Susan Isla Tepper is a twenty-year writer and the author of 11 published books of fiction and poetry and 5 stage plays. She has been nominated 20 times for the Pushcart Prize in both fiction and poetry. Her play ‘The Crooked Heart’ concerning artist Jackson Pollock premiered on October 25, 2022 at the Irish Repertory Theatre in NYC. Adapted from an earlier novel, it was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Another play, LADY IN A POST BOX, co-written with poet and writer Ciaran O’Driscoll is moving toward production in Ireland. Her third play, 28 MARVIN AVENUE is making the rounds. A new Novel ‘Hair of a Fallen Angel’ will be out in the winter. Susan is a Brand Ambassador for The Galway Review.
http://www.susantepper.com

Footprints

Meditations on dear Petrov –  set in 19th Century Russia during a time of war

By Susan Isla Tepper

Along the river, I feel your footprints marking the ground.  They are long buried.  Yet still I know them to be climbing my wrist to shoulder, hanging soft and loose.  A silk gown about to slide off.  A drop to the floor.  Writhing.  It gets so hungry here.  While you stay busy beyond the mountain.  Polishing weaponry, spitting, adjusting your trousers.  Shouting orders to unseen servants fleeing when the food supply dims.  I have but one bag of grain, dear Petrov.  Infested.  Don’t think I blame you.  I blame the moon.  The sodden treetops.  I blame the gypsy with the one crossed eye who set me wrong on the path.  I blame this land for its harsh curve northward.  The river running bleak with so few fish.  All the things I expected, dear Petrov, have become the trouble here now.

Glenn Bowie – Blue River

Glenn Bowie is a published poet, lyricist, and photographer from the Boston area. He also owns and operates an elevator company that supplies custom-built elevators for clients from New England to Hollywood. Author of two poetry and photograph collections (Under the Weight of Whispers and Into the Thorns and Honey) on Big Table Publishing, he donates all profits from his books to various charities for the homeless and local animal shelters.