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 21 times for the Pushcart Prize in both fiction and poetry. Her play ‘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. Tepper’s Novel satire titled ‘Office’ has been released as a Second Edition by Wilderness House Press. 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

Mid-Season

By Susan Isla Tepper

You felt the animal
enter through
your spine
craving new blood
an identity—
Cunning creature
lodged there
quietly unmoving.
You’d warned me to
watch out, not stumble,
saying again and again:
Beauty hides its spikes
to trip up the unknowing.

Poet/Photographer, Alexis Rhone Fancher is the author of 10 books of poetry, most recently Brazen (NYQ Books), and Triggered (MacQ Press). Her photo book of 100+ Southern California poets will publish in 2025 by Moon Tide Press. Her photographs have graced the covers and interiors of numerous lit mags and journals, including The Pedestal Magazine, Heyday, Spillway,The Chiron Review,  and The Mas Tequila Review. She’s a multiple Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominee. www.alexisrhonefancher.com