Letter from the Editor
Dear readers, As I sit upon this rapidly melting block of ice, I realize Summer is here. I trust that you are keeping cool during this dreadfully blistering time. How hot is it? It’s hotter than a Jalapeño’s armpit on the Fourth of July … It’s so hot I have to sleep in the oven just to cool off … It’s hotter than a two-peckered goat … It’s so hot the chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs! (Insert your favorite cliché here.). Now is the time to grab a refreshing ICED beverage and relax with the Summer Edition of eMerge.
We have curated an exceptional collection of poetry and short stories that will not only entertain but also stimulate your intellect. From Bill McCloud’s poem, Lip Prints, which cleverly juxtaposes science and whimsey, to the thought-provoking poem by Elizabeth G. Howard, All the Fat, which beautifully encapsulates the weight and significance of poetic expression, each piece brings something unique and thought-provoking to the table. Amidst the sweltering Summer days, you will find a breath of fresh air in this issue of eMerge.
eMerge is published thanks to the unwavering dedication of a small but passionate team—a team that delights in sharing our love of contemporary literature with you. Cat Templeton (one of my brilliant daughters), who diligently maintains our website and handles last-minute edits; Sandra Templeton (beautiful inside and out), our incredibly talented art director; and Chad Gurley, our skilled graphic design editor and social media editor. We are currently raising funds to ensure the continuity of a literary magazine that is not reliant on advertising. If you find this issue enjoyable, please consider making a small donation here. Even a modest contribution will help us continue publishing writing from emerging writers that captivates and inspires.
We would also like to express our gratitude to our Featured Partners, Blue Clover Editing, where Aubrey Green, a professional copyeditor, ensures that your manuscript remains unique throughout the editorial process. Bill and Lara Bernhardt are bestselling authors, the masterminds behind WriterCon, and the publishers of WriterCon Magazine. The Ozark Writers League, informally known as "OWL," supports the desire of writers, artists, and photographers throughout the Ozarks region to expand their knowledge of the craft and to connect with and encourage the creativity of others. The Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow has been providing residences for writers for the last twenty years and for their long-time support and commitment to uplifting writers of all genres at all stages in their careers.
Until next time,
I remain,
Just another Zororastafarian editor who has been around the world twice and once suggested to Ernest Hemingway that he didn’t know how to make a proper Manhattan and when I woke up he was gone …
Table of Contents
- A Garden Morning
by Sharon Spurlin - Excerpt from Chapter 3 of Brothers Bound
by Bruce K. Berger - Of All the Sorrows
by Nancy Paddock - All the Fat
by Elizabeth G. Howard - Balance
by John Dorroh - Free
by Melia Snyder - The Shore of Santa Monica
by Anna Robertson - (The Illusion of) Flight: (A Jade Poem)
by Bill McCloud - Illumination
by Linda Neal Reising - Dear Poem
by Julie Hoffman - Last Letter to My Love
by Donna Hanson - Writing My Story
by Bill McCloud - Look at Me
by Jessica Hannon - Mudslide
by John Dorroh - The Waning of Miss Lyla Bluetree
by T. Daniel Wright - Displaced Lines
by D. L. Lang - Written in My Garden
by George Freek - A Mother’s Love
by Ray Shermer - It Is Time
by Chad Gurley - The Willow and the Barn
by Beth Hannah - To Odysseus
by Mia Marion - Canine Chatter
by Zeek Taylor - Make Believe
by Claire Collins - Larry Runs Afoul at D’Amato’s Delicatessen
by Julie Peterson Freeman - The Lane of Life
by Holly Ellison - Feigning Sleep
by Daniel P. Stokes - Walt
by Charles Templeton - D & D at the Chinquapin Cemetery
by Ruth Weinstein - There is in Me
by Erin McGrane - Life in Punctuation
by Darlene Graf - Abundance of Rain
by Jonathan Chibuike Ukah - Signifying Nothing
by Susan Hendel - Invisible Confession
by Jack Albert - The House of Butler
by Patricia Trentacoste - People
by Madison Hu - Jerry In the Field
by Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg - Lowell
by A. Johnston - Dead Man’s Creek
by Lea Ann Crisp - Dark Cocoa Brownies
by Anna Gall - Karmically, I Mumbled
by Jessica Cloud - A Death is Near
by John Ganshaw - Adulting is Risky
by Jeanean Doherty - Meeting My Muse
by Kathryn Lorenzen - Reserving Judgement
by Joyce Hanewinkel - The Seamstress
by Jojo O’Such - We’ll All die
by Shahryar Eskandari Zanjani - Lip Prints (she's been a lot of places)
by Bill McCloud - untitled
by Faune Vita - Walking
by Joan Roberts - Issue 23: Summer 2024
by Charles Templeton