Helen Bar-Lev was born in New York in 1942, has lived in Israel for 37 years. She hold a BA in Anthropology. Since 1973 she has had over 80 exhibitions of her watercolour and pencil landscapes. Her poems and illustrations have been published in numerous internet and print anthologies. She and her partner Johnmichael Simon are the authors of Cyclamens and Swords and Other Poems About the Land of Israel (Ibbetson Press, Boston USA) in 2007. She is editor-in-chief of the Voices Israel Annual Anthology and a member of the Israel Artists’ and Sculptors’ Association.
Lynne Bronstein is the author of Border Crossings, Thirsty In the Ocean, and Roughage and has been published in PoeticDiversity, Poetry Super Highway, Caffeine, On Target, Playgirl and other magazines. She is a reporter for the Santa Monica Mirror and has written for numerous LA area newspapers and for cable TV news. Her short story "Why Me?" won First Runner Up in Poetic Diversity's Short Fiction contest in 2006.
Salvatore Buttaci has been writing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction since 1957. His first published piece that year was an essay, “Presidential Timber,” in the Sunday New York News when he was sixteen years old. In December 2007, he was the recipient of the $500.00 Taj Mahal Poetry Award. After retiring from years of teaching, he and his wife recently moved from New Jersey to live in Princeton, West Virginia. “Writing everyday keeps me young, sane and happy. It rates a close second to the love of my life, Sharon.”
Howard Camner is the author of 16 books of poetry. His works are housed in major literary collections worldwide. He received the first annual MiPo Literary Award in 2004 and was named "Best Poet of 2007" in the Miami New Times "Best of Miami" issue.
Larry Colker has co-hosted the Redondo Poets at Coffee Cartel weekly reading series for nine years. His limited-edition chapbooks are What the Lizard Knows (2003), and Hunger Crossing (with Danielle Grilli, 2006). In 2006 he was selected by Charles Harper Webb as the poetry winner of the Poets & Writers' California Poetry Exchange contest. He lives in San Pedro.
devin wayne davis has written well-over 2,000 poems. His publication credits include: the Sacramento Anthology: 100 poems, Sanskrit, Dwan, PDQ, Dandelion, Coe Review, Rattlesnake, Taproot, Chiron Review and 39 chapbooks. Selections can be sought on-line. davis has read as a featured poet at major book retailers. davis has written for Sacramento, CA. arts & entertainment weeklies, and worked for UPS and the State of California. davis served in the U.S. Army. He visited Spain, Germany, Switzerland, France, and was last assigned to Ft. Bragg, N.C.. as a photojournalist. davis earned a Bachelors degree in Journalism and History. davis has three daughters.
Barbara Elovic has published in more than 100 journals anthologies including Poetry, Marlboro Review and Walk on the Wild Side: Urban American Poetry Since 1975 (Scribners) and I Speak of the City: Poems of New York (Columbia University Press). She published 2 chapbooks and is also one of the founding editors of the New York-based poetry journal, Heliotrope She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Robert Klein Engler lives in Oak Park, Illinois and sometimes New Orleans. Many of Robert’s poems and stories are set in the Crescent City. "Red Beans and Rice," is online at the Drunken Boat, and "The Approach to Pilottown," is at Blithe House Quarterly. His long poem, The Accomplishment of Metaphor and the Necessity of Suffering, set partially in New Orleans, is published by Headwaters Press, Medusa, New York, 2004. He has received an Illinois Arts Council award for his "Three Poems for Kabbalah." If you google his name, then you may find his work on the Internet. Some of his books are available at Lulu.com. Visit him on the web at RobertKleinEngler.com
David Gershator was born on Mt. Carmel too many years ago. Taught Humanities at Rutgers, Brooklyn College, CUNY, and the University of the Virgin Islands. Translations, poetry, and reviews in numerous anthologies and journals. Editor, Downtown Poets Co-op (1970’s-80’s). Associate Editor, Home Planet News. Recipient of NEH grant and NY State CAPS award. Translated and edited Federico García Lorca: Selected Letters (New Directions). Co-author of six picture books for children. Poetry books include Play Mas' and Elijah’s Child. CD for children, Spring 2008: “This Is the Day: Storysongs and Singalongs.” Works as printmaker and artist available on www.davidgershator.com
Leslie Halpern was a 13-year stringer for The Hollywood Reporter and is the author of the nonfiction books Reel Romance: The Lovers’ Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies, Dreams on Film, and the upcoming Passionate About Their Work: 150 Celebrities, Artists, and Experts on Creativity. A member of the performing troupe, Poetry Ensemble of Orlando, Leslie has published poetry in the award-winning anthology Windows to the World, The Journal of Graduate Liberal Studies, True Romance Magazine, Scifaikuest, The Mother is Me, and other publications.
Claudia Handler is a native New Yorker who has lived in Los Angeles for seven years. She has read at many L.A. venues, and appeared on several radio shows, including the popular public radio show, Live Wire Radio. Her poems have appeared in journals, as well as the online magazine, Speechless. Claudia was selected by Beyond Baroque to read in the Aloud Series at the Downtown Library. A co-director of Valley Contemporary Poets, she is also the author of Going Under. Claudia is the granddaughter of renowned poet Menke Katz, who wrote in both English and Yiddish.
Daniel Y. Harris is the author of the forthcoming poetry book, Unio Mystica. He is a widely published poet, essayist and visual artist. Among his credits are: The Pedestal Magazine, Exquisite Corpse, In Posse Review, Mad Hatters’ Review, Sein und Werden, Zeek, Poetry Salzburg Review, Wilderness House Literary Review, Poetry Magazine.com, Convergence and The Other Voices International Project. Among his art exhibitions credits are: The Jewish Community Library of San Francisco, Market Street Gallery, The Euphrat Museum and The Center for Visual Arts. He earns his living as Northwest Regional Director of Development for Canine Companions for Independence. His website is www.danielyharris.com
Elizabeth Iannaci is a long-time Los Angeles resident who has appeared at countless U.S. venues as well as in Paris, Slovenia, and remote parts of Orange County. Recently awarded an MFA in Poetry from Vermont College of Fine Arts, she has one chapbook of poetry, Passion’s Casualties, and her work has been widely published and anthologized. Iannaci served as a director of the Valley Contemporary Poets for five years, has one son and prefers paisley to polka dots.
Marc Jampole is the author of Music from Words, published in 2007 by Bellday Books, Inc. His poetry has been published in Mississippi Review, Oxford Review, Janus Head, Main Street Rag, Ellipsis,Wilderness House Review and other journals. Over the years, four of Marc’s poems have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize. More than 450 articles he has written on various subjects have been published in magazines and newspapers.
Rachel Kann, winner of a James Kirkwood Award in fiction, LA Weekly Award and Backstage West Critic’s Pick Garland Award, brings her work to stages as diverse as Disney Concert Hall, Royce Hall, and California Plaza in Los Angeles, The San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts, and the Vans Warped Tour, to name just a few. She also features at poetry landmarks like The Nuyorican Poets' Café, Beyond Baroque, and The Green Mill. Her poetry has appeared in various anthologies and journals, most recently Word Warriors from Seal Press. Rachel is currently completing her MFA in fiction.
Beth Kanter is a feature writer who has written about everything from the women of Afghanistan long before they were in the public eye to how to break up with your book club to her mother's bad cooking. Beth’s work has appeared in dozens of magazines, newspapers and web sites including Parents, American Baby, Working Mother, Shape, Wondertime, Fitness, the Chicago Tribune, Fodor’s Washington DC 2008, the New York Jewish Week, the Washington Jewish Week and Pages. Beth also holds an MSJ from Northwestern University.
Peggy Landsman's work has been published in many online and print literary journals and anthologies. Her poetry chapbook, To-wit To-woo, is available from FootHills Publishing. Her out-of-print romance novel, Passion's Professor, which she wrote under the pen name Samantha Rhodes, is now available on her web site. She lives in South Florida where she swims in the warm Atlantic Ocean every chance she gets.t http://peggylandsman.com
Michael Levy is an international radio host and is the author of eight inspirational books. Michael's poetry and essays now grace many web sites, newspapers, journals and magazines throughout the world. He is a prominent speaker on health maintenance, stress eradication, wealth development, authentic happiness and inspirational poetry. His new book, The Inspiring Story of Little Goody Two Shoes, is available at all good book stores and Michael's web site: http://www.pointoflife.com/
Jake Marmer is a NYC poet, and managing editor of the Mima'amakim Journal of Jewish Art. His current artistic efforts are tightly focused on Frantic Turtle, the punk-jazz-poetry band. More info on that: http://www.myspace.com/franticturtle
Ellyn Maybe is the author of The Cowardice of Amnesia (2.13.61), Walking Barefoot in the Glassblowers Museum (Manic D Press), The Ellyn Maybe Coloring Book (Sacred Beverage Press), and the following self-published books, Putting My 2 Cents In and Praha and the Poet as well as the CD, Ellyn Maybe Live. She has been in many anthologies and has read throughout the country and internationally. www.ellynmaybe.com
Heather McNaugher is Assistant Professor of English in Chatham University’s MFA program and poetry editor of Fourth River. Her chapbook, Panic & Joy, was recently published by Finishing Line Press. Her work has appeared in Paper Street, The Bellevue Literary Review, Blithe House Quarterly, The Paterson Literary Review, Twelfth Street Review, and The Cortland Review.
Daniel Olivas is the author of four books: Devil Talk: Stories (Bilingual Press, 2004); Assumption and Other Stories (Bilingual Press, 2003); The Courtship of María Rivera Peña (Silver Lake Publishing, 2000); and the children’s book, Benjamin and the Word (Arte Público Press, 2005). Olivas is also the editor of Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature (Bilingual Press, 2008). His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Jewish Journal, El Paso Times, Poetry Super Highway, and many other publications. Website: www.danielolivas.com
Judith Pacht’s manuscript was a finalist for the 2008 Philip Levine Prize, the Tupelo Press (2007-8) and the University of Arkansas open submission competitions. She won Honorable Mention in the 2007 Robert Frost Award competition, the 2007 Robinson Jeffers Tor House Prize for Poetry, and the Smartish Pace Erskine J. Poetry Prize. Pacht was first place winner in the Georgia Poetry Society, Edgar Bowers competition, and received the Margarat Reid High Distinction Award. Her work includes poems published in Ploughshares; Runes, Arctos Press; Cider Press Review; The Los Angeles Review, Red Hen Press; Solo 6; Site of the City, Los Angeles postcard competitions; and Gastronomica, The University of California Press.
Jaimes Palacio has been published all over the United States and Europe including, most notably, twice in Art Life and 3 major Tebot Bach anthologies. Most recently he was published in the Moon Tide Press anthology Tidepools. He has hosted several readings, had a column in Next... Magazine, created the New Voices showcase for The Orange County Poetry Festival and co-produced/hosted I Am Not Dead Yet! A Derrick Brown Benefit. He works for Fly By Night D.J.s and at the moment really needs jobs. http://www.bebo.com/peng88
Jonathan Penton has never been to war, but he did provide software support to G. Gordon Liddy. You can learn less about him at http://jonathan.unlikelystories.org/
Joan Pond lives in New Milford, Connecticut. She is the author of the book A Rose Garden. (Greystone Press)
Lanie Shanzyra P. Rebancos is a Filipino author of On Our Way Home and Another Morning. She is also a published poet and reviewer. Her works has been published and commented as well worldwide. Lanie is one of the associate editors of Canadian Zen Haiku Journal. She is currently working on her third anthology.
Richard Schiffman is a writer and journalist based in New York City. He has done reporting and commentary for National Public Radio. His spiritual writing includes two books, Mother of All published by Blue Dove Press, and Sri Ramakrishna, A Prophet For the New Age, published by Paragon House. He has just completed a third book on the mystical meaning of the Hebrew Exodus.
G. David Schwartz is the former president of Seedhouse, the online interfaith committee. Schwartz is the author of A Jewish Appraisal of Dialogue. Currently a volunteer at Drake Hospital in Cincinnati, Schwartz continues to write. His new book, Midrash and Working Out Of The Book is now in stores or can be ordered.
Adam Shechter is a writer and spoken word artist who was born, raised and continues to reside in Brooklyn, New York. He received his BA in literature from Hunter College and has studied extensively at the Mid-Manhattan Institute for Psychoanalysis. He is the editor of the online arts and culture journal, The Blue Jew Yorker found at www.bluejewyorker.com. His poetry has been published in The Minnesota Review, Psychoanalytic Perspectives, Mima'amakim, Home Planet News and The Subway Chronicles, among other publications. Adam has also performed his work in numerous venues around New York city.
Diana Sher teaches in the English department at Metropolitan State College of Denver. She is published in over eighty literary and commercial magazines including Kalliope, Jewish Women's Literary Annual, and The New Delta Review. Her chapbook, After I Cut the Cord, was released by Finishing Line Press in 2003.
Scott Alixander Sonders is the current President of California Writers - www.calwriterssfv.com - the oldest & largest organization of its kind. Although not raised religiously, on his own accord Scott matriculated two years in a notorious mystical Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He later garnered a Ph.D. in Literary Pedagogy, after completing his doctoral dissertation on "A Feminist Deconstruction of Genesis Text." Scott has +100 publication credits, was once nominated for a Pulitzer, and can be found on Amazon and in Barnes & Noble. He teaches Writing Workshops at Valley College.
Julia Stein has four books of poetry: Under the ladder to Heaven, Desert Soldiers, Shulamith, and Walker Woman. She has organized the panel New California Literature: Breaking Into the Future at the April 12 California Studies Association in Berkeley. She teaches at Santa Monica College.
S. Thomas Summers is a teacher of Writing and Literature at Wayne Hills High School in Wayne, NJ. He is the author of two poetry chapbooks: Death Settled Well (Shadows Ink Publications, 2006) and Rather, It Should Shine (Pudding House Press, 2007). Summers's poems have appeared in several literary journals and reviews: The English Journal, MiPo, 2River View, The Pedestal Magazine, Words-Myth, etc. Currently, Summers is completing a volume of American Civil War poetry - Private Hercules McGee: Poems of the Civil War. He lives in Northern New Jersey with his wife and children.
Pam Ward is a LA native, a writer and a graphic designer. A UCLA graduate and recipient of a ‘California Arts Council Fellow in Literature’ and ‘New Letters Literary Award’ she has had her poetry published in Scream When you Burn, Grand Passion, Calyx, Catch the Fire and has self published her own chapbook, entitled Jacked-Up. Her first novel, Want Some, Get Some, March 07, Kensington Press takes place after the blazing LA riots and her second novel, Bad Girls Burn Slow, Aug. 2008 is about the funeral business and identity crime. Pam has edited five anthologies including, Picasso's Mistress, What the Body Remembers and The Supergirls Handbook: A Survival Guide featuring Los Angeles black female poets. She has had short stories printed in The Best American Erotica, Men We Cherish, and Gynomite. Pam operates a graphic design studio and mentors at Art Center College of Design. Visit Pam at pamwardwriter.com
Misha Weidman wrote his first poem at age 9. He was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, where his Czech parents emigrated after World War II. Misha moved to Los Angeles in his teens, studied English Literature at U.C.L.A and received a law degree from Boalt Hall in Berkeley. He has continued to write poetry throughout a varied career in law, business, and real estate. His poems have been published online at Melic Review. He is also a published food and travel writer and the local correspondent for The Economist’s online City Guide to San Francisco.
