in parentheses

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The October 2023 Edition of In Parentheses is now available on print and digital platforms!

Click here to view the entire edition for free and compatible viewing at our MagCloud marketplace. You may choose to also purchase digital or print editions in various formats. In any case, we thank you for your support of In Parentheses!

To Submit your piece for future consideration, submit here.

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In the Fall 2023 Edition, our 25th release to date, we have featured the following esteemed contributors.

(If you are a contributor please click here.)

Poetry

“Your Cupboard” — Amanda Tumminaro currently lives in the U.S. with her family (and cat!). Her poetry has appeared in Litterae Magazine, Plainsongs, and Barzakh Magazine, among others. Her first chapbook, The Flying Onion was published in 2018 by The Paragon Press. For fun, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and pondering the universe. — 11

“It’s A Shame” & “Body of Truth” — Joseph Hardy, a reformed human resource consultant, lives with his wife in Nashville, Tennessee. His work has been published in: Appalachian Review, Cold Mountain Review, Inlandia, Plainsongs, and Poet Lore among others. He is the author of two books of poetry, The Only Light Coming In and Becoming Sky, Bambaz Press Los Angeles, and a picture book, At the Reading of the Will—And a Boy’s Life Thereafter, IngramSpark. — 11

“That Night in Cambridge” — John Repp is a poet, fiction writer, and folk photographer/collagist living in Erie, Pennsylvania. Seven Kitchens Press will soon publish his latest chapbook, Star Shine in the Pines. — 11

“How to Own a Matisse” — Ben Macnair is an award winning poet and playwright from Staffordshire in the United Kingdom. Follow him on Twitter @benmacnair — 12

“Chiaroscuro” — Steve Gerson writes poetry and flash about life’s dissonance. He has published in CafeLit, Panoplyzine, Crack the Spine, Decadent Review, Vermilion, In Parentheses, Wingless Dreamer, Big Bend Literary Magazine, Coffin Bell, and more, plus his chapbooks Once Planed Straight; Viral; and The 13th Floor: Step into Anxiety from Spartan Press. — 12

“Pilgrim” & “On Fear” — Ellie Snyder is a poet and social media manager for a nonprofit helping people, pets and the planet in Boise, Idaho. Read her work in The Blood Pudding, New Note Poetry, Fauxmoir, Pinky Thinker Press, Poets Choice, Tiny Seed Literary Journal, Eunoia Review and You Might Need to Hear This. — 12

“Cracked Ribs” — Locklyn Wilchynski is a poet, fiction writer, and musician from McComb, Mississippi. She has just finished her tenure at the Mississippi School of the Arts as a literary student. Her work has been previously published in literary journals like The Phoenix, Nine Cloud Journal, Car Crash Mag, and Refractions Magazine. She has also won many state-wide awards like The William Faulkner Literary Competition and Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. — 13

“Consumption” — Naomi Kim is a writer and PhD student based in the Midwest. She is trying. — 13

“Marmalade” — Emma Wells is a mother and English teacher. She has poetry published with various literary journals and magazines. She enjoys writing flash fiction and short stories also. Emma won Wingless Dreamer’s Bird Poetry Contest of 2022 and her short story entitled ‘Virginia Creeper’ was selected as a winning title by WriteFluence Singles Contest in 2021. Recently, she won Dipity Literary Magazine’s 2024 Best of the Net Nominations for Fiction with her short story entitled ‘The Voice of a Wildling’. — 16

“Zentraleuropa” — Nathanael O’Reilly is an Irish-Australian poet. His poetry collections include Selected Poems of Ned Kelly, Dear Nostalgia, Boulevard, (Un)belonging and Preparations for Departure. His poetry appears in over one hundred journals & anthologies published in fifteen countries. He is poetry editor for Antipodes: A Global Journal of Australian/New Zealand Literature. — 17

“Poets and Power” & “Roosevelt” — James B. Nicola, returning contributor, is the author of eight collections of poetry, the latest being Fires of Heaven: Poems of Faith and Sense, Turns & Twists, and Natural Tendencies (just out). His nonfiction book Playing the Audience: The Practical Actor’s Guide to Live Performance won a Choice magazine award. — 17-19

“A Beach Concerto for Clarinet” & “We live in a time of magical thinking” — Brian Pilling has been published in In Parentheses, The Berkshire Review, Cutbow Quarterly, Down In The Dirt, New Pop Lit, Hidden Peak Press, and elsewhere. Brian has two chapbooks, The Poet’s Struggle, by Bottlecap Press, and A Substitute Algebra Teacher With A Penchant for Poetry by The Main Street Rag — 19

“By the Numbers” — Michael McIrvin is the author of several poetry collections, including Optimism Blues: Poems Selected and New (2003, 2019) and Hearing Voices (Fearful Symmetry, 2020). His most recent novel is The Blue Man Dreams the End of Time (2009, 2019) and he is currently writing a novel about a semi-feral boy in manhood. He lives on the High Plains of Wyoming. — 19

“A tear in the seam” & “I arrive in the world as a mirror” — BEE LB is an array of letters, bound to impulse; a writer creating delicate connections. they have called any number of places home; currently, a single yellow wall in Michigan. they have been published in FOLIO, Figure 1, The Offing, and Harpur Palate, among others. they are a poetry reader for Capsule Stories. their portfolio can be found at twinbrights.carrd.co — 20

“Frozen Morning” & “Watching Many Sunsets” — Carter Vance is a writer and poet originally from Cobourg, Ontario, Canada currently resident in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. His work has appeared in such publications as The Smart Set, Contemporary Verse 2 and A Midwestern Review, amongst others. He was previously a Harrison Middleton University Ideas Fellow. His latest collection of poems, Places to Be, is currently available from Moonstone Arts Press. — 21

“Stargazing Love” & “Golden Sunrise, Dark Memories” — Claudia Wysocky is a renowned Polish-born poet in New York. She believes that art can empower positive change and has five years of fiction writing experience. Her work is featured in local newspapers and magazines, and she finds great joy and motivation in her endless journey of writing. — 21

“Barn” — Joshua Kulseth earned his BA in English from Clemson University, his MFA in poetry from Hunter College, and his PhD in poetry from Texas Tech University. His poems have appeared and are forthcoming in Tar River Poetry, The Emerson Review, The Worcester Review, Rappahannock Review, The Windhover, and others. His poetry manuscript, Leaving Troy, was shortlisted for the Cider Press Review Publication Competition. — 22

“How Planets Die” — CL Liedekev lives in Conshohocken, PA, with his real name, wife, and children. He is a two-time nominee for Best of the Net, with his poem “November Snow” being a finalist in 2021. His work is found in Humana Obscura, Red Fez, River Heron Review, and American Writers Review, amongst others. — 22

“Soundcheck Attempt in Chelsea NYC” — Will Marsh is a writer and musician living in New Orleans, LA. He grew up in Virginia, where he formed the indie rock band Gold Connections, and has published fiction in Hash Journal. — 23

“Hours before the MRI, and I’m already drowning,” “Notes on a State of Unwellness” & “Question” — Christian Ward is a UK-based writer who can be recently found in Wild Court, Scapegoat Review, Pink Apple Press, The Selkie, Rappahannock Review, South Florida Poetry Journal and Double Speak. — 23

“hummingbird in a pomegranate tree” & “better off a mockingbird” — James Redfern (he/his) was born and raised in Long Beach, California. Teacher, editor, printmaker, artist, writer, and poet: Redfern has built up a long rap sheet of artistic creation. Redfern’s collection, The Baker, was published by Moonstone Arts Center in Philadelphia (2022). Recently, his poetry has appeared in High Shelf, In Parentheses, Beatific Magazine, The Raw Art Review, Transcend, We Are Antifa (Into the Void), Dime Show Review, Anti-Heroin Chic, The Closed Eye Open, Plants & Poetry Journal, Genre: Urban Arts, W.E.I.R.D., Pensive, and elsewhere. — 24

“All Good” — Emily Purificação graduated from McGill University with an M.A. in English (creative writing thesis). She won the Peterson Prize for Literature (McGill University) and was a prizewinner in the Biscuit International Short Story competition. Originally from San Francisco, she currently lives in upstate California and works at a community college. — 24

“Not in the Sky” — Holly Peckitt is a PhD in Creative Writing candidate, writer and poet from Manchester, UK. Studying at Bangor University, her writing has previously featured in The Stage, The History Quill, Black Bough and Evocations Review. When she isn’t working, you can find her reading, gardening, and taking walks through nature. — 24

“Cascabel” — Noel Munguia-Moreno is a Utah absconder pursuing a Creative Writing major and a minor in Film Studies at Susquehanna University. His writing comes from that space between insomnia and productivity. When he is not writing, he spends his time daydreaming or watching strange horror films. His work is found in Sanctuary, RiverCraft, Sequoia Speaks, and other magazines, and he has been awarded the Juliett Gibson Prize in Poetic Excellence. — 25

“Paradise Lost, Again” — Lindsay Clayton Day is a writer of poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Day’s writing has been published in Canada and the United States in various publications including The Dalhousie Review, The Antigonish Review, The Elevation Review and more. They also work as a teacher of English for adult learners, and as a mother to their small daughter. — 25

“Judas Kiss” — You might find Arben Alovic somewhere on your adventure. Teaching at LaGuardia College in NYC or taking a nap on the Kamo River in Kyoto. His work has appeared here and there, but what’s the fun if he listed it here? Time for a good scavenger hunt. Explore all the lovely writers you find on that hunt! Till next time, may life treat you well. — 25

“Honkytonk Woman” — David Lohrey was raised in Memphis and is now based in Tokyo, Japan. Lohrey’s work highlights how the absurd and the banal mingle across the terrain of America’s advanced cultural dementia. His first book of poetry, Machiavelli’s Backyard, draws on his experience growing up in the era of Martin Luther King’s killing, Patty Hearst’s kidnapping, and Watergate. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Blue Mountain Review, the Delta Review, the New Orleans Review, Obsidian, Stony Thursday Anthology, and Dodging the Rain. A multiple Pushcart Prize nominee, David saw his second collection, Bluff City, published by Terror House Press. — 26

“Tea for Two” — Carsten Cheung is a high school teacher out of Torrance, CA. He recently fell in love with watching SLAM poetry performances and has since been inspired to embark on a journey of crafting his own poems. When not in the classroom Carsten can be found searching for the perfect cookie. — 27

“Saltwater” — Cami DuMay is an undergraduate at UC Davis, pursuing an English degree with emphasis in creative writing. She writes about myriad aspects of life, from intimacy and trauma to nature and insects, but most often comes back to an intersection of magic and pain which is grounded in the everyday. — 27

“Kaju Katli” & “Wasn’t Born Like This” — Sunayna Pal was born and raised in Mumbai, India, now calls Maryland home, where she resides with her family. She has made her literary mark with her debut poetry
book, Refugees in Their Own Country (B&W Fountain), which explores the Partition of India. Her evocative poetry graces the pages of numerous esteemed international journals and anthologies, resonating with
readers across the globe. Beyond her writing, Sunayna serves as the Director of “The Poetry Academy” and is dedicated to the practice of Heartfulness meditation. For a deeper insight into her work and journey, please visit sunaynapal.com. — 28

“Soak & Wet,” “Refresh,” “Pas De Deux,” “Canadian Blaze,” “More on the Sea of Uncertainty,” & “Black on Both Sides”— Phillipe Martin Chatelain is the Managing Editor of In Parentheses. He is a poet from New York City with a Masters Degree in Poetry from The New School. He writes as someone in the tradition of the urban troubadour or the flaneur–wandering, taking notes. He believes that poetry of our generation has taken on a much more digital definition. Furthermore, it is important for New Modernist writers like those exhibited in In Parentheses Literary Magazine to assume the forms of media available in order to carry on the history of Sublime Art. His series taking shots alone was self-published in 2012-2015. The self-published collection FACETS (2019) is now available. @philo.den — 28-29

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Long Form & Prose

“One Week Off” — Gregory Halley is an aspiring writer based in Washington, D.C., but was raised in northeast Ohio. His previous work includes a flash fiction publication in the Bright Flash Literary Review as well as a self- publication and self-narration of a short story on Amazon and Audible. He has a passion for writing and hopes you enjoy his stories! — 32

“Chip” — Matt A Hanson is a writer, journalist and editor based in Istanbul. His fiction has appeared in The Write Launch, Underwood Press, the Bosphorus Review of Books, Panorama: The Journal of Travel, Place and Nature, The Skewies: An Award Anthology and the Summer ‘23 issue of Washington Square Review. He founded
the indie, digital publishing platform FictiveMag.com and is currently at work producing an annual novel manuscript with the hopes that one might become his debut work of fiction. In self-publishing, he has released eighteen titles under pseudonyms ranging from verse to fiction, collected journalism and other nonfiction. — 33

“The Attack” — Kris Green lives in Florida with his beautiful wife and two savage children. He’s been published over 35 times in the last few years by the wonderful people at Nifty Lit, The Haberdasher: Peddlers of Literary Art, In Parentheses Magazine, Route 7 Review, BarBar Magazine and many more. This year, he’s won the 2023 Barbe Best Short Story and Reader’s Choice Award for his short story, “Redemption.” — 34

“The Pig” — When she isn’t working in a research lab with her biology MS, H.E. Shippas can be found writing creative pieces, playing indie video games she helped fund on Kickstarter, or trying new foods in Philadelphia, PA. Since writing on Neopets.com in middle school, H.E. has loved to write in all forms and encourages everyone in her circles to try the same. She believes everyone has a story, they just have to find their own personal writing form. She has previously been published in DSTL Art’s Aurtistic Zine for her poetry and The Shallot’s Mental Health Magazine for a short story. — 35

“Mirabelle’s Missive” — Educated as a scientist, graduated as a mathematician, Cora Tate has made her living as a full-time professional entertainer most of her life, including a stint as a regular on the Grand Ole Opry. Repeated attempts to escape the entertainment industry have brought work as a librarian, physics teacher, syndicated columnist, and city planner. Cora lives and writes in Bhutan. In the past seven years, her short fiction has appeared in eighty-three literary journals, including the Galway Review, Indiana Voice Journal, Veronica, Scarlet Leaf Review, Wilderness House Literary Review, and Green Hills Literary Lantern. and won the Fair Australia Prize. — 36-38

“The Huntress” — Mozid Mahmud is a poet, novelist, and essayist based in Bangladesh. Some of their notable works include In Praise of Mahfuza (1989), Nazrul – Spokesman of the Third World (1996), and Rabindranath’s Travelogues (2010). They have been awarded the Rabindra-Nazrul Literary Prize and the country’ National Press Club Award, among others. — 38-39

“Pyrant” — David Grubb, a retired Coastguard Warrant Officer, has creatively written since childhood, yet career/family always came first. He’s changing that aspect of life and loving every minute. His work appears in Touchstone, Toasted Cheese, 1:1000, Sixfold.org, The Elevation Review, Every Day Fiction, The Abstract Elephant, The Bookends Review, Wingless Dreamer, In Parentheses, Havik, Novus, Ab Terra Flash Fiction, The Dead Mule School, ShowBear Family Circus, & winner of the Col. Darron L. Wright Award (veteran entry). http://www.agrubbylife.com Debut novel: A Trip From God Book 1. — 39

“Bavaria” — Mord McGhee writes out of coastal Lowcountry in South Carolina of the United States of America. He has done some things in writing while winning a handful of awards, but ultimately, he is simply ruled by his cats. They allow him to woodwork, create food from scratch, and bake rustic breads. Mord has four published novels and has appeared in many magazines and anthologies in 2023. Again, when the cats allow him to do so. Therefore, to further enjoy some cats, novels, amusement park gear for travelers, the occasional recipe blog and all things literary (and more!) please visit mordmcghee.com. — 40

“Bob Schnee” — Carl Boon is the author of the full-length collection Places & Names: Poems (The Nasiona
Press, 2019). His writing has appeared in many journals and magazines, including Prairie Schooner, Posit,
and Washington Square Review. He received his Ph.D. in Twentieth-Century American Literature from Ohio University in 2007 with a dissertation on the democratizing potential of the poetry of Ron Silliman. He currently lives in Izmir, Turkey, where he teaches courses in American history and literature at Dokuz Eylül University. Boon’s creative work often explores the intersections of history and the imagination, and the plight of the individual in the world. — 42

“Seize Me” — Joe Baumann is the author of three collections of short fiction, Sing With Me at the Edge of Paradise, The Plagues, and Hot Lips, and the novels I Know You’re Out There Somewhere and Lake, Drive. His fiction has appeared in Third Coast, Passages North, Phantom Drift, and many others. — 44

“Almost Free” — Born and raised in Chicago, Jake La Botz spent his early days studying under the last of the city’s pre-war era bluesmen. He began releasing his own albums in 2000 and would go on to spend the next two decades amassing a litany of critical acclaim, sharing bills with luminaries like Ray Charles, Etta James and Dr. John. His songs, and sometimes acting, have been featured in film and television, including True Detective, Shameless, Rambo, Ghost World, and many others. La Botz’ fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in The Museum of Americana, Bear Paw Arts Journal, and Wrong Turn Lit. — 46

“Bugs in the Planetarium” — Christopher Ananias enjoys wildlife photography and living in Kokomo, Indiana. His work has appeared in Flash Fiction Magazine, and others. — 47

“Monster Heart” — Rachel Racette, born 1999, in Balcarres, Saskatchewan. Interested in creating her own world and characters and loves writing science-fiction and fantasy. She has always loved books of fantasy and science fiction as well as comics. Lives with her supportive family and cat, Cheshire. Lives vicariously in fantasy settings of her own making. Published in: Poet’s Choice – Free Spirit, Arthropod Literary Journal Issue 1, Underwood Press, Coffin Bell. Website: http://www.racheldotsdot.wordpress.com Twitter: Rachel S Racette – Author — 48

“How to Break Up with Someone” — Luisa Barron is originally from Houston, Texas, but has spent time living in Los Angeles, New Zealand, Detroit, and now lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where she is working towards yet another degree in words. She has the typical interests of any writer – reading, writing, and railing against capitalism – alongside preoccupations with baseball, weightlifting, and canning tomatoes. She lives with her life partner of 11 years, a female Siamese tabby named Theo, who is currently making biscuits on her quads. She wonders what she is doing and why every single day. (Luisa, not Theo. But maybe Theo, too.) — 49

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Editorial

“Whine Like a Trini” — Australian-based travel writer Janie Borisov spent the last two decades visiting all of the 193 UN Member Countries, most autonomous territories, several unrecognized states, and all sorts of hidden corners. She holds a Bachelor of Finance degree from Flinders University of SA and a Bachelor of Arts(creative writing) from QUT. She has long sacrificed her finance career to her Travel Bug and is usually found treading some little-known path, taking all the wrong turns, and constantly scribbling in her notebook. When not circling the globe, Janie is busy writing travel stories and working on her first book Tripping All Over. — 52-53

“Massachusetts Where ‘Woke’ Comes to Live” — C. Graham Campbell, Ph.D. was born in Canada and immigrated to this country with his parents at the age of three. He is a seventy-five-year-old retired psychologist and a late blossoming author. He has a master’s degree in theology, a doctorate in pastoral psychology and training in Spiritual Psychology. He now spends most of his time involved with family, writing, meditating, and exploring what being an elder means. His work has appeared in Ravens Perch, Bicopa, Braided Way, and Steel Jack Daw, among others. — 54-55

“The Eye Surgery That Wasn’t” — Brian Huba’s essays have appeared in the Wilderness House Literary Review, bioStories, Men Matters Online Journal, the Superstition Review, and the Satirist. His creative nonfiction
has been published on 101 Words, in Reed Magazine, The Griffin, Down in the Dirt, Literary Juice, and The Storyteller. Brian has placed op-eds in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Democrat & Chronicle, New York’s Journal News, the Syracuse-Post Standard, the NY Daily News, and the Utica Observer-Dispatch. Check out Brianhuba.com for more. — 55-60

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Multimedia

“Watching” — Belle Dorcas is a collage artist from Michigan. she loves big, small, complicated, minimalist…the weirder the better. her work has been featured in Juste Milieu Zine, 45th Parallel, Beaver Magazine, and more. —1

“Portrait,” “Eyes,’ & “Amalgamation” — Donald Patten is an artist and cartoonist from Belfast, Maine. He produces oil paintings, illustrations, ceramic pieces and graphic novels. His art has been exhibited in galleries across Maine. His online portfolio is donaldpatten.newgrounds.com/art — 9, 14, 15

From “Three Images” — Jack Bordnick’s interest are to create artistic, meaningful works of art that can be enjoyed by all peoples and cultures. Being a designer and sculptor, has allowed him to share my professional experiences, in a beneficial way for both business and community projects of this nature. He has been a successful designer and has over twenty years experience in design, fabrication and installation of numerous and diverse projects of this nature. He is an Industrial design/Sculptor graduate of Pratt Institute in New York, where he has had his own professional design business and been a design director for numerous companies and local government projects. They included a major children’s museum, for the city of New York and Board of Education, involved in all aspects of the marketing, design and installation. — 13, 30-31, 40-41

“Geranium Water” — Katie Hughbanks’ photography has been recognized internationally, including two honors from the London Photo Festival. Her photos appear in various publications, including upcoming work in Peatsmoke Journal and L’Esprit Literary Review. Her poetry chapbook, Blackbird Songs, was published by Prolific Press in 2019, and her short story collection (It’s Time) will be released by Finishing Line Press in June 2024. She teaches English and Creative Writing in Louisville, Kentucky. — 20-21

From “Obscure Sorrow” — Hanlin Mu, an emerging figure in fine art photography, submits this application.
His portfolio seamlessly merges traditional photographic techniques with modern insights. With exhibitions such as Snow Desert under his belt and strides in AI-generated art, Mu stands at the forefront of contemporary photography. In the wake of the global pandemic, Mu embarked on an introspective journey. Drawing inspiration from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, he spent 31 days capturing nuanced emotions, providing a unique lens into the complexities of the human spirit during tumultuous times. — 26

“Disorientated” — Villain Ari is a visual artist, writer, and director of “Life in the Bubble” a documentary film set to release in 2024. She is based in Calgary, Alberta. She draws with ink-based mediums and brushes. As an artist living with complex and rare diseases she feels as though she fades away into the background of life. Ari is resilient living life within the safety bubble of her home she draws strength from creating art that evokes emotion in the viewer. — 32-33

“Questioning the End” — Matthew McCain is a published author and painter who has collaborated with artists ranging from Billy Morrison to Star Wars icon Billy Dee Williams. He has paintings all over the world from London England to Alice Coopers Teen Youth Center in Arizona. — 42

“Dreams Caladescopia 1” — Igor Aquino, better known as Astronauta de Mármore (Marble Astronaut) is an independent visual artist, 24 years old, and lives in the city of Feira de Santana – BA. He has been working with collage since 2019, both digital and analog collage. There is no art without black culture and Astronauta de mármore proves it. under the helmet is an independent artist from Bahia who, through his collages, brings his (re)readings of social movements, whether they be mainstream culture or manifestations of the purest existence of black people. Astronauts are those who travel into space in order to have a broader view of what is already known and to explore the most feared of zones, the unrecognizable. to describe the work of this artist, since through his collages, he brings new perspectives mixed perspectives of the existing and the most inspiring unknown to his mind. — 43

“Vagabond Lips,” “Medusa on a Bad Day,” & “The Wonder of It All” — Edward Michael Supranowicz is the grandson of Irish and Russian/Ukrainian immigrants. He grew up on a small farm in Appalachia. He has a grad background in painting and printmaking. Some of his artwork has recently or will soon appear in Fish Food, Streetlight, Another Chicago Magazine, The Door Is A Jar, The Phoenix, and The Harvard Advocate. Edward is also a published poet who has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize multiple times. — 50-51, 60-61, 64

“Altered Ego” from “Birds of a Feather” — Artist Robin Young, based in the California desert works in mixed media focusing on collage and contemporary art making. Her focus on collage art using magazine clippings, masking tape, wallpaper, jewelry, feathers, foil etc. and utilizing existing images as well as forming her own allows her to develop deep into the whimsical and intuitive. From large, life-sized pieces and 3D sculptures to small postcard-sized arrangements, Robin’s keen eye and gripping esthetic guide her viewers into her own semi- readymade world. Repurposing these nostalgic images for lighthearted and sometimes disquieting messages; Robin’s artistic universe is strange, funky, sometimes perverse and always alluring. — 53

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