Glenis is a relatively new writer working in the flat lands of the Fens near Cambridge, UK. When she is not writing she makes beaded jewellery, knits, reads and runs 10K races slowly. She has been previously published by Dust Poetry, The Galway Review, Infinity Wanderers and Cosmic Daffodil.
Kira M. Tjomsland is an avid bookworm and scholar published in national
journals including “The Rectangle,” “The Westmarch Literary Journal” and
“Timada’s Diary.” Her adventures include a semester at the University of
Oxford, where she studied works of Lewis, Tolkien, and Rowling. Wrapping up
her senior year of undergrad with the intention to pursue creative writing at the
graduate level, Kira serves on the editorial team for Palm Beach Atlantic
University’s literary journal: “Living Waters Review.” A Florida native, she
currently lives in West Palm Beach with her husband Cade. To read more of
her work, follow her @kiramtjomsland.author.
Anna Ketchum is a novice poet submitting her work to a publication for the first time. She was inspired to begin writing her own poetry in 2021, after reading George Herbert and TS Eliot in a church book club and participating in a poetry pen-pal program with prison inmates. She has a bachelor’s degree in Religion and Philosophy from Friends University and most recently worked as a pastoral assistant for two years in Wales. Her time in Wales also served to help her explore her voice and build her confidence as a writer. Anna has an affinity for all things spooky, both for their own sake and also for how the adverse and horrific facets of life help us to face our own darkness and heal from it.
My name is Bart Streppel, and I am a music, movie, and creative writing enthusiast and the proud editor of Blue Crystal's fifth poetry anthology book. Originally from the charming town of Amstelveen, Netherlands, my family and I journeyed to the picturesque landscapes of Huntsville, Canada when I was just 10 years old. Along the way, a winding road of intrigue and curiosity led me to the University of Waterloo, where I'm currently pursuing my MA in Rhetoric and Communication Design. My love for writing, cinema, music, and pop culture knows no bounds. I'm constantly expanding my library, immersing myself in new genres, and exploring fresh concepts. With an insatiable passion for creativity, I eagerly jump into new projects whenever I can. Whether it's writing, editing, or any other artistic endeavor, count me in! Music is my solace, and I'm an avid guitarist and a budding pianist. Crafting my own melodies brings me immense joy and fulfillment. Alongside my studies, I've been working as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Waterloo, channeling my knowledge and enthusiasm to inspire others. I'm also pursuing my Certificate of Teaching Excellence (CTE), fueling my aspirations to eventually earn a PhD and teach at the university level. In the pages of the poetry anthology I've edited, you'll find a reflection of my passion, creativity, and dedication to the art form. I invite you to delve into this collection and embark on a journey of words, emotions, and shared experiences.
Brad Shurmantine lives in Napa, Ca., where he writes, reads, naps, and tends three gardens (sand, water, vegetable), seven chickens, two cats, and two bee hives. His fiction and personal essays have appeared in Mud Season Review, Loch Raven Review, and Catamaran; his poetry in Third Wednesday, Delta Poetry Review, and Blue Lake Review. He backpacks in the Sierras, travels when he can, and prefers George Eliot to Charles Dickens, or almost anyone. Website: bradshurmantine.com
From a young age Chris has always loved art and creativity.
Although he did not know it at the time a local event would be the Catalyst
that would eventually lead inspire him to writing Poetry.
The moment of inspiration came when he saw a spoken word performance from a youth
member of an organization called “Teen Empowerment “perform a poetic line.
There the young mentioned letting everyone go who either hurt them or no
longer served a purpose in their life. Moved by this Verse, he reflected on the
many people who no longer served his inner peace or mental health...
His poetry has been featured in literary magazines such as issue no 2 of the
GGP Collective in 2022 and The Prairie Review Magazine in 2024. Moreover
Chris has published many poetry books on his website Poetryrootz.online
Daniel W. Galef is an award-winning poet, playwright, and fiction writer whose writing has appeared in journals published in the UK, Canada, the United States, Hong Kong, India, France, and Germany. His writing has recently been featured in the Best Small Fictions anthology, the magazine Philosophy Now, and in the New Yorker (only in the sense that he won second place last year in the cartoon caption contest!). His latest book is a collection of rhyming sonnets, which can be purchased from Able Muse Press here: http://www.danielgalef.com/book/
African-Italian performance poet based in Oakland, California. Active on creative writing & Spoken Word since the early 1990s. Author of 9 books--Boneyard, Unwritten Law, Stormwater, Skeletal Black [ all from POOR Press ], Elohi Unitsi [ Conviction 2 Change Publishing ], Rusty Gallows: Passages Against Hate [ Vagabond Books ], Plans [ originally Nomadic Press, now re-issued from Black Lawrence Press ], Crimson Stain [ EYEPUBLISHEWE ] and his newest, Discovery [ Southern Arizona Press ]--and 73 anthology appearances under his figurative belt so far.
Dianalee Velie is the Poet Laureate of Newbury, New Hampshire. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, and has a Master of Arts in Writing from Manhattanville College. She has taught poetry, memoir, and short story at universities and colleges in New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire and in private workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her play, Mama Says, was directed by Daniel Quinn in a staged reading in New York City. She is the author of six books of poetry, Glass House, First Edition, The Many Roads to Paradise, The Alchemy of Desire, Ever After, Italian Lesson, and a collection of short stories, Soul Proprietorship: Women in Search of Their Souls. She is a member of the New England Poetry Club, the International Woman Writers Guild, the New Hampshire Poetry Society and founder of the John Hay Poetry Society.
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, Door Is A Jar, The Phoenix, and The Harvard Advocate. Edward is also a published
poet.
Emilee Gregory is a senior at Marquette University studying Writing-Intensive
English and Marketing. She is originally from Campbell, California. Her story,
“Cassandra’s Curse”, was published in the Marquette Literary Review. Inspired
by many road trips through Northern California, “From a Pink Bed in Everett,
CA” was written after rewatching the cinematic masterpiece that is Lana Del
Rey’s “Ride” music video. Emilee hopes to be a published author one day, and
in the meantime dreams of moving to the East Coast and reads as much as
possible in hopes of reaching her overly ambitious yearly Goodreads goal
Emily Mendyk was born in Chicago, Illinois and she and her brother were
raised by a single mother and grandparents. As a child, she played many sports
and loved to run, spent time with family, and developed a love for her English
classes. After her sophomore year of high school, she and her mom moved to
Manitowoc, Wisconsin. From there, Emily graduated from high school in the
height of the pandemic in 2020. She then attended Marquette University in the
fall majoring in Biomedical Sciences. While Emily has always had a strong
affinity for English and humanities classes, she also always knew she had a
clear passion and drive for medicine. Emily aspires to find the overlap in
medicine and the humanities and hopes to practice both in her daily life. She is
still an avid runner and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her
family and her dogs.
Gabriella Brand’s short stories, poetry and travel writing have appeared in over fifty publications, including StepAway, The First Line, The Globe and Mail, The Christian Science Monitor and elsewhere. A Pushcart Prize nominee in both fiction and poetry, Gabriella has seen her work published in Australia, Canada, France, Cameroon, India, Scotland, and the United States. She has read at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City and on various podcasts, including Open Mic of the Air. She makes her home in New England.
Late-phase poet arrived in seventh decade, aphorist, humorist or sometimes meanderist; Gerard Sarnat’s a multiple Pushcart/Best of Net Award nominee. His work’s been widely published; including four collections; by London Arts-Based Research Centre, Israel Association of Writers in English, The Nature of Our Times/Poets For Science, Brooklyn Review, Tokyo Poetry Journal, Gargoyle, New Delta Review, Buddhist Review, New York Times, Oberlin, St. John’s University, Northwestern, Yale, Pomona, Harvard, Missouri Baptist, Stanford, Dartmouth, Penn, Columbia, Grinnell, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Brown, North Dakota, McMaster, Maine, British Columbia/Toronto/Chicago, Virginia and Alabama university presses. He’s a Harvard Medical School-trained physician, Stanford professor, healthcare CEO. Currently, he’s devoting energy and resources to dealing with climate justice, serving on Climate Action Now’s board. Sarnat’s belonged to the longest-running U.S. Jewish-Palestinian Dialogue Group. Gerry’s been married since 1969 and has three kids, six grandsons — and looks forward to future granddaughters. gerardsarnat.com
Glenis is a relatively new writer working in the flat lands of the Fens near Cambridge, UK. When she is not writing she makes beaded jewellery, knits, reads and runs 10K races slowly. She has been previously published by Dust Poetry, The Galway Review, Infinity Wanderers and Cosmic Daffodil.
He is new to poetry and has developed a voice that he has maintained
over time. Sometimes he gets inspired by things that he has seen or places
he has been.
Isabel is a first year university student studying English literature and linguistics with a passion for creative writing. She has no previous publications.
