Present Poetry

Pat Raia is a journalist who has covered crime and politics for the Chicago Tribune, international business for International Business magazine, legal and welfare issues in the equine industry for Horse Illustrated magazine a variety of topics for Rock & Gem magazine.

She has been writing poetry since childhood and has published a pair of collections, including Basic Italian and Unvarnished Truths.

Saurin Desai is a creative writer, published author, award-winning podcaster, and creative writing & thinking coach.

He's always been drawn to the big questions of existence. He writes science fiction & fantasy stories, poetry, comedy sketches, and comics.

His works include Beyond the Looking Glass, a collection of thought-provoking fantasy stories, and Solitude and Other Obsessions, a poetry anthology exploring identity and purpose.

He's also inspired over 5,000 individuals through workshops and coaching, not to mention his award-winning podcast, Bhagavad Gita for the Creative Soul, where he applies timeless teachings to modern challenges like creative burnout and impostor syndrome.

Native New Yorker and Elgin Award winner, LindaAnn LoSchiavo is a member of the British Fantasy Society, HWA, SFPA, and The Dramatists Guild - - and a spooky Scorpio who loves Hallowe'en.

Current books:

“Messengers of the Macabre: Hallowe'en Poems,”

“Vampire Ventures,”

“Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems” [Wild Ink, October 1, 2024],

“Apprenticed to the Night” [UniVerse Press, 2024],

and “Felones de Se: Poems about Suicide” [Ukiyoto Publishing, 2024].

Tristan Buttigieg is a passionate poet, musician, singer-songwriter, and artist. His debut poetry collection, Have Nine Lives, explored the complexities of the human experience. In his follow-up collection, Pearlesque, Buttigieg delves deeper into themes of love, hope, loss, resilience, transformation, and self-discovery. With lyrical verses that blend beauty and raw emotion, Pearlesque invites readers on a journey of reflection and healing.As a multifaceted artist, Buttigieg’s work spans poetry, music, and visual art, reflecting his belief in the transformative power of creative expression. Central to his vision is the idea that art is open to interpretation, encouraging readers to bring their unique perspectives to his work.Tristan has been interviewed and mentioned in various media outlets, including the Bucks County Herald, 89.7 WDVR, and numerous podcasts, where his work has been celebrated for its emotional depth and creative authenticity. He has also performed his music and poetry across the Doylestown, New Hope, and Philadelphia areas, captivating audiences with his distinctive blend of genres and heartfelt performances.Find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Patreon!

Rita S. Spalding has had poems published in 16 Calliope anthologies, National Library of Poetry, AX-POW Magazine, The Heartland Review, Kentucky Monthly Magazine, Keeping the Flame Alive, and her first book, Abstract Ribbons. Poetry will be featured in the 2024 Fallen anthology. A second book, The Eighth, is being published by Hydra Publishing, Pennington Press Division. She is currently working on a third book of poetry and a memoir.

She had poetry exhibited at the Main Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library, and in a joint venture with the Kentucky Derby Museum, received awards for poetry from Jefferson Community and Technical College, Elizabethtown Community College, National Library of Poetry, and Kentucky Monthly Magazine.

She was a member of Women Who Write from 1995 through 2011 and served consecutively as secretary then director. During those years she taught poetry workshops, gave poetry performances, and mentored writers and poets. She also served as panelist for the Dorothy Clay Norton Fellowships at the Mary Anderson Center, assisted Carridder Jones with creating the first Kentucky Women’s Book Festival in 2006 and was on a Kentucky Poet Laureate nominating committee for poet laureate Maureen Morehead.

In 2023 Rita was a featured poet at the Calloway County Public Library Kentucky Author Celebration, and interviewed in podcast episodes #84 and #85 of the Never Too Late Cafe Bloom Where You are Planted series, where she talks about her poetry, and what motivates her in this amazing life. In 2024, Rita’s poem “Heart Food” was published in the February 2024 issue of Kentucky Monthly Magazine. She was a presenter at the Kentucky Writers Celebration in Danville and Historic Penn’s General Store in Gravel Switch, Kentucky, and gives poetry readings regionally on a regular basis.

Rita can be reached through Instagram as poet.ritaspalding.1 or on Facebook under the name Rita Spalding.

M.E Bayelsa is a writer, author and prolific public speaker with topnotch oratorial skills. He is a graduate with a First Class Hons in Biochemistry from the University of Africa, Toru-Orua, Bayelsa State in South-South, Nigeria.

Alshaad Kara is a Mauritian poet who writes from his heart.

He won first place for the Boney Cultural Center Valentine's Day Poetry Competition 2024 and was also a winner of the Flapper Press Poetry Café Valentine's 2024 Juliet Poetry Contest.

His latest poems were published in "Stygian Lepus", "Poetry for Mental Health", "The erozine", "100subtexts magazine" and "Missives".

He made his Flash Fiction debut in Stygian Lepus Edition 14.

Terje Theiss is the author of four books, exploring various facets of conflict resolution and prose.

In "Scenario Training," he imparts his wisdom on crafting effective teaching that caters to individual student needs, rooted in self-defense principles. "Kombatan Self Defense Training" offers a practical guide to conflict resolution within the martial arts world, specifically drawing from the Filipino martial art Kombatan. "Change" invites readers to reflect on the significance of small transformations the poepms that have small variations, while "Drops from the Night’s Gown" leads readers into the twilight's grey zones—"The clarity of unyielding mercy allows the night's luminous shadow to reveal both the fleeting nature of joy and the depths of sorrow."

Terje's work is marked by his profound commitment to aiding others. He is an inspiring leader and an invaluable resource for all who wish to master the art of conflict resolution.

*SLIGHT TRIGGER WARNING for traumatic birth experiences and premature babies in NICU*

Whitnee Coy, from Lexington, Kentucky, now resides in South Dakota with her family and enjoys doing stick-poke tattoos with her husband.

An MFA graduate from the Bluegrass Writers Studio at Eastern Kentucky University, she is pursuing an Ed.D in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership.

Whitnee is an award-winning poet & children's book author with three published poetry chapbooks (SD State Poetry Society, Finishing Line Press, & Alien Buddha Press) and one forthcoming (Finishing Line Press) in 2025.

She also published in 2024 her award-winning children’s book, "Elsie's Adventures to Brainy Cove," a social-emotional learning tale.

She is a professor at Oglala Lakota College, a tribal college on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

We're reading poems from "This deep, wide, dark world" and "A Limb Outgrowing a Weathered Tree"

Michael is a poet, writer and photographer from Magna, Utah where he lives with his wife and son and enjoys looking out on the Great Salt Lake every day.

He is the author ofRocky Mountain Reflections andGrasshoppers in the Field.

His writing has appeared in Blue Lake Review, The High Window, Seashores Haiku Journal, The Penwood Review and in anthologies at Pure Slush and Echoes of the Wild.

One of his poems is on the shortlist for The Letter Review Prize for Poetry and in the anthology of the Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival.