Susan Isla Tepper is poet, fiction writer, essayist, and playwright. The author of ten published books, her current projects are two plays in production titled ‘Crooked Heart’ and ‘Lady In A Post Box’. A Novel titled ‘Hair of a Fallen Angel’ will be out later this year. Tepper’s work has been published worldwide for over twenty years. http://www.susantepper.com

Desert

By Susan Isla Tepper

Every night the rain
while I have no desire
Water overflows
the storm drains.
I’m so dry
my skin is cracking.
Come morning
fill the kettle.
Cup after cup
of tea
Drown this desert
sprung up inside me.

Digby Beaumont is an award-winning English artist. His artwork has been published extensively in collaboration with writers of fiction, poetry and music. He works on portraits, figures, still lifes and scenes. He also has a series on the theme of what it is to be human. He creates his artwork with acrylic paint, mostly on canvas board, pen and ink on paper, mixed media and silkscreen printing. Digby is also a widely published writer. His flash fiction, short stories and poetry have appeared in more than 100 journals, magazines and anthologies, including The Best Small Fictions.