Poetry Contributor
Nikkin Rader has degrees in poetry, gender & sexuality studies, anthropology, philosophy, and other humanities and social science. Her works appear in lipstickparty magazine, Awkward Mermaid, the Mystic Blue Review, the Cauldron Anthology, and elsewhere.
Poetry Contributor
Susan E. Gunter has published in journals here and abroad, including Atlanta Review, Louisville Review, Poet Lore, Semaphore, Linden Ave, Burning House Press, Yemmassee, Ellipsis, and a number of others. She has also published three books on Henry James and the James family. She volunteers at the Marin Poetry Center and writes poetry because she must.
Poetry Contributor
Paul Bluestein is a physician (done practicing), a blues musician (still practicing) and a dedicated Scrabble player (yes, ZAX is a word). He lives in Connecticut with his wife and the two dogs who rescued him. When the Poetry Muse calls, he answers, even if it’s during dinner.
Poetry Contributor
Sasha Carney is a Canadian poet studying English and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at Yale University. They are a twice-winner of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, and perform regularly with Voke, and LGBTQ-centred spoken word group. Their work has been published by The Poetry Society and The Yale Herald. In their spare time, they enjoy knitting and overanalyzing sitcoms.
Poetry Contributor
Seth Jani currently resides in Seattle, WA and is the founder of Seven Circle Press (www.sevencirclepress.com). His work has been published widely in places such as The American Poetry Journal, Abyss & Apex, The Chiron Review, The Comstock Review and Oracle Fine Arts Review. His full-length collection, Night Fable, was published by FutureCycle Press in 2018. More about him and his work can be found at www.sethjani.com.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for picking up Issue II of Nightingale & Sparrow. Our fledgeling publication has grown so much in the past few months and it could not have been done without your support: since our first issue, flight, Nightingale & Sparrow has launched a small press, planned quarterly issues through 2020, and so much more. This project has taken off more quickly and more successfully than I possibly could have imagined.
Of course, a special welcome is due to our newest staff members, production managers Emma Easy and Megan Russo and social media manager Kimberly Wolkens. With their hard work and enthusiasm, we’ve been able to set, meet, and even exceed goals that would have seemed astronomical just a few months earlier. What began as a passion project on my part has become a team effort and I’m so incredibly happy to have them on board.
Most importantly, we’ve begun to grow a very special Nightingale & Sparrow community. Nothing makes me happier than to see contributors new and old interacting across the web. When we first announced Nightingale & Sparrow Press, I was blown away by the excited response from readers, contributors, and even members of the literary community that we haven’t had the chance to “meet” just yet. It means so much to have such an incredible support system in all of you.
And, naturally, this has led into our newest installment, renaissance. This was a bit trickier of a theme to nail down than flight–I envisioned springtime and Shakespeare, rebirths and revivals, and artwork brought to life by words. Nevertheless, our amazing submitters captured just that in the pieces you’re about to read and observe. We even had a few repeat submitters from our flight contributors, which just demonstrates the incredible, multi-talented artists we’ve been fortunate enough to work with already.
As is to be expected, we had far more wonderful pieces in our inbox than we could have possibly accepted, no matter how much we adored them. That being said, we were able to publish some phenomenal work and we’re thrilled to share that with you in this issue. Enjoy interpretations of renaissance through Ellora Sutton’s modern-day William Shakespeare in “Shakespeare in Camden, 2019” and Camille Clarke’s beautiful story of longing, “Alive in the World.” Move across the world with Liat Miriam (and her cat) in “Boxes” and hear the chirps of newborn birds in Cheryl Heineman’s “Future Comings.” Feel the warmth and drizzles of springtime and let the words and images revitalise you as you read through renaissance.
Thank you as always to every submitter, contributor, reader, supporter, and staff member who has helped to make this issue and Nightingale & Sparrow as a whole possible. I hope you enjoy issue II as much as I have, and I’m already looking forward to what’s to come in issue III this summer.
Editor-in-Chief, Nightingale and Sparrow
Poetry Contributor
Kaylor Jones is a student in Phoenix studying professional writing and psychology. She enjoys listening to classic rock, eating fruit, and watching YouTube videos about movies. She can be found on LinkedIn here and contacted for freelance opportunities at kaylorannejones@gmail.com. She promises that she is very good.
Poetry Contributor
Melodie Jones is a twenty-two-year-old Ball State University graduate. She majored in English Education and minored in Creative Writing. She has been writing for ten years. She has had three pieces of poetry published thus far. She can be found on Twitter @Miss_MJones.
