A. D. Winans is an award winning native San Francisco poet and writer. His poetry, fiction, and reviews have appeared in over 2000 literary magazines, journals, newspapers and anthologies including The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry. He was friends with Charles Bukowski and Beat Poets Bob Kaufman and Jack Micheline, and appeared in the Kaufman documentary film, When I Die I Won't Stay Dead, that premiered at the 2016 San Francisco International Film Festival. He is the author of over 65 books and chapbook of poetry and prose and edited and published the acclaimed Second Coming Magazaine/Press from 1972 through 1989. In 2002 a song poem of his was set to music by the pulitzer prize winning composer Williams Bolcom and performed at Alice Tully Hall in New York City. In 2006 he was awarded a PEN National Josephine Miles Award for excellence in literature. In 2009 he was presented with a PEN Oakland Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015 he was the recipient of a Kathy Acker award in poetry and publishing. He continues to live in San Francisco, California.

Aaliya Syed Mehnaz started expressing her thoughts in the form of poetry from the tender age of 9. Since then she has been writing poems on random occasions, whenever she is inspired to do so. This is a collection of most of her poems which she wrote over these years till she turned a teenager. Born and brought up in Bangladesh, her initial schooling was in Sunbeams, Dhaka; she is currently a student of UWCSEA, Singapore, Middle School. An avid basketball player, she also loves to paint in her free time.

Born in Savannah, Georgia (USA), Aberjhani is an author and cultural arts worker known for his accomplishments as a historian, poet, essayist, journalist, editor, and visual artist. He has won recognition for his commitment to fostering camaraderie among creative artists on a global scale and for promoting the strategic practice of compassion among community and world leaders. Among his award-winning books are the groundbreaking Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance and ELEMENTAL, the Power of Illuminated Love (featuring art by Luther E. Vann). He is a frequent contributor to the Charter for Compassion blogsite and the owner of Bright Skylark Literary Productions.

Abha Maryada Banerjee is India's first internationally acclaimed Woman motivational speaker rated as one of the prominent Leadership, Performance and Success Coaches/Speakers in Asia Pacific. A die hard expressionist, she is prolific in her conduct and words to convey LIFE, SUCCESS and INSPIRATION. In her words, Poetry is not my forte but Life definitely is, I never let a moment go by without living it.

अभय चोकसी व्यवसाय से एक तकनिकी लेखक है और कर्म से एक कवि है. बचपन से ही भाषाओँ के प्रति उनकी रूचि अधिक रही है. जीवन में घटे प्रसंगों से प्रेरणा लेकर, उन्हें वो कविता में ढालना पसंद करते हैं. उनके लिए कविता सिर्क शौक नहीं, प्रेम और जूनून की आत्मा-खोजी यात्रा है. इस ही खोज ने आज एक काव्यग्रंथ का रूप लिया है. वो कविता के प्रति उत्साह और चाहत वो अपनी बेटी काव्या को भेंट करते हैं. 

Abhijith's method in the madness (read: world) so far in life has been that whenever conventional wisdom has tried to show him the path, he has always followed his heart taken the diametrically opposite one. That explains his passion for letters and his interest in writing.

Poet Abhinav Baruah's original name is Arindam Baruah who hails from Assam, North Eastern States of India with back ground in Civil Engg. and Management. He works for Central Govt. of India. He is very fond of Japanese style of poetry and writes Tanka, Haiku and Senryu. 

Born in the rich culture of Punjab (India), Abhishek Dudeja is an avid blogger and an art lover. Currently pursuing his Bachelors in Engineering, Abhishek has directed and composed music for state level plays. Apart from Poetry he also writes short stories and articles and is a musician. He can play more than 20 types of musical instruments.  www.iandpeople.com

Ace Boggess is author of four books of poetry, most recently I Have Lost the Art of Dreaming It So (Unsolicited Press, 2018) and Ultra Deep Field (Brick Road Poetry Press, 2017). His writing appears in Harvard Review, Notre Dame Review, Rattle, River Styx, and many other journals. He received a fellowship from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts and spent five years in a West Virginia prison. He lives in Charleston, West Virginia.

ADAM DONALDSON POWELL (Norway) is a multilingual author, literary critic, and art photography critic; and a professional visual artist. He has published several literary books (including collections of poetry, short stories, and novellas, two science fiction novels, and essays) in the USA, Norway and India; as well as numerous works in international literary publications on several continents. He writes in English, Spanish, French and Norwegian. 

Adam Levon Brown is an internationally published poet and author in 14 countries. He identifies as Queer and Neurodivergent. He has had his work translated in Spanish, Albanian and Afrikaans. Boasting upwards of 300 published pieces, you can find his writing at such publications as Burningword Literary Journal, Angel City Review, Firefly Magazine, Epigraph, Ariel Chart and many more. He was longlisted in the 2017 Erbacce Prize poetry competition. 

Adelaide B. Shaw lives is Somers, NY. She has been writing haiku and other Japanese short-form poetry for nearly 50 years. Her work has appeared in many journals, in print and on-line, in the US and abroad and has won several awards. In 2008 her first haiku book won third place in the Haiku Association of America's Kanterman Award. When not writing haiku, Adelaide writes short fiction. Samples of her published Japanese poetic forms are posted on her blog:

Reading and writing prose and poetry has always been a passion. Though I hold no degrees of literature, I’ve achieved enough in terms of knowledge, vocabulary and writing skills. Literature, of any language, is a part through which I’ve developed my personality. I’m in class tenth and I’d seen the dream of getting my book out five years back. But perhaps I saw it with open eyes, now. I still dream of being a distinguished writer and I would try my best to give the most succulent pieces of literature in the upcoming times.

Aditya was born in a small town in North India and moved to the capital (Delhi) very early in his life. He is a philosopher trapped in the mind of a poet, trapped in the body of an ex-IITian. He drives faster than you. In the daytime, he lives in a parallel universe where he devours omelette paos and demand models; come nightfall, the pen is his weapon of choice and whiskey is his poison. He is suspicious of happy endings. He currently lives in Mumbai (India) but mostly he lives inside his head.

My name is Aiswarya T Anish. I'm 13 . I am from Kerala, India. I went to Sree Narayana Trusts Central School, Nangiarkulangara, Harippad, Alappuzha till 8th standard. Currently, I'm doing 9th grade at Trivandrum International School, Trivandrum. My father is Mr. Anish Raj and my mother is Mrs. Thara Anish.

Akanksha Chaudhary was born in Rohtak (Haryana) and is a well known writer and  poetess. A graduate from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University and an MBA in Human resources from FORE, she continued nevertheless to follow her passion of writing.

Ms. Akhila Rajesh works as an IT professional in a reputed Indian company. Behind this IT professional is a passionate poet. She has been writing poems since her school days. She was also the editor of her school and college magazines.

Akshat “The Reflection” Sharma is an aspiring poet, growing off from shades of different psyche of human life. A musician at heart, a thinker via soul, and a vocalist by choice – Akshat, writes about anything and everything that can trigger his thoughts to wander aimlessly to a destination of words that would flow out to portray the inbound emotions of a human essence.

Alan  Morgan  was  born  in  Cheltenham,  England  and  educated  at  The  Kings  School  in  the  cathedral  city  of  Gloucester.  He  had  many  professions  including  banker,  teacher,  advisor. These  poems  speak  of  the  emotional  currents  which  shape  our  lives :  happiness and  sadness,  hopes  and  desires.  But  most  of  all,  of  love. He  now  lives  in  the  South  of  France.

Alan Botsford is author of three poetry collections--mamaist: learning a new language (Minato no Hito) which, as the Kyoto Journal wrote, “may be one of the first books of poems to transpire from our global civilization”; A Book of Shadows (Katydid Press) with William I. Elliott; and mamaist: a different sort of light (dark woods press). He has also published the hybrid essay-dialogue-poetry collection Walt Whitman of Cosmic Folklore (Sage Hill Press), about which American poet and critic William Heyen wrote, “If we'll read this book as it was written, with Emerson's 'flower of the mind,' it will enlarge our lives.” Born in Connecticut and educated at Wesleyan University and Columbia University, and formerly editor of Poetry Kanto, he currently is a professor of American literature at Kanto Gakuin University in Yokohama, Japan, is a book reviewer for Kyoto Journal, and lives with his wife, illustrator Minako Saitoh, in the historic seaside town Kamakura.

Alan Catlin has been publishing since the 70's. Among his more than 60 chapbooks and full length books are: Effects of Sunlight on Fog (Bright Hill Press), Self-Portrait as the Artist Afraid of His Self-Portrait (March Street Press), Last Man Standing (Lummox Press) and Walking Among Tombstones in the Fog from Presa Press. His chapbook, Blue Velvet, won the 2017 Slipstream Chapbook Award.

Alan D. Busch is an independent author in Skokie, Illinois, married to Heather and the father of Benjamin, Kimberly and Zac.Between !0 and 5 With Dad/Keeping The Fifth Commandment is the author's second book. His first Snapshots In Memory of Ben, was published in 2007. His prose and poetry appear in a variety of print and on-line media.

Alan Elyshevitz is the author of a collection of stories, The Widows and Orphans Fund (SFA Press), and three poetry chapbooks, most recently Imaginary Planet (Cervena Barva). His poems have appeared in numerous journals, including River Styx, Nimrod International Journal, and Water ? Stone Review. Winner of the James Hearst Poetry Prize from North American Review, he is also a two-time recipient of a fellowship in fiction writing from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (USA). 

Alan Morrison is author of nine critically praised poetry collections. His poetry has been awarded grants from the Arts Council, the Royal Literary Fund and the Society of Authors. He was joint winner of the 2018 Bread & Roses Poetry Award. Morrison is editor of international webzine The Recusant.

Albert Russo who has published worldwide over 85 books of poetry, fiction and photography, in both English and French, his two mother tongues (Italian being his 'paternal' tongue; he also speaks Spanish and German and still has notions of Swahili), is the recipient of many awards, such as The New York Poetry Forum and Amelia (CA) Awards, The American Society of Writers Fiction Award, The British Diversity Short Story Award, The AZsacra international Poetry Award (Taj Mahal Review - US$ 500), the Books & Authors Award, several Writer’s Digest poetry and fiction Awards (winner and finalist), aquillrelle Awards,  the Prix Colette and the Prix de la Liberté, among others. His work has been translated into a dozen languages in 25 countries, on the five continents. Albert Russo was also a member of the 1996 jury for the  Neustadt International Prize for Literature which often leads to the Nobel Prize of Literature. Latest Prize: Best 2013 Unicef Short Story award in defense of childhood worldwide, entitled: 'Revenge by proxy / Vengeance par procuration'.

Alessio Zanelli, Italian, has long adopted English as his artistic language. His work has appeared in over 180 literary journals from 16 countries. His last original full collection, titled The Secret Of Archery, was published in 2019 by Greenwich Exchange Publishing (London). He is the Italian Stanza Representative for the Poetry Society of London.

Alex B. Diamond, 47,  is a multitalented artist and creator living in Chicago. He wrote his first poems at the age of 12, and has been writing ever since.This is his first collection. In addition to writing, he also enjoys taking pictures, in his signature urban abstractions stye, as well as playing piano and guitar, singing, writing songs, and even rapping and beat making with his friends. He also draws and paints, and has written some comedy material as well. His poetry exhibits a fresh take on the form, and features a few different styles; both rhyming and free verse, many beautiful turns of phrase, passionate emotion, inspiring meditations on life’s ups and downs, and a few humorous pieces as well about his travails with women. His fervent hope and soul’s desire is merely to share his vision of a world of love and positivity, fun, and excellent art. 

My name is Alex Chornyj, I am a reiki master teacher and as such my writing reflects the energy and light that surrounds my spirit. One who realizes their potential and purpose by developing their creative calling will be successful in their endeavour to reinvigorate the life force which is central to all of our spirits. I listen to my heart that speaks through my soul embracing the life within encapsulating the life without in a oneness leading to an inner peace. I am continually evolving physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and etherically in an upward ascendance towards a greater enlightenment. I have been published in The Canadian Federation Of Poetry, Poetry Super Highway, Touch Magazine in England, Decanto Magazine in England, Fashion For Collapse Magazine,I Speak Project, Awaken Consciousness Magazine, Earthborne Magazine, Gloom Cupboard Magazine,The Not Magazine, The Tower Journal, White Mountain Publications, and 2Sloitudes Magazine in Montreal as well as a host of others. I have been writing for approximately forty years and my inspiration is derived through my spirit guides. When I do public readings I often receive responses how my voice inflection carries a vibrational frequency that touches heart chakras in a soothing and calming manner. This binding of thoughts was manifested as a collaboration of an esoteric synthesis.

Alex O. Bleecker is a teacher & poet originally from New Jersey. After receiving his BA from Wesleyan University, he taught in New York City for ten years before traveling in Asia and moving to Seattle, where he received his MFA in Creative Writing. A founding member of the Seattle-based RE DRUM poetry collective and co-founder of the Breadline performance series, his work has appeared in various print and online journals. His chapbook Found in a Cord was published in 2005. This is his first full-length collection of poems. He currently lives & teaches in Taiwan.

Alex Stolis lives in Minneapolis; he has had poems published in numerous journals. Recent chapbooks include Justice for all, published by Conversation Paperpress (UK) based on the last words of Texas Death Row inmates. Also, Without Dorothy, There is No Going Home from ELJ Publications. Other releases include an e-chapbook, From an iPod found in Canal Park; Duluth, MN, from Right Hand Pointing and Left of the Dial from corrupt press. The full length collection, Postcards from the Knife Thrower was runner up for the Moon City Poetry Prize in 2017. His chapbook, Perspectives on a Crime Scene was recently released by Grey Border books and a full length collection Pop. 1280, is forthcoming from Grey Border books.

ALEXANDRA IVOYLOVA is graduated as a pianist from the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” in Sofia. She has specialized at the well known concert pianist and pedagogue Eric Heidsieck in Paris and studied chamber-singing. As a mezzo-soprano she has issued the compact disk “Baroque arias and songs” presenting works of Handel, Purcell, Caccini, Caldara, Scarlatti, Pergolesi and some others. Her second compact disc “Reflections – poetry and music” was created by the Bulgarian composer N. Dobrinov after her book in Bulg. and French.

I was born in Slovakia, but have lived in Germany, Austria, and Czech Republic. Being in so many places has changed my perception on life. Therefore, I do not believe in borders, nor boundaries, that separate us as a people. That is why I have decided to write in a language that is more widely spoken, so as to reach more readers and share my vision.

Alexis Child hails from Toronto, Canada; home to dreams and nightmares. She worked at a Call Crisis Center befriending demons of the mind that roam freely amongst her writings. Alexis once lived with a Calico-cat child sleuthing all that went bump in the night and is haunted by the memory of her cat. She also had a small measure of underground success with her gothic rock and darkwave bands in the past. Besides having rare mystical experiences she hopes are not just short circuits in the brain, she continues to write dark poetry starving in the garret with her muse. A starving child is a frightful sight. A starving vampire is even worse. Please donate non-perishable food items and B-negative blood (and make it a double!). Alexis’ fiction has been featured in Danse Macabre, Schlock, Screams of Terror, and U.K.’s Dark of Night Magazine. Her poetry has been featured in numerous online and print publications, including Aphelion, Black Petals, Blood Moon Rising Magazine, The Horror Zine, ParABnormal Magazine, The Sirens Call and elsewhere. Her first collection of poetry, DEVIL IN THE CLOCK, a dark and sinister slice of macabre is available on Amazon.

ALEXIS KRASILOVSKY is the author of the book Great Adaptations: Screenwriting and Global Storytelling (Routledge: NY/London, 2018), 2nd place winner of the 2019 International Writers' Awards, and the novel Sex and the Cyborg Goddess (under the pseudonym Alexis Rafael), winner of the 2018 Irwin Award for “Best #MeToo Novel of the Year.” She also contributed to Women on Poetry; Reclamation: A Survivors Anthology and Women Write Resistance: Poets Resist Gender Violence. As writer/director, her films include several videopoems and the global feature documentaries Let Them Eat Cake and Women Behind the Camera – winners of five Best Documentary awards and available through Amazon Video Prime and canyoncinema.com. Krasilovsky lives in Los Angeles, where she teaches at California State University Northridge as Professor of Screenwriting.

Dr. Ali M. El-Sayed holds an MD and MPH degree from the Alexandria University, Egypt. For several years he worked on the project Ecology of Trachoma in Rural Egypt before joining the Ministry of Health as a Medical Biostatistician & Specialist in Disease Coding, a job that he currently holds. Apart from coding and analyzing morbidity and mortality data for the State of Kuwait he has held periodic workshops and orientation programmes in Disease Coding at Kuwait and other Gulf countries. He has 30 publications to his credit, including an Arabic translation of ICD-9 (3-Digit Categories) and a Manual in Arabic on determinig the underlying cause of death, as per WHO norms.

I am Alice Parris. I am a poet/blogger/Spoken Word Artist/songwriter/jazz singer. The purpose of this site is to consolidate the poems, articles, blogs & music that I have been blessed to be able to create. I know the source of creation. I am grateful.

Alisa Velaj was born in Albania, in 1982. She was shortlisted for the Erbacce-Press Poetry Award in 2014. Her poems have been published in Erbacce, The Curlew, Culture Cult Magazine, Stag Hill Literary Journal, The Quarterly Review, Orbis, The Linnet's Wings, The Stockholm Review of Literature, Poetry Space Showcase, The Seventh Quarry, as well as in eighty other international literary magazines. Her poetry collection, With No Sweat At All, translated into English by Ukë ZENEL Buçpapaj, will be published by Cervana Barva Press in 2019. Alisa Velaj earned an Artist-in-Residence Scholarship, and thus, during February, 2019, she attended the AIR Litteratur Västra Götaland Program in Villa Martinson, Jonsered, Sweden.

Being born in Las Lomas, Trinidad, West Indies I started writing at the age of 8, it has always been my secret passion. I have completed my Secondary College Education at Lakshmi Girls Hindu College Trinidad, West Indies. Additionally I secured my Associate Degree in Applied Science in Agriculture at The Eastern Caribbean Institute for Agriculture and Forestry, Trinidad, West Indies. Additionally as an Indian Council for Cultural Relations Scholar pursued my Bachelor of Arts in Hindi Literature, English Literature and Travel and Tourism at Lucknow University.

Alka Goel, co-author, is a Senior Engineering Manager with a leading multinational company that provides Electronic Design Automation software solutions. Coupled with a Masters in Computers, she has 21 years of rich industry experience. Alka strongly believes that everything and everyone has a purpose in life, hence it would not be inappropriate to call her a die-hard optimist who believes in life and its bounty.

Alka Narula, a student of business studies, who probably should have pursued her career in fine arts was born with artistic instincts and a strong colour and aesthetic sense. In mid years of her life she chose interior designing as her career, to satisfy her a creative instincts. She loves to pour her emotions in the form of poetry. 

Allen Itz is a native South Texas, moving slowly over the years from a small town just a few miles from the Rio Grande to San Antonio and the hill country. He began as a writer in the late 1960 s, published a few poems, than quit writing for nearly 30 years. He began to write again several years ago after he retired from a career in state government and has since published more than 200 poems in various on-line and print journals. 

As a writer and director for film and television, Allen Plone has been in working in the entertainment industry since he left his role as a Professor of Literature and Creative Writing. He taught at the California State University, San Francisco, California State University, San Jose and at the University of California, Santa Cruz before becoming a professional filmmaker. His short films have won awards at several major film festivals. His short stories, published in numerous magazines and journals have won Best Short Story awards, most prominently the Rosebud Short Story of the Year prize. He s published two prior books of poetry and one chapbook, titled, "Family Matters." His poems have appeared in many poetry journals, including, "BTS Journal," "Driftword," "Sea Letter," "Light," and "Rosebud." Plone has also published three children s books, Ned Smiles, As I Sit In My Garden, and Music Fairies. He has been a vegan for over 25 year, believing that we must have compassion for all living beings and that killing is wrong. He lives with his wife, Carol, and dog, Rufus, aka The Baron, in Palm Springs California.

Allison Grayhurst is a member of the League of Canadian Poets. Four of her poems were nominated for “Best of the Net” in 2015/2018, and one eight-part story-poem was nominated for “Best of the Net” in 2017. She has over 1,375 poems published in more than 525 international journals and anthologies.

Alok is a graduate in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute ofTechnology (IIT) Roorkee. He did his schooling from Cambrian Hall, Dehradun and Colvin Taluqdars' College, Lucknow. During his student days, he was fond of swimming, music and dramatics. Even while working in Mumbai and Kolkatta, he found time to act in a couple of plays.

I'm currently working at Accenture, Mumbai. I love to sing and play basketball. This poetry book is divided into three shades: Dawn, Dusk and Midnight. Although the last poem in each shade may seem less of a poem but read it: it fits into the shade just fine. Hope you enjoy reading them as much I've had writing them. Take each poem one at a time and think over it. By the end of this journey you'll become a better and true version of you.

The Author, K . Anandappan (pen name: Amarendra Bharathi) started his career as a school teacher and retired as a professor of English after having served in a couple of private colleges. He has got a number of his poems and short stories in Tamil published in various periodicals and magazines since the sixties of the last century. He has also published two collections of short stories and one collection of poems in Tamil. This is his first collection of English poems.

Ami Blackwelder is a forbidden romance writer in the paranormal and historical romance genre. Growing up in Florida, she went to UCf and in 1997 received her BA in English and teaching credentials. She travelled overseas to teach in Thailand, Nepal, Tibet, China and Korea. Thailand is considered her second home now.

A pink poet, Ami Rem writes for the sake of dreams. poetry, as he sees is an expression of ancient hymns, filtered in dreams and seen through the mind's eyes. Poetry is every day in every moment of dreams. Inspired by Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan,  welcome to the Pink Dylan show. 

Amit in this superb poetry collection "My elementary life" blends together the romantic spontaneity and lucidity of style. The subtle power and intense imagination in these poems will certainly appeal to all readers. No doubt, the wealth of imagination and deeply inspired poetic fancy in these poems are quite remarkable.

A poet who has a vintage touch to his writing and touches reader s heart with his powerful Haiku and short poems. Amit is a Self-employed who has found his true calling in writing, is exploring the new vistas through his blog. Amit is also an avid photographer and a painter. He has taught literature and business management at UG and PG level and has worked for several years at senior positions in the Corporate world.

Amit Kalantri has authored two books including this one. His other work is “I Love You Too” a book with romantic insights. Amit Kalantri is a 2009 batch Electronics and Telecomm engineer from VIIT, Pune. He is currently working with an IT firm in Pune.

Amitabh Mitra is one of the most widely published poets globally. A medical doctor, poet and a visual artist living in South Africa, he has edited, Trainstorm. Cover and Back Art are his acrylic work on canvas. The book is a coffee table hard cover edition which has abstract photographs by Amitabh of trains in motion. 

Dr. Amruta Nerurkar is a physiotherapist working in the area of Neuro-rehabilitation and an exponent of the Indian classical dance form Kathak. Neurological rehabilitation allows her the privilege of being privy to the very personal and rich processes of psycho-physical evolution that humans experience or/and essentially need to experience right from their intrauterine lives into the expanse of their respective life spans. 

Anatoly Kudryavitsky is an Irish poet born in Moscow, Russia, of Irish/Polish/Italian parentage. Since 1999, he has been living in Dublin, Ireland, and, more recently, in Reggio di Calabria, Italy. In the 1980s, he worked as a researcher, and he holds a PhD in biomedical science. Later, he worked as a journalist, a literary translator, and a creative writing tutor. He is the author of five collections of his poetry, including three books of his haiku, Morning at Mount Ring (Doghouse Books, 2007), Capering Moons (Doghouse Books, 2011; short-listed for the Haiku Foundation Touchstone Distinguished Book Award 2011), and Horizon (Red Moon Press, 2016), as well as of a collection of his prose poems, The Two-Headed Man and the Paper Life (MadHat Press, 2019). He edited two anthologies of Irish haiku titled Bamboo Dreams (Doghouse Books, 2012) and Between the Leaves (Arlen House, 2016), and his own haiku have been published in magazines worldwide and anthologised on many occasions. He was the recipient of multiple international haiku awards, including Suruga Baika Prize of Excellence (Japan, 2008) and Vladimir Devide International Haiku Award (Osaka, Japan, 2012 and 2014), as well as of the Mihai Eminescu Academy Award for Poetry (Romania, 2017) and the Maria Edgeworth Poetry Prize (Ireland, 2003). He is a founding member of the Irish Haiku Society, of which he is the current chairperson, and the editor of Shamrock Haiku Journal.

A rat's nest for hair and fire in her eyes …

She needs no one…because no one has ever needed her…

Like a wild vine she climbs toward the light…but shrinks from its burning heat

The night calls her, for it knows her by name

Whispers in the darkness…dark souls awaiting her company

~Official Website: ~

https://linktr.ee/theandreadeanvanscoyoc

Andrew Cotto is the award-winning author of five novels and a regular contributor to The New York Times. He has also written for Parade, Men’s Journal, Rolling Stone, The Huffington Post, La Cucina Italiana, Condé Nast Traveler, Italy magazine, Maxim, and more. Andrew lives in Brooklyn, New York.

ANDREW LAFLECHE is an award-winning poet and author of No Diplomacy; Shameless; Ashes; A Pardonable Offence; One Hundred Little Victories; On Writing: and Merica, Merica on the Wall. He is editor of Gravitas Poetry and the Evil Musings anthology. Lafleche served as an infantry soldier from 2007 to 2014. He earned an MA in Creative and Critical Writing from the University of Gloucestershire.

Andrew Terrell was born and raised in the Skagit Valley. He enjoys walking, doodling, poetry, sitting, improv comedy, eating, cooking, acting, and piano.

Aneek Chatterjee is an Indian poet, currently living in Kolkata. He has been published in poetry journals, literary magazines and e-zines in the USA, Canada, Australia, Mauritius, Philippines and India. His poems have been included in eight anthologies also; -- all published from the USA. Chatterjee has a ph.d. in International Relations; and has been teaching IR and Political Science in leading Indian universities. He authored and edited 9 academic books and a novel titled "The Funeral Procession", besides numerous articles. He featured in the list of "Best Indian Political Scientists with Photos", prepared by an international organization. Dr. Chatterjee also taught at the University of Virginia, USA as a Fulbright Visiting fellow.

An MBA in Finance from Icfai Business School and with handful of experience in the banking industry, Mr. Angad Singh Saluja has come a long way in the last few years with his entrepreneurial skills after being associated with Reliance Mutual Fund and ING Bank. He now heads his own business of auto security components and also has a firm which caters to E-Commerce supply. He completed his Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) Degree from Delhi University in 2008 and always was seen taking a keen interest in seminars, symposiums, group discussions and debates throughout his student days.

Angie Hulme is 21 and lives in Nottingham. In her spare time, besides writing, she enjoys doing good deeds for strangers, drinking, reading, being a computer geek and generally making a nuisance of herself. According to friends, she is a full-of-life Superperson, has x-ray vision, and when pushed can even fly (I guess that’s way she has a Peter Pan type attitude). Probably. She also thinks her friends are insane, but would never tell them such because she loves them to bits, and instead prefers to believe them in their drunken mutterings.

Anil Prasad, PhD, professor of English, has a distinguished career as a teacher who has taught in India, Yemen and Libya. He has been invited to present papers at international conferences in universities in India, Turkey, China, Portugal, Austria, Canada, the Middle East and the US.

This is first poem collection of mine. It portrays the pain and longing of a person, the wish for a ray of hope and the strength to overcome the darkness. These poems are close to my heart and I am elated to share with others.

A gypsy at heart, whose moods are as flippant as her wardrobe, she never has one ambition. If one day it is a painter, other days she dreamt of being on celluloid. But all of it had one thing writ large on it. She wanted to follow her heart, no matter what. 

Ankit Malhotra, is pursuing a degree in Law out of New Delhi and working on Poetry along side. After achieving his academic goals, he wishes to dedicate himself entirely to Poetry and thus come out to people as an artist, entertaining them in the mechanic world. He wishes to portray his emotions and thoughts in the form of words and resonate with people on the same lines. He wishes to prove the simple fact that poetry is a way of finding one s self through words. Thus, in such hopes, he wishes to spread smiles and joy.

ANKIT TYAGI, PhD Scholar, NET-JRF - After completing his Bachelors in English (hons.) from Delhi University. He did his masters in English from Hindu College, Sonepat (MDU). UGC-NET/JRF is considered as one of the toughest exams in India. Mr. Ankit Tyagi had qualified both NET and JRF in first attempt with 80% marks. He is currently working towards the PhD degree in English at SRM University, Sonepat, Haryana under the supervision of Dr. Sushil Kumar Mishra. He is also getting a handsome amount of fellowship from UGC for qualifying JRF (Junior Research Fellowship). He has attended various National and International Conferences and Seminars. He has also published a dozens of International Journals. He is very fond of composing poetry by using rich and strong Vocabulary.

Ankita Rathour lives in Delhi and is currently working with Hindustan Times Learning Centers. She was a Fulbright Scholar at University of Hawaii, Manoa, Honolulu in the academic year 2013-2014. She is a Masters in English and is a passionate reader of Crime Fiction. She has been a dancer, actor and loves stage. She has always been an ardent writer but poetry just happened to her and now she is working on her first fiction. She loves travelling and feels that the more we document ourselves, the more it helps the society at large. She expects her readers to join her in her very first venture of being a published writer and is humbly hopeful that they find it worth a read.

Ann Pinson Cassin worked as an anthropologist and English teacher in Iceland for five years. She also was a science writer for The American Museum of Natural History, Science Service, and Scholastic Magazines. A short story, "Hibernal Onding" appeared in The Taj Mahal Review, December 2008. A short story, "Mavis Lamb Needs Geologist for Oregon Gold Mine," was in the June through September 2011 monthly online journal issues of Long Story Short. She has a doctorate in anthropology from Stony Brook University and a master's degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley.

Ann Christine Tabaka has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in Poetry, has been internationally published, and won poetry awards from literary publications. Christine has published six poetry books (including two books of Haiku & Senryu), and one memoire. Christine was born in and lives in Delaware, USA. She is a retired Scientist and Personal Trainer. She loves gardening and cooking. She lives with her husband and three cats. https://annchristinetabaka.com

Anna Cates resides in Wilmington, Ohio with her two cats, Freddie and Christine. She earned her M.A. in English and Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction/English from Indiana State University and her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from National University. She teaches English and education online for several universities and regularly contributes to literary publications.

Having worked as an emergency nurse, then within a university setting there wasn't a lot of time for poetry until 2014, ever since, her poetry has taken hold. Annie lives in Devon, a beautiful part of the UK. Walking in the countryside, on the moors and by the coastline, triggers her main poetic interest. Annie's poetry has appeared in the Quill & Parchment, Highland Park Poetry and The Avocet, as well as in anthologies produced locally by The Waterfront Writers. 

Anthony was born and educated in the East End of London, just a few kilometres from the financial centre known as the City of London. After leaving school, Anthony worked in the city for three years before moving to Finland where he got married. As well as travelling all over England, mostly by motorcycle, Anthony has also travelled throughout most of Europe and Scandinavia. Having experienced work in many different fields, ranging from financial services to butchery, building to teaching, Anthony has used all his memories and experiences to develop this style of book. It is predominantly aimed at people throughout the world who are learning English as a second language.

Anthony Voglino is a graduate of Boston University, where he received a BA in philosophy. Although he’s a manager for a company that sells medical gases in New Jersey, he has a passion for artistic endeavors and spends a great deal of time writing. He has written play scripts, screenplays, dialogues, novels, books of philosophy, books of short stories, and books of poetry.

Author, book editor, university professor.
Stories: Paris Review. Stories anthologized by Random House, William Morrow, Ballantine Books, the Viking Press.
Books: author of the best-sellers SEMMELWEIS, THE WOMEN’S DOCTOR. JOHN DANTE’S INGERNO. BEFORE THE SIDEWALK ENDED, A WALK WITH SHEL SILVERSTEIN. BART: A LIFE OF A. BARTLETT GIAMATTI.
Professional book editor: in-house: McGraw Hill. Freelance: Bantam Books, Grove Press, Popular Library.
Mr. Valerio has taught at New York University, the City University of New York, and Wesleyan University.
Member Authors Guild. Was Fiction Judge on PEN’s Prison Writing Committee.

Bachelor in Hotel Management from one of the Premier College in India – NSHM Knowledge Campus Durgapur, Human Resources Supervision in Hospitality – AH&LA,USA, Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management specialised in Human Resources – Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University Pune, Diploma in Training & Development – Indian Society for Training & Development New Delhi, and with handful of experience in the Hotel industry.

Born in the year 1966, 5th of January in Howrah district of West Bengal. Studied in the school named Swamy Vivekananda Institution. Later on studied Wireless telegraphy and telephony to join Merchant Shipping as Radio Officer. With the advent of modern technology the old technology of wireless telegraphy was phased out which compelled me to study electrical and electronics to join as electrical officer onboard ship.

Anupama V Kadwad is fond of reading, writing and music. Since childhood she developed a habit of expressing her feelings and thoughts into words, which has helped in writing poems. She believes poems give wing to thoughts and the words which flow come deep from the heart. 'My World' poem book is about nature, the surrounding environment, day to day life and the relationships with people we come across in everyday life. It consists of simple poems for all age groups which every individual can relate to.

A person who believes that Dard mein kahi har baat kavita ban jaati hai . The author Apoorva Garg, is currently pursuing her B.Tech degree in Computer Science and Engineering from NIIT University, Neemrana. She writes about contemporary realities and binds them into beautiful garlands of words.

Ardra Manasi is a final year Masters student of Development Studies at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras. She has published her first collection of poems in Malayalam titled ‘Jalatharpanam’ in 2007. She has actively contributed articles and poems to newspapers and magazines including The Hindu, Reading Hour, Mathrubhumi, Bodhi Commons etc.

Arindam responds to Andy, Mimoh and a variety of other names and swears by Shantaram and The Storyteller’s Tale. Born in Calcutta in the January of 1988, he is an Economics graduate (Presidency College, Batch of 2009) and a B-School post-graduate (Master of International Business, University of Delhi, Batch of 2012) who firmly believes he really shouldn’t have pursued either. Currently located in Mumbai, he works for a Sports Marketing, Consulting and Intellectual Properties firm.

Mr. Arkajyoti Samanta is Director, Human Resources in Karnataka Health Promotion Trust, Bangalore, India. He has extensive experience in Human Resource Management, with a back ground of working in Public Sector Undertaking and NGOs. He is s passionate art lover and active member in writer-network, a free creative writing community and Facebook. Writing poems has been a passion for him. He has accepted this as journey; one of conviction and contentment. His poems have been featured in Taj Mahal Review and anthologies published by Brian Wrixon, Canada , Barry Mowles, UK (Destiny to write publication) , Dwina Taylor , USA. Shortly PDMI, Freelance publishing agency, USA will publish a few poems.

Arti Rai, born in Allahabad, is a modern poet. Her poems veer around love, romance, nature, and human relationships with realistic subtlety of the treatment of the subject. Her poems are the whispers of hearts that are entangled in shackles of cast, religion and age... She fabricates the verses so boldly that they shoot like an arrow to wake up the sleeping chords of people devoid of love. Love... the ultimate way to happiness and bliss. Her poems are the sagas of love woven on the universal canvas of ever youthful time. Her poetic expressions are fresh, exotic and powerful to touche the core of human heart!

I’ve been writing poems since many years. Many of my early poems were published in The Kathmandu Post and in The Weather Report and Journeys (anthologies by Sampad, UK www.sampad.org.uk). I’m also featured in MadSwirl (www.madswirl.com) and several poems have been published in various online journals. I come from Kathmandu, Nepal and I've done MA in International Relations at the University of Northampton, UK. I’m the editor for The Applicant (www.theapplicant.org) Vision Nepal (www.visionnepal.net) and Loesje Nepal. 

Ashfaq Saraf started writing at the age of 16 while in school. Born in the Baramulla town of Kashmir Valley, he pursued graduation from National Institute of Technology, Srinagar. He gave up writing, which had primarily begun as Verse in Urdu, and did not write until after completing college.

Ashok Sawhny has in his ten earlier books covered a wide spectrum of subjects, emotions and life itself. This volume is no different. "Think Poetry, Think Haikus", also deals with variety. There is pathos, inwardness, a look at the past, optimism, the beauty of Nature and the reality of life, as in the poem, "Hibiscus".

Asish Mohapatra describes himself as a commoner at best with varied interests. He grew up in Tier II India, Cuttack, and has had the opportunity to work across most major towns in India over his decade and a half of professional and academic exposure.

Ayangti Longkumer is a freelancer, blogger, novelist and has written numerous articles for newspapers. Apart from these, she loves to write essays and short stories. 'Magic Quill' is her first anthology of poems. She has previously written a book titled The Winning Story. She is a resident of Dimapur, Nagaland and currently, she is residing in Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Ayin M. Adams, native New Yorker began writing poetry at age five and selling them on her street corner in Brooklyn for twenty-five cents. With much success, she quickly increased her sales to fifty cents as passerbys' enjoyed her work. Winner of the Pat Parker memorial poetry-prize and the Audre Lorde memorial prose-prize. Ayin has been published in numerous anthologies and magazines in the U.S. and U.K. Ayin released two poetry CD's: The Color Of Her Tears and The Woods Deep Inside Me also available in paperback. Ayin holds a Ph.D. in Metaphysics and believes that everyone has the wherewithal to surpass oneself in life by suiting up, showing up, and following through. She makes her home in Maui, Hawaii.

Azsacra Zarathustra is a well known Indo-Aryan philosopher and poet-mystic. He is Editorial Advisor for the international journal of poetry and art "Harvests of New Millennium" (India). He is published in India, Tibet, Japan, Germany, Norway, England, USA.

Baidha Fercoq has spent her life as a silent observer … seeking to identify a common language spoken by all.  Her writings emerge from the fertile grounds provided by a father, whose military career immersed the family in various cultural milieus and a mother, whose war-torn life lent greater kindness and sensitivity into natures of struggle, hope and love.

A voracious reader from childhood, for Balram writing happened naturally and late. Gradually it has gathered force and developed into a natural outpouring of emotions, concepts and images in the form of poetry. He tries to emphasize on the 3 R’s in his poetry namely Rhyme, Rhythm and Reason believing poetry to be first and foremost an aural art form. An engineering graduate plus a post graduate in management heading recruitment for one of the leading companies in the Middle East, this is his maiden venture into publishing his work. 

Ban’ya Natsuishi, master of contemporary haiku and trailblazer at home on the overflowing haiku mountain of life, offers the world - Hybrid Paradise, a collection of his recent, liberating work. In 2009, I wrote a review in a book for him, The Poetical Achievements of Ban’ya Natsuishi, understanding the honour of casting my views on such outstanding haiku. Again, I am thrilled to be involved in the process of expounding works of this incredible author, who has been a great influence in forging ahead with my own style of muki-haiku (seasonless poem technique)! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dbZXWtmNYo

Barbara Mercer never asserts, doesn’t give ready answers (sign: !), but as ancient Pythia, insinuating and using deep interrogation (sign: ?). Her poetic work of departure – “little red book of poetry” – under different covers, always thinks: “Secrets”, “Mystic Wills”. Always: “Ready to reveal/Deeply held secrets”. And it is not simply “a Victorian throwback”, but the evidence of triumph, laughter and the pursuit of Eternally Young Blood:

Prof. Basanta Kumara Behera is an educationist and consultant for bio-technology industry development. He involves in transferring conical flasks level research to industries. He is, also an accomplished writer having the credit of publishing English poems in top international repute magazines like Harvest of New Millennium , Taj Mahal Review and in digital magazines like Fanstory.Com, Allpoetry.com.

“Los poemas de Beatriz Copello son sensuales, evocadores e imaginativos.” Beatriz Copello es una de las poetas más destacadas de Australia.” Julia Hancock, editora y periodista, Ex-Editora de Allan and Unwin.
Beatriz Copello ha sido mencionada entre las 40 personas más destacadas graduadas en Universidad de Tecnología de Sídney.

Bee Parkinson - Cameron is a writer of poetry, short stories and plays and head of Left Behind Productions who were shortlisted for the Voluntary Arts Epic Award in 2019 for their work raising awareness of domestic abuse through theatre. Bee's work has been published in several anthologies including A Kist of Thistles and collections of poetry and prose. Bee was long listed for the Poetrygram Prize 2019 and has shared one of her poems through BBC The Social. Bee lives with her husband and her cat in Scotland and is a lover of flamingos and turtles. Snapshots is her first poetry collection.

Beji was born in the Indian state of Rajasthan into an ordinary middle class family hailing from Kerala, another state from southern India. Her perceptions and sensitivities retain the effect of her upbringing and also reveal impressions of varying cultures, religions, languages and experiences while growing up. Always on the move, she never really settled in any place. 

“Life is My Inspiration and Word is My Life.” ~ Belinda Sue Kiser 

Belinda Sue Kiser is a writer, author, and poet. Her published collections of inspirational poetry reflect her love of life and compassion for people. Her easy-reading poetry, tells the stories of patience, hope, and faith against any adversity.   

Belinda grew up in the small West Virginia town of Green Spring. Her roots run deep in these Appalachian hills, tracing her family back seven generations. Her short stories describe her childhood adventures around the farms, forests, and rivers in a small rural community where she still remembers the simplicity of living a life in its fullness.  

Prior to retiring in 2009, Ben Bennani had taught literature, writing, and translation at a number of universities including University of Wyoming, Tufts University, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and Northeastern University. In 1982-83 he was a Visiting Fellow in Writing Theory at Harvard University; in the fall of 1991 he was a Rockefeller Resident Fellow at Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, Italy; and in 1993-94 he was a Senior Fulbright Fellow in the United Arab Emirates. In 2005 Bennani returned to U.A.E. University in Al-Ain to teach English and serve concomitantly as Assistant Chief Academic Officer and Dean of Graduate Studies through 2009. Bennani's poems, translations, and essays have appeared in literary magazines in the United States, England, and Canada, including Massachusetts Review, Grand Street, al- Jadid, Journal of Arabic Literature, Boundary 2, Chelsea, and MS Magazine, to name just a few. His translated work includes Splinters of Bone (1974), Bread, Hashish, and Moon: Four Modern Arab Poets (1982), Psalms: Poems by Mahmud Darwish (1994), and Children of the Stones by Nizar Qabbani (2005). In 2002, Bennani compiled and edited Shahrazad's Sisters: Shahrayar's Brothers, the first anthology of Arabic Literature (1950-present) to be published in English in the West. Collections of his own poetry include A Bowl of Sorrow (1977), Camel's Bite (1980), and Diptych Unhinged: New and Selected Poems (forthcoming June2019).

Beth Vieira is a student of Zen, haiku, and Japanese. She received her PhD from Johns Hopkins University in Comparative Literature and Intellectual History. She was a professor at the University of California at Berkeley before resigning to pursue a career as a psychotherapist. She has published in Simply Haiku, Contemporary Haibun, and The Heron’s Nest. She has an essay on haiku in the journalfort da and a book length collection of poetry in the anthology Burning Gorgeous.  She lives in Santa Cruz, California, USA, where she spends much of her time with her first love, the sea.

Dr Bhabani Shankar Nayak is a political economist by profession and poet by imaginary accident. He is the author of the Anubhuti (experience); collection of poems in Oriya. His anthology of poems; Nomad and the Road was published by the Writers Workshop, Kolkata. He writes on different areas of political economy of development and capitalism.

Bhadauria Manish Singh is a teacher and Ph.D Research Scholar pursuing his doctorate on Indian English Poetry. For him poetry is an internal talk and communion of few feelings. It begins with feel, either pain or joy.

Bharat Menon was born in the small coastal town of Kozhikode (Calicut) in Kerala. He completed his Bachelor's degree from Loyola College, Chennai in 2010. He currently works as a Financial Analyst in a Wall Street firm. 

I was born and brought up at ONGOLE in PRAKASAM DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH. I am doing Ph.D. from Nagarjuna University. Since my graduation it’s my habit to write articles and poems. My poem DIABOLIC DEATH was published by Forward Press-LONDON.

Bhoopendra Singh was born on august 1993 in a farmers family. He did his schooling from Rojhauli; went to NIT Srinagar for pursuing his B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering. In his new book he has written about crush, love and broken hearts of engineering students.

Sri Bhupesh Chandra Karmakar is retired from Indian Air Force. After completing his schooling from the Bengali High School in Nowgong (Assom), while studying in Nowgong College, he joined the Indian Air Force early in 1961. He was in the forward areas during the Chinese aggression near Sonitpur and later he was posted to various Air Force bases in India.

Born in Nepal in the 1970’s, Bhuwan Thapaliya was raised and educated in Kathmandu. He studied economics and finance before turning to poetry in his mid twenties. His writing is imbued with the art and culture of Nepal that he grew up with but he is eminently qualified as an Oriental and as an Occidental poet, for his poetry truly represents a marriage between the traditions of East and West, and in a way that is immediately appealing and cohesive. Bhuwan is not just a poet; he is a man with a mission, seeking world peace. He is a prolific poet and is writing his own Everest, but his writing is not only about statistics. It is about spreading the message of global peace, universal solidarity and love. "Behold the spirit of poetry ... it never dies, nor does it ever grow old. A real poem is the heartbeat of humanity."

Bijender Singh is an Indian Poet, Short-story Writer, Lyricist, Essayist, Novelist and Independent Researcher. He has published many papers in National and International Journals. His areas of interest are Afro-American Literature, Literature of Marginality, Gender Studies and Indian Writings in English. His upcoming books are 'Confusing Poetry', 'Poetry of Infirmities' and ‘Life:  A Struggle'.     

Bill Lythgoe is a retired primary school teacher From Wigan, England and has been writing poetry seriously for about ten years. He has won prizes awarded by WritingMagazine, Sentinel Literary Quarterly, Fire River Poets, the Wakefield Red Shed, Creative Writing Ink and Nottingham Poetry Society, and been published by Earlyworks Press, Strong Verse, Southport Fringe Poetry and Gordon Square Review(Cleveland Ohio).

An Instructional Designer in her previous avatar as a professional, Bindu Rekha Babu is an out of work Poet, Writer, Dreamer and a voracious reader (thankfully supported by her long-suffering husband). Bindu believes she has been influenced mainly by the women in her family and those she has met along the way, and her poems are simply a record of stories of people around her and their varied reactions to life. An alumnus of BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore, she says, her outlook has been shaped by the unique multi-cultural character of the city. She swears she is a saposexual and in her spare time (of which she has a lot), she is also an armchair activist, a 'reluctant' yoga enthusiast and a happy cook.

Dr.Bishnupriya Hota teaches English in the Postgraduate Department of English at G.M.College, Sambalpur, Odisha. She obtained her Ph.D degree from Sambalpur University .Apart from her research in the areas like Indian writing in English and New Literatures in English she is engaged in translating poetry and short stories from Odia into English and from English into Odia. Associated with many non-profit literary and cultural organizations she has been active as a feminist. A regular contributor to several journals she has published many papers on poetry and translation.

Bittu Kumar studies in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Tenga Valley, West Kameng (Arunachal Pradesh). 120 days around the universe is the first science fiction from the Author. Basically, ambition of the Author is to become a scientist and has a firm determination that he will achieve something impossible some day. Author believes in innovative ideas; this fiction is also based on the innovative scientific technologies that he wants to discover.

Bob MacKenzie spent his childhood in small farming towns in Alberta and his teen years in the City of Calgary.  This was an era dominated by big oil and cattle ranching governed for 36 years by Social Credit, a political party founded by evangelist “Bible Bill” Aberhart and promoted on Aberhart’s weekly Christian radio broadcast.  From birth until he moved out of the province, this was the culture that formed Bob MacKenzie.  Balance came through Bob’s liberal upbringing with professional artist parents and his own independent spirit.

Bora Balaj was born on August 29, 1970 in Peja. She finished primary school in the village of Poqesta and in Gorazhdec, secondary school in the Gymnasium Bedri Pejani in her town. Here, she also graduated from the Higher School of Economics. Afterwards, she studied design and fashion in Tirana, to continue her studies in International Diplomacy in Prishtina.