THE EXHIBITION
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THE EXHIBITION •
‘POMEGRANATE’ & Assorted Poems
Kathleen Pedraza is a graduate student of English Literature at Florida International University. Pedraza’s passion for poetry stems from a deep fascination with the complexities of the human experience—the interplay of beauty and discomfort that life often presents. In her writing, she explores the nuances of emotion, mental health, and the contradictions that define our identity. Pedraza is drawn to the moments that are both fleeting and profound, capturing the essence of what it means to be human.
‘A Letter to the Newly Chronically’
Aaron McDaniel (He/They) is a writer, reader, painter, nature lover, baker, seamstress, button collector, and much more. However he is also a young person learning to navigate the world while living with chronic pain and fatigue, mental illness and a physical disability.
‘Lap of Luxury’, ‘Selfie’ & ‘Silent Slang’
Megan Denese Mealor resides in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband and 11-year-old son, who was diagnosed with autism at age three. Nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize as well as the 2023 Best of the Net, her writing has been featured in literary journals worldwide, most recently Bar Bar, The GroundUp, and Down in the Dirt. She has also authored three full-length poetry collections: Bipolar Lexicon (Unsolicited Press, 2018); Blatherskite (Clare Songbirds Publishing House, 2019); and A Mourning Dove’s Wishbone (Cyberwit, 2022). A lifelong survivor of bipolar disorder, Megan’s main mission as a writer is to inspire others feeling stigmatized for their mental health.
‘The Lion’s Last Roar’
Jake Wright is a fourth year biology student at UBCO pursuing a minor in creative writing. When He's not writing, he's usually gaming, crying over university, or skiing.
‘SERVANT’
Richard Gregory
‘Trepidation’, ‘Surgical Notes’ & ‘Authenticity of Angels’
Richard Eric Johnson lives and writes poetry in Arlington, Virginia. He has authored five full-length poetry collections and his poetry has appeared in numerous online and print journals. Eric is also a Pushcart nominee. He most recently was honored to be archived at La Salle University’s Connelly Library. He is a graduate of Indiana University with a B.A. in Germanic Languages and an M.S. in Education. After a tour in Viet Nam and West Berlin, he embarked on a career as a public servant and is now very happily retired.
‘Remembrance’
Erick Rivers is a writer and artist from North Miami Beach, Florida. His work blends poetry, short stories, and fantasy, often exploring themes of memory, identity, and activism. Erick has served as editor-in-chief of SIX Magazine, a publication from the College of Fine Arts at Florida State University, showcasing student artists' diverse voices. When not writing, Erick enjoys time with his cat, Kit, and playing Magic: The Gathering.
‘The Moments I Catch Myself Catching You’, ‘Just Before the Boneyard’, ‘Bottled Negativity’, ‘Holding You in the Dark’ & ‘Pisces’
Devin Hartman currently resides in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with his wife and their three cats. He is a graduate of Northern Michigan University.
‘The Great Compromise’
David Larsen is a writer who lives in El Paso, Texas. His stories and poems have been published in more than forty literary journals and magazines including Cholla Needles, The Heartland Review, Floyd County Moonshine, Aethlon, Oakwood, Coneflower Cafe, Literary Heist, Change Seven, El Portal and The Raven Review.
‘TRAIN AND WINDOW’, ‘GAY AGENDA—WITH TRASH’ & ‘LASTS, DOESN’T LAST’
Kenneth Pobo (he/him) is the author of twenty-one chapbooks and nine full-length collections. Recent books include Bend of Quiet (Blue Light Press), Loplop in a Red City (Circling Rivers) and Lilac And Sawdust (Meadowlark Press). Forthcoming from Fernwood Press is a book of poems called At The Window, Silence. His work has appeared in North Dakota Quarterly, South Florida Poetry Journal, Amsterdam Quarterly, Nimrod, Mudfish, Hawaii Review, and elsewhere. @KenPobo
‘Ars Amatoria’, ‘Sweet Potato’ & ‘Remaining’
Julian Kanagy is a Chicago-based poet whose work sets out to explore questions he can't find the words to ask. As Editor-in-Chief of The Wild Umbrella, in regular reading, and in his own writing process, Julian appreciates intention, concision, and variety in structure. Per the advice of a mentor, he lives in search of poems that nobody else could have written.
‘Fava Memories of a Kitchen Midwife’, ‘Carnaval on the Dunes of Ceara’ & ‘Water Lessons’
Ruth Mota currently resides in Santa Cruz, California after living a decade in Brazil and working as an international health trainer. Her poems often reflect her experiences in Latin America and Africa. Over fifty of her poems have been published in online and print journals including The Atlanta Review, Gyroscope Review, Duo, Terrapin Books and others.
‘Waking Up to A Nightmare’
Boaz Dvir, a Penn State University associate professor of journalism, has written for many publications, including New York’s Newsday, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, The Miami Herald, the Tampa Bay Times, TIME magazine, the Las Vegas Sun, the Jerusalem Post, The Satirist, Scripps Howard’s Treasure Coast Newspapers, and the Times of Israel. He wrote a chapter for “Homegrown in Florida” (University Press of Florida, 2012), an anthology edited by William McKeen that includes childhood stories by Michael Connelly, Carl Hiaasen, Zora Neale Hurston, and Tom Petty.
‘Everything Will Be Fine’
Ludivine M. was born and raised in Paris, France, and has been living for the past ten years in Berlin, Germany, where she works and raises her two daughters. She mostly writes nonfiction essays about motherhood and addictions.
‘Sitting Here’, ‘The Journey’ & ‘On the Day That You Died’
Tanya Moldovan started writing poetry after the loss of her mother. She's a new author and her poetry is grief and death related. She thinks death is universal experience and she hopes people from different corners of the world will be able to relate, find solace or take a glimpse at "the after death" experience.
‘Birthday’
Walter Weinschenk is an attorney, writer and musician. Until a few years ago, he wrote short stories exclusively but now divides his time equally between poetry and prose. Walter's writing has appeared in a number of literary publications including La Piccioletta Barca, The Normal School, Lunch Ticket, The Carolina Quarterly, The Worcester Review and others. He is the author of "The Death of Weinberg: Poems and Stories" (Kelsay Books, 2023). More of Walter's work can be found at walterweinschenk.com.