and designer. In addition to performing her poetry, she has created award-winning programming and spoken nationally on the subjects of language arts and cultural studies. Her work has either appeared or is forthcoming in: “Pinyon Review,” “East Jasmine Review,” “Mused,” and “The Bard Papers.” “Between Two Worlds,” her prayer flags project set in the Chicago bioregion, was commissioned for the Gross Park Sculpture Invitational.

Rich Persoff Rich Persoff

Rich Persoff contributed the poem Spring Tide.

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

Ksenia Rychtycka Ksenia Rychtycka

Ksenia Rychtycka is a Detroit-area copy editor and creative writer. She loves to travel and has lived in Kyiv, Ukraine, and backpacked through much of Europe. Crossing The Border, her debut collection of short stories, was selected as a finalist in the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Her short stories and poems have appeared in The Dalhousie Review, The Literary Bohemian, Alaska Quarterly Review, and other journals. More information about her work can be found at kseniarychtycka.com.

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 has been actively interested in photography for many years. He enjoys taking images of wildlife and landscapes. Bob can be reached at his golfing site at http://enjoyma.com/golf/.

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, Serials and Short Stories, Canyon Echo, and Treoir magazine (a publication of Comhaltas, an international organization that promotes traditional Irish music and culture). He is also a contributor to the blog, Writing Is Cake.

Beate Sigriddaughter Beate Sigriddaughter

Beate Sigriddaughter grew up in post-WWII Germany and moved to the United States in her teens. Four times a Pushcart Prize nominee, she has published prose and poetry in many literary magazines and ezines. Her novel Audrey: A Book of Love was published in 2015 by ELJ Publications. Please visit her website at www.sigriddaughter.com.

Patty Somlo Patty Somlo

Patty Somlo has received four Pushcart Prize nominations and one for storySouth’s Million Writers Award. She had an essay selected as Notable by Best American Essays 2014. Author of From Here to There and Other Stories, Somlo has two forthcoming books: a memoir-in-essays, Even When Trapped Behind Clouds (WiDo Publishing), and Hairway to Heaven Stories (Cherry Castle Publishing). www.pattysomlo.com.

Craig W. Steele Craig W. Steele

Craig W. Steele resides in the countryside of northwestern Pennsylvania, near Lake Erie. When not writing, he’s a professor of biology at Edinboro University. In his quest to become a widely-published unknown poet, his poetry has appeared in numerous anthologies, literary journals and magazines, most recently in The Lyric, Mused: the BellaOnline Literary Review, and Wolf Willow Journal, amongst others, and he continues to write monthly poetry as “The Writer’s Poet” for Extra Innings online.

Rian Torr Rian Torr

Adrian Torrington is a 32-year old Professional Canadian Graphic Designer, Abstract Artist, Novelist, Poet & Lyricist--with Honours In English from U.W.O.--and acclaim by International Master Artist Philip Aziz (who in turn was once praised by Salvador Dali) as gifted in the literary--and draftsman-like in the artistic. Adrian´s new book of poetry, The Sunspots Of Serendipity, is published through Authorhouse--and all of his art is available on his site: www.ATstudio.ca.

Angela Valdes Angela Valdes

Angela Valdes earned her M.A. in English with a focus in Creative Writing at Stephen F. Austin State University located in the East Texas piney woods. She often uses personal experiences and observations as a muse to write poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her husband and her dogs, Corbin and Shadow. She teaches English Composition courses at a community college in her hometown and hopes to continue to publish her work whenever possible.

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.

Danny P. Barbare
Danny P. Barbare resides in the Carolinas. He enjoys writing poetry in mostly free verse. He started writing in his early adulthood. He loves to travel locally in The Blue Ridge Mountains and the lowlands of Charleston, SC. He lives with his wife and family and small dog Miley.


Linda Barrett
Linda Barrett is a prolific poet, short story writer and an award winner of the Montgomery County Community College Writer´s Contest for three years running. She wrote her first work at eight years old and her second work at the age of 13. She contributes to the Compass, Mad Swirl, Idea Gems, and Night to Dawn magazine. Linda has lived in Abington, Pa. for 51 years in the same house on the same street. This is her first contribution to Mused magazine.


Jean Biegun
Jean Biegun´s poems have appeared in MOBIUS: THE POETRY MAGAZINE, AFTER HOURS: A JOURNAL OF CHICAGO WRITING AND ART, FOX CRY REVIEW, PRESENCE: THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION, WISCONSIN POETS CALENDAR, GOOSE RIVER ANTHOLOGY and other places. In 2004, she left Chicago for a small Wisconsin town to escape the 5 Big City C´s: cars, concrete, crowds, consumerism, and crime. So far, so good. She´s grateful for her critique group, WAG--Writers Anonymous Group.


Korie Beth Brown, Ph.D.
Korie Beth Brown, Ph.D. submitted to this issue of MUSED.


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


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 Four and Twenty, Poetry Porch, The Christendom Review and Anon. He has produced four poetry collections, which are available on Lulu.com.


Linda B. Gamble
Linda Gamble is a retired reading specialist. In the past she has published articles for professional educational journals, but since her retirement has given her creative muse a chance to grow. She has just begun submitting some of her poetry and has been fortunate to have pieces accepted by Edison Literary Review,US 1, A Kind of Hurricane, Jellyfish Whispers, Camel Saloon, Long Story Short and past issues of Mused. Currently she is also working on a children´s picture book.


KJ Hannah Greenberg
KJ Hannah Greenberg was nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize in Literature. She serves as an Associate Editor at Bewildering Stories. Hannah´s newest books are: Word Citizen (Tailwinds Press, 2015), Jerusalem Sunrise (Imago Press, 2015),Cryptids (Bards & Sages Publishing, 2015),and The Immediacy of Emotional Kerfuffles, 2nd ed. (Bards and Sages Publishing, 2015). Discover her at http://www.kjhannahgreenberg.net/


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.


Mandi S. Lockley
Mandi S Lockley lives in London and writes literary and speculative short fiction, as well as non-fiction. Find out more and read previous published stories and articles at http://www.mandilockley.blogspot.co.uk/


Ophelia Sikes
Ophelia Sikes finds that the more she travels, the more she realizes how much we are all alike. We have the same needs, dreams, heartaches, despairs, and hopes. She hopes her images share the beauty that lies all around us. Ophelia’s novels are at OpheliaSikes.com.


Julie Dreyer Wang
Julie Dreyer Wang submitted to this issue of MUSED.