Susan Isla Tepper presented her darkly comic play CLANDESTINE in an Equity Premiere Staged-reading, hosted by SHOPTALK, on June 10 at EAG Guild Hall Theatre, NYC. Her latest Novel “Hair of a Fallen Angel” was published by Spuyten Duyvil Books. A twenty-year writer, she’s written 12 published books of fiction and poetry and 7 stage plays. Honors include 21 Pushcart Prize Nominations. 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. Susan is a Brand Ambassador for The Galway Review. A Youtube music video for her latest novel at: https://youtu.be/W2HVIc4NrqY

ADMIT

By Susan Isla Tepper

a stillness tripped the lake
doing its winter dance

oblivious
to any shortcomings
after vows of poverty
by the trees &
all growing matter

from the beginning

It was—
thirst / flourish
one and the same
time’s lowering stark spectrum

— admit

you never saw it coming

Intent on keeping to
the rhythms of the dance

crazy jazzed humming
bees but not bees
out of rocks

you couldn’t identify
kept getting in your way

Keith Pearson teaches mathematics at a high school in southern New Hampshire, where his passion for numbers is matched by his love of language and art. A published poet and photographer, his work explores the intersections of observation, emotion, and form—capturing both the precision of thought and the spontaneity of experience. Whether writing verse or framing an image, Keith seeks to reveal the quiet beauty hidden in ordinary moments. An amateur wanderer and keen observer of the world, he finds creative inspiration in nature, travel, and the subtle rhythms of daily life. His poetry and photography together form a contemplative journey through landscapes both internal and external.