A Shorter Bridge to Heartache

at the bottom of a stagnant lake
lived a dead forest
black trunks standing
knuckle deep in muck
branches simply armature
for a fluttering array
of gray scarves
blowing in the watery wind
molds and aquatic plant life
growing quieter in near darkness
the forest laid down years ago
gave up the sun and the breezes
the same arguments from the same birds
slid back toward the sandy edge
then gradually leaned over
one after another they followed
under the forgiving cover
of progressively longer nights
a very slow migration
the stars really weren’t watching
eventual full immersion
nothing left uncovered
but the land around the lake
the gray water always present
became all any tree could remember
oxygenating the murk for a while
the contradictions grew
in place of leaves
instead of hopeful young twigs
stanchions indicating nothing
huddled together under the surface
standing sunken in an air more dense
a different kind of time passing
light arriving but
only in soft whispers

A fourth generation Californian, SB Stokes has lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area all of his life. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and is a former poetry and art editor for Fourteen Hills: The SFSU Review. He is a founder, event producer, and art director for Oakland’s Beast Crawl and guest curated Quiet Lightning’s third anniversary show with poet and QL board member Meghan Thornton. His poems have been published in numerous publications both in print and online. Several of his readings can also be found by searching “SB Stokes” on YouTube. He has produced the blog MASS COMMUNICATIONS since 2004 and his first book of poetry is A History of Broken Love Things from Punk Hostage Press.

Angel of Death

Queen of Spades

The Grim Reaper

Krampus Lair

The Collector

To see full sizes of all of our images just click the photo. For more information on Kristoffer Frisk and more examples of his work please see http://www.razorfront.se/.

Angels Dancing

In her eyes he saw angels dancing,
She was dreamlike in her motions
Her manner appeared carefree,
Yet he knew she was guarded
She had a heart, of that he was sure
But it lay crushed and broken
Among shards of glass and rubble
He could see pain in her eyes
And he longed to hold her,
To whisper reassuring words
He wanted her to smile and laugh
And for him to be the reason why
In her voice he heard music,
Melodies of hope and songs of love
Waiting to emerge from her lips
He wanted to share the music with her
To be the cause of her singing
He gazed into her eyes and
Saw angels dancing there

Julie A. Dickson has written poetry, prose, and stories for many years. Currently a member of the Poetry Society of New Hampshire and the Hyla Brook Poets of the Robert Frost Farm, her poems have appeared in Page & Spine, Avocet Nature Journal, GFWC Magazine, The Poet’s Touchstone and the Harvard Press. She has one volume of poetry titled Forest Nectars. Julie makes her home in New Hampshire. She has two grown children and an rescued black cat called Isis. She has long been a volunteer for animals shelters.

Gone to Mexico

He vanished over the border. It’s been a hundred years and still no trace. I’m waiting outside the Starbucks in Buzzards Bay. I could be waiting for him to stroll up, a copy of The Devil’s Dictionary under his arm. A woman at one of the tables is talking on her cell about cutting everyone’s hours. She’s twenty-something and almost pretty. I watch the hellish heat rise in waves from the blacktop. “It is what it is,” the woman says. She glances at me and then away – not ashamed, just uninterested. Every day is a heart hooked up to a monitor, another cat shot with an arrow.

Doves of Beirut

Doves were arrogant in those days

feral, territorial of ledges

I hadn’t snapped their necks yet

through grind of metal

on bone, stone

through air sharpened on greed hones

no scream left in punctured lungs

fate duct taped to fetal nights

barricaded behind shadowed ribs

that hardly rose for a fight

underneath rubble of lord’s prayer and adhan

they pecked at concrete

heads bobbing, waiting

waiting

they knew I’d come

they knew I’d tire of walking

your curved dead -end streets

I knew those ledges well

gravel and loose feathers

wet with rain

stuck with white droppings

to my young toes curled on grit

but I knew your streets below better

lick of diesel on asphalt

grief’s iron reek in gutters rising

damp alleys breathing

breathing

the way the old do

those who’d seen the blade

cut through flesh

a sigh every third inhale

a pause before funneling

jasmine and mold laced gasps

into patched veins

tied to the stone

tied to throbbing ground

with historical claims

to the sea breeze

that couldn’t cool their burns

still rummaging for life

as they used to remember it

I walked on sweat of fig trees

on your sidewalks bleeding at cracks

when you had the pigeon for dinner

and I starving, gnawed on bones

where I’d tied my message

pleading for your unclutched claws

on my debt

I hear you like your whores younger these days

and you rather have your sons as killers

blind and foaming revenge at mouth

darbouka between their knees dropped for guns

streets mapped in bite marks

on time I served now dyed ash blond

I look away

the way the old do

eyes on the distance to your bleeding ledge

March 25, 2014

Silva Zanoyan Merjanian is an internationally published poet residing in California. She released her first volume of poetry Uncoil a Night in 2013 with all proceeds helping civilian victims caught in war zones, she herself having been cast as collateral damage in a civil war in Lebanon for 8 years. She’s been featured in a variety of publications and anthologies, and was shortlisted for the Fermoy International Poetry Competition 2012. Silva was invited to Ireland in August 2013 to introduce her book.

Photo by Mauro Puccini at Labrena Photography

It has been a busy year for Joe Lansdale. His book The Bottoms is set to make it to the big screen via actor/director Bill Paxton and Frailty screenwriter Brent Hanley. Also coming to the screen is Cold In July as adapted by Jim Mickle, featuring Sam Shepard, Don Johnson, and Michael C. Hall. In May DC Animated Original Movies is releasing The Son of Batman as well, the script of which was penned by Joe. Coming in September 2014, Subterranean Press will also be releasing the deluxe hardcover edition of Black Hat Jack, which focuses on the role of African-Americans in the Wild West.

What does it feel like seeing so many of your projects making it to the big screen? Is it sometimes a little strange to see how other creative types adapt your work to fit film?

It’s satisfying in one way and nerve wracking in another. You know your work can never be adapted as closely as you like, but you fear them moving away from it too much. I am very happy with Cold in July, and look forward to The Bottoms. I like the script by Brent Hanley and trust Bill Paxton as a director. I like both of them, so I’m very hopeful.

Are you excited that Bill Paxton and Brent Hanley who worked on Frailty are going to be adapting The Bottoms? Did you like that particular movie(Frailty)?

I loved Frailty. I am excited they’re working on it, and as I said before, I think it’s going to be really good. I truly believe that.

Cold in July is also getting a lot of early praise. Were you surprised by that?

No. I was kept in the loop and read several versions of the script. There were aspects of earlier scripts I preferred, but this is what they thought they could make work on the screen, and it did. I also liked some things they had to cut, but at some point you have to make decision based on length of the film. That’s just how it works. But, yeah. I liked it a lot.

Is there one project in the works at the moment that you are most looking forward to seeing finished and out to the public?

 There are several, but I can’t really talk about them at this point. We’ll see how it works out, but I will say there are a couple that are very exciting.

How do you like working for DC? I know you’ve been a fan of comics for most of your life and have worked on various projects in the past. Did you ever think you’d be doing that when you were a child lost in the comics yourself?

I always hoped to work in comics, especially for DC, and it came about through stories I had written. I was asked to write a couple Batman novellas for anthologies, and then I was asked to write a Batman novel. I did all these things, and that led to DC calling and asking if I wanted to write for the TV series. A friend of mine, Bob Wayne, worked in marketing, and he had a lot to do with introducing my work to them. This is the same way it happened in comics. They liked my stuff, they asked me to write for them. Warner does the DC stuff, but they are a different division, in that when I wrote the animated stuff I was actually working directly for them. Recently I wrote Son of Batman for them. Alan Burnett was the story editor, and he also helped on a number of things that made it a better script. He’s fantastic to work with. On the TV series I worked with Michael Reeves, and he was really good. I enjoyed the experience on both.

You have often said Batman would have to be your favorite superhero. Why do you think he in particular appeals to you most?

He wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider. He didn’t come from a world where he is given powers by a yellow sun. He wasn’t given a ring by a dying alien, and he didn’t have an odd chemical mixture splash on him and give him super speed. He made himself what he is; he’s a self-made man. That always appealed to me, and in my own way I tried to follow that example. I can’t be Batman, but I did become a martial artist and read extensively on a variety of subjects.

Do you ever feel like a kid again when you are working on bringing the characters you loved back then to life in a new light?

I do. And that is one of its great benefits. For relaxation I read a lot of comics, but these days mostly archives, though some new stuff as well. Mostly DC, but not exclusively.

What was the most challenging thing about adapting the storyline that was wrote by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Andy Kubert(Son of Batman)?

It has the same problems all adaptations to screen have. It’s a game of beat the clock. You have so many minutes and you often have material that lends itself to so much more. And sometimes you think, well, it’s animation you can do anything. But you can’t. There are still routes you can take that can be too expensive to put on the screen, even with animation. That’s what a good editor does for you, says stuff like: Uh, we can’t have an army of millions. It cost to draw all those things. And thirty-five tentacles is a tentacle too far. Etc.

Do you think it would be fair to say that this particular type of work helps keep you young at heart?

I think it does, yes.

How has your life in general changed last since we last spoke?

It’s the same. I’m writing. I’m hanging with my family all I can. I’m having fun. Maybe recognition level has grown, but I’m still the same ole me.

What do you think is key to a life well lived?

Liking yourself, but seeing your faults as well. Having peace with yourself and who you are. You have to please yourself before you can please others, but that’s not meant as a selfish comment. Just reality. If you don’t like yourself, you can’t like anyone else. And no one can fix you but you.

The world recently lost another great soul and writer with the passing of Neal Barrett. Do you find you miss him terribly? What do you miss about him most if you don’t mind my asking?

I love Neal dearly. He was family. Last few years I’ve been so busy and traveling we didn’t spend as much time together as in the past, but we kept in touch, and we were sure to tell each other what we meant to one another. I miss his humor, his laugh, and his talent. He will be missed by me until I’m gone.

Do you think the new generation of writers coming up will be able to keep the closeness of the horror genre writers in tack?

I don’t know that all the writers in the genre are that close. I think there are different groups that came up at the same time, attending the same conventions, went through the same trials with the same editors and magazines and book companies that are close. That’s how that happens.Frankly, I never really give that kind of thing much thought. It is what it is.

In Black Hat Jack you get to delve back into the West which I know you love. Did it feel good to be doing that again? What is it about that period in time that you enjoy so much?

I grew up on Western stories from my dad. He was a great storyteller, and I loved Western films, and later came to love Western novels, and historical fiction about the West. In Black Hat Jack I’ve mixed historical with mythology of the West to make it bigger than life, but about a real event. I like the fact that the West is our own mythology, and I was greatly impressed growing up by mythology, especially that of the Greeks. A lot of people who wrote about the West grew up on mythology, and when they wrote about the West it seeped into their stories. I grew up on myth and legend and history of the West, and it was my intent to blend them. Also, Black Hat Jack, and the forthcoming novel, Paradise Sky, are about the role of blacks in the West, a mostly overlooked subject. I’ve been wanting to write Paradise Sky, which I called The True Life Adventures of Deadwood Dick, for ages. I finally got it done, after over thirty years of thinking about wanting to do it. Not thinking about the plot, just the main character and the basic idea. I had so much fun with that one.

Why do you think the role of African-Americans as well as other races during that time has been so rudely ignored?

Racism. It restricted the knowledge of their achievements, though it was there in history to see if you looked, and when it was there to see, it was ignored. That’s the long and the short of it.

What can your readers expect from Black Hat Jack?

Humor, excitement, myth, and history.

I know when you need a break from all the work you love to go to Italy. Why is that? What do you love most about it?

Well, it’s not always a break. My trips to Italy are often tied to book promotion, but I do love Italy. We have many friends there and my books do very well there.

Do you think it is important to remember to always take time to balance work and relaxation?

I do. I work on the average about three hours a day, and seldom more, though there are exceptions. I also like to do it in the mornings so I can move on with the rest of my day. If I write, the whole day goes well, then I have time for other things. This way I work and relax in the same day. Are there times when work is stressful, you bet, but I like the work I do, and when I take time off, I enjoy that time, be it a work day, or those rare times when I just take off for a few days or even longer now and then. Life is to be lived and loved, not stuffed with unnecessary exasperation. No one goes through life without stressful times, but learning to deal with that stress is important. It makes the work more fun.

Aside from travelling what do you when you get to feeling a little burnt out?

I practice martial arts, and when I’m feeling sort of burned down, I do more of it. I also read constantly. I find that relaxing. Comics are relaxing. I love movies, and I have a few TV shows I watch. I like to rent a season of a good TV show, and then take a day or two to watch it. That is often very helpful.

Other than the projects mentioned, what are you working on at the moment?

My son Keith and I are writing a screenplay, and my daughter Kasey and I are writing a novella, and I’m working on a couple of projects I can’t discuss right now.

Anything you’d like to say before you go?

Bye. Like yourself.

Courtney Bingham began her career in modeling at the age of 17. She later went on to work under Christine Peters(How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, The Out of Towner’s)at Paramount Pictures/CFP Productions. She went on to produce the movie Inappropriate Comedy starring Adrien Brody, Rob Schneider, Lindsay Lohan, and Michelle Rodriguez. She currently has two radio shows on XM and IHeartRadio Platform, The How 2 Girl, which offers thrifty how to tips for today’s busy woman, and the half hour weekly pop culture show Behind the Gates. It was a delight to sit down with her and talk just before her pending marriage to Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx.

What were you like as a little girl? What are some of your most fond childhood memories? What did you want to be back then?

As a little girl I was always creative. I loved doing arts and crafts and my favorite day of the week was Saturdays because that is when I would get to go to the craft store and pick out fun projects to do at home. I loved school but mainly the social aspect, not so much the studies. Some of my favorite memories growing up were spent building sand castles at the beach where I was born and raised, riding Space Mountain at Disneyland with my mom and learning to ski at three years old in Utah where my moms family lives. I always saw myself being an “moviestar” when I was little, but oddly enough I never had the actual acting bug, I think I just liked the glamour in it all, not the work.

What led to you becoming a model at 17?

Growing up I was obsessed with Cindy Crawford. I thought, and still do think she is the most beautiful woman in the world, plus she’s an extremely intelligent and business savvy woman. I used to watch her work out videos when I was little and just loved everything about her. I was always tall and thin, I would sometimes get teased, especially in middle school and my mom would always say move over Cindy Crawford. I was not only fascinated with Cindy, who I later in life got to know and love, but the fashion world really mesmerized me. As soon as I hit 5’10 I was on a mission to find an agency and start my career, soon after I signed with Wilhelmina Models.

What was it like when you first left America to live abroad in Europe? What was running through your mind when you first arrived there?

When I moved to Milan, Italy to pursue modeling at 17 I was beyond excited and ready to start a new chapter of my life. I think a lot of girls would be intimidated or nervous at that age to move to a new place let alone a country that mainly speaks Italian but I could not wait for the adventure and for the experience that awaited me. I have always been the type to dive in head first to new things without fear or hesitation. When I arrived and met my agents at Why Not Models I instantly fell in love. The Italians are the sweetest, kindest people and I felt so much support right from the start. Everyday walking around to go-see’s I was blown away by the beauty in the architecture, the people, the fashions, the language, and the food. This was when I believe my passion and love for traveling and food began.

How did you come to work for Christine Peters? What did you learn from your time at Paramount?

Christine Peters and I were introduced through mutual friends when I was 18. Christine was hot off of producing the hit romantic comedy, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and we immediately clicked and became great friends. In 2007, at 21, I had just returned to LA from living in Madrid, Spain modeling and she welcomed me into her production family with open arms. I was always very interested in film production and what better way to learn than from a seasoned veteran! The two years I worked with Christine were unforgettable and life changing. I really learned so much from her and she mentored me more than she will ever know.

Did you develop a love of cinema at an early age? Do you happen to remember what move first made a lasting impression?

I always loved going to movies like any child or teenager, but what really caught my eye and my attention was all of the details that went into a film. I was always very interested in all of the components that make a film great, the editing, the sound, the music, the lighting, the casting, you name it. I was able to dissect all of the sometimes overlooked details that take a film from good to amazing. That is why I believe I became a great producer whether in film or producing segments and radio for my DIY brand The How 2 Girl, I understand what all goes into making a project great.

What was it like to work as a producer on Inappropriate Comedy? What was the most challenging aspect of bringing this film into being?

Working as a producer on Inappropriate Comedy was one of the best learning experiences of my life. I had to get out of my comfort zone because the material and type of slap stick comedy that the movie consisted of wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. I was also lucky to work with a vast array of people all with very different personalities and was able to bring everyone together for the common goal of getting this movie made. My favorite part of the process was spearheading the casting, working with wardrobe to find the right outfits that suited the actors and the scenes, and working with the amazingly talented Adrien Brody. To say the production was filled with a lot of fun times and a lot of laughs would be a huge understatement.

Do you think producing film is something you will do more of in the future?

I love film producing and most certainly will be doing it in the future. I just finished writing my fist script, the working title is A Dog Movie. I had the time of my life co-writing it and hope to produce it myself and bring it to the big screen with Disney.

Are there any little known things about you that your fans might be surprised to learn?

I am deathly terrified of sharks and refuse to go far out into the ocean to swim or surf. I am a home body. I am not a big reader, I lose interest in books very quickly and that is something I’m trying to change. I have never been a very patient person, also something I am working on. I am scared of snakes. My favorite three movies of all time are My Cousin Vinny, Clueless, and Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion. I love the show Snapped. I also love working out to Motley Crue.

Do you think the media puts too much pressure on the average person when it comes body image?

Absolutely. I am a big advocate for women to be healthy, whatever that means for your body type. I think eating right and exercise is super important for your mind, body, and soul. I naturally have a thin frame and when I look at a lot of these fashion magazines I can’t believe how thin some of the girls are now. They make me look big and I’m a size 2. It’s not only crazy and impossible for any woman to achieve but it’s wrong. Fashion houses should think about using women that are not 15 and look like little boys in their adds. I’m sorry but this is why so many teenage girls have bad body images. When I was modeling I refused to starve myself and work out 3 times a day because that is ridiculous and when I lived in NYC, I was considered too curvy for a lot of the fashion shows. A size 2 too curvy? That’s crazy. I think curves are sexy. People need to realize it is ok to have curves and to embrace them.

What advice would you offer other women in regards to beauty and self image?

Be the best you can be. Work with what you’ve got. Accentuate your assets that are unique to you. Don’t measure yourself to someone else or someone else’s genetics, that’s just a total waste of time!

How do you come up with all the ideas you offer up on The How 2 Girl? Do you think it is important to know how live on a budget in today’s economy?

I think it is important for everyone to save money anyway they can. I look at how lucky I am and how lucky so many of us are to have roofs over our heads and running water. That is a gift. There are so many people that have to do without, so I think spending money frivolously on things when you can find them or do them for less is wasteful. Of course there are those things we like to splurge on, but when you can save money without losing quality why not? That is an obvious choice in my book. Most of my How2Girl ideas actually come from a need I’m filling for myself, my family, or my friends. I love being creative and getting the most bang for my buck and I love nothing more than passing on those time and money saving ideas to my followers.

How did you and Nikki first meet? Were you a fan of his music before you met? What is he like as an individual?

Nikki and I were introduced through a mutual friend because he thought we would click as friends. We spoke over the phone for a few weeks and when we met in person, we instantly clicked. I knew a little about his band but not too much about him when we met.

How are you feeling about all the attention your wedding has been receiving? Does it make you any more nervous about the upcoming day? Do you enjoy attention or would you say you are more introverted?

I have loved being able to share aspects of our special day with the world. It’s been amazing!

What do you think is the key to a life well lived?

Riding the rollercoaster and not sweating the small stuff.

Do you have a dream project you would most like to complete?

I want to build The How2Girl brand into the next Martha Stewart Living via television, radio, home goods, makeup lines, hair care, and home improvement goods.

Ornithology

Few trees radiate much fun in the desert, he said. The shopping mall is the villain the hero lunges for when the economy whistles in the wind. I’ve been looking for you. My encyclopedias are without a home now with this technology in our heads. A fountain bursts from the earth and he swears he saw Ornette Coleman playing saxophone at the edge of the horizon. Moonshine on her forehead. The desert never sleeps. It watches, even when the quiet itches, and the sand stirs a migraine in a migrant’s head. I felt the news retreat from as far away as New England, the indigenous vision powdered by the European boot. Come on, friend, let’s just try it. My ears were made for jazz. Abel’s ear lobes are pierced with Milt Jackson’s vibraphone sticks. Last night a commercial pilot shared a story with us about his recent flight from Guadalajara to Los Angeles that didn’t involve the melting snowball constraint practiced by the Oulipo. The story was about an elderly woman who died while in the air. The crew tried to save her. They used compressions, a defibrillator, and a doctor onboard shot her with an epinephrine pen straight through the chest. Her husband, fed tequila by the flight crew, sat heavily in his seat as they worked on his wife at the front cabin where she eventually died and left herself to a blanket draped across the length of her body. When the trip concluded the passengers touched down to a new realization: the difference between arrival and departure is what? Not a snowball, but the whole Sierra melted for a husband that night; mountains of water overflowing the rusty-riveted wooden bucket in his chest. (The mind sees so much water in the desert when thirsty and on the verge of deliverance) My father was a trombone player. His horn wailed like a sad commander perched among the insane asylum’s rafters, which to my father, meant no battle but a war declared by a guilty conscience. Standing armies are catalysts for war-mongering jingoists my history teacher instructed. They’re expensive, and when they’re not actively engaged in plots to unrest a potential enemy to shamelessly plunder its resources, it becomes a drain on the economy and is no longer justifiable. Who would have ever thought! Blessed be the snowball that melts by its own accord. Ah. We are not there. Though somewhere I can feel the wind banging softly against our collective faces, and my heart the amble of a sleepwalker chasing colossal love.

Manuel Paul Lopez’s work has been published in Antique Children, Bilingual Review, Bitter Oleander, Blue Mesa Review, Chiron Review, Hanging Loose, Puerto del Sol, and others. His first poetry collection was entitled Death of a Mexican and other Poems. His newest collection The Yearning Feed is out now.

http://manuelpaullopez.blogspot.com/

Notes from the Cat House features 60 over poems from the BramStoker-Award winning author. It is available in ebook format as well as audio, in which Jack himself reads all of them. Michou is dedicated to the artist Neal McPheeters and his wife Victoria, who did save Michou from the basement of a bar.

To hear Michou as read by Jack please see: http://www.davidniallwilson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/MICHOU_v1.mp3

Notes from the Cat House is available at Amazon.com, CrossRoad Press, and Audible.