Susan Isla Tepper is a twenty-year writer and the author of 12 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 ‘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 play CLANDESTINE is making the rounds.  OFFICE, a Novel was re-printed as a Second Edition. Susan is a Brand Ambassador for The Galway Review.
http://www.susantepper.com

Back Entrance

By Susan Isla Tepper

Out the back entrance an alternate life:
Racing home for lunch
school only gave us an hour,
soup steaming from round bowls
set on the table  
The tidy kitchen, pine paneling
and garden flowers,
peanut butter sandwiches cut
alluringly on the bias—
mine had the crusts removed, too.
We had to eat with speedy efficiency.
Our mother always so happy
to see us— as if we’d been gone
a very long time.

Judith A. Lawrence was the editor/publisher of River Poets Journal for several decades. She is also a prolific painter, and has had numerous poems published in anthologies and literary magazines. Her newly released book is titled “The Lafourche River Murder, a Mystery/Thriller.” Also published are five additional books: A Memoir titled Point of Comfort, a book of 20 short stories called Uncharted Territories, The Metamorphoses of Connie Toscano (a Novella), Remembrance, a book of 50 Poems, and The IRS Chronicles which is a comedic take on IRS Examiner Training. All Judith’s books are available on amazon.com. She is currently working on a sequel to her new Mystery/Thriller, plus a book of short poems called Moonbeams which will contain many of her watercolors. Judith lives in Florida with her pet Piccolo, a spoiled Shih Tzu.