Susan Isla Tepperis a twenty-year writer and the author of 11 published books of fiction and poetry and 2 stage plays. Her play ‘The Crooked Heart” concerning artist Jackson Pollock in his later years premiered on October 25, 2022 at the Irish Repertory Theatre in NYC. Tepper’s new satirical Novel titled ‘Office’ has been released by Wilderness House Press. http://www.susantepper.com

Almost Home

By Susan Isla Tepper

We smelled spices piled
high in the basket,
exotic foods
from salvation seekers
We did not find the child
promised; though we felt
a plaintive call
the way an owl shrieks or
perhaps the sorrow on awakening:
grey clouds, wet pavement.
The way trees clutch the sky.

Digby Beaumont is a self-taught artist. His work has been published extensively in collaboration with writers of fiction, poetry and music. He works on portraits, still lifes and landscapes. He also has a series titled I Don’t Know What Came Over Me, a whimsical and poignant take on the theme of what it is to be human. He works with acrylic paint, mostly on canvas board, and pen and ink on paper. Digby became a professional artist in 2021. He is also a widely published writer.