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
Forsaken Place
By Susan Isla Tepper
In Memory of Edna O’Brien
The elephant didn’t make it
to the watering hole
I was the elephant
my tongue
bloated the size of
a hoof, it was extravagant
This hallucination
where sand rose in winds
wispy as fire dust
Charred paper
from your books
curling out of the embers
dancing in the dry air
I watched camels drop
to one knee, accept
an Almighty— unimaginable
In this forsaken place
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
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