From her role as Broadway’s original Rizzo in Grease to her television roles on Maude, The Twilight Zone, The Drew Carrey Show, Carnivale, Grey’s Anatomy, Revenge and countless others, to her appearances in films such as Fog, Creepshow, Swamp Thing, and Escape from New York, to lending her voice to Catwoman on Batman: The Animated Series, Adrienne Barbeau has proven herself one of the most versatile actress in the business today. She recently wrapped up filming for a role on Sons of Anarchy which will air this November. Her latest novel Love Bites is available on Amazon.com in ebook form.

What were you like as a little girl? What would you say are your fondest memories from that time?

I honestly don’t remember much of my childhood before the age of 12. Except for spending summers on my grandparents 20 acre grape farm in Selma, California. My cousins and I played a lot of Monopoly, I helped my grandmother make Armenian food, and wrote long, long letters with plays I made up with titles like The Secret Life of Kenny Turner. I have a feeling Kenny Turner was a 5th grade classmate.

 Did you always have a love of acting or did that develop later on? What first sparked your interest in it?

Someone told my mother I could sing, so she decided I should study voice. When I was 15 and working as a receptionist in a beauty salon, my boss suggested I audition for a production of The King and I being staged by the San Jose Civic Light Opera. They cast me as Tuptim and I began doing musicals.

Is it true you got your start working for the mob as a go-go dancer? What was that like? What did you learn from that whole experience?

The best answer to this question can be found in the chapter titled Matty’s Mardi Gras in my memoir There Are Worse Things I Could Do. I didn’t know it at the time, but my boss was a top guy in one of the “five families”. Or something like that. And I’ve been told that we girls who worked at Matty’s were the very first discotheque dancers in New York. What did I learn? The meaning of the word SWAG.

 What was it like to have to appear nude in front of an audience for Stag Movie? Do you think the world is too uptight when it comes to the subject of nudity?

Stag Movie was an Off-Broadway musical I starred in after playing Tevye’s daughter Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof for two years.  I hadn’t originated the role in Fiddler, I was a replacement, and so I had yet to be reviewed as an actress in New York. And that’s what I needed as the next step in my career. So when Stag Movie came along, with the opportunity to sing and dance my way through 15 musical numbers- albeit several of them in the nude – I just saw it as my next job. Oh, Calcutta had been playing for awhile, and Hair and Let My People Come. I was more worried about how well I was singing (upside down on a raked stage at one point) than what I wasn’t wearing while I was doing it.

How did you feel when you first gained the status of a sex symbol? What are your feelings on that in general?

I never saw myself as a sex symbol and it certainly wasn’t something I was trying to achieve. I don’t mind the label, though, as long as I’m happy with the work I’m doing.

 What advice would you offer the women of tomorrow and women in general in regards to body image versus true beauty?

Several years ago, Sixty Minutes did a segment on Anouk Aimee. She must have been in her fifties at the time. Every line on her face screamed sensuality. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. That’s beauty – the self-acceptance she personified. Every time I see someone who’s mucked up their face with fillers or Botox or surgery, I cringe. Do they really think they look better than they did when they looked real?

Do you prefer stage work to filmed work or do you love both equally?

It really depends on the role. Although I’d much rather start work at 6 a.m. than 8 p.m.

 Did you ever imagine when you started your career you have appeared in over 25 musicals and so many television shows ?

I never really thought about it. Just took the career one step at a time. I love what I do; it’s never once felt like work to me. Having a job is a gift.

 How do you think the industry has changed most since you first began working in it?

Ways too numerous to mention. Tabloid journalism leading to careers based on something other than talent. Reality television. The proliferation of cable programming. Businessmen making creative decisions. Some of it good, some not so good, but major changes nonetheless.

Do you have any interesting stories from over the course of your career that you might be able to share with our readers?

Now for that, you’ll really have to read the memoir.

 Are there any characters you have portrayed that you hold most dear?

I love Ruthie in Carnivale, Stevie Wayne in The Fog, Billie in Creepshow, Maggie in Escape From New York, Golde in Fiddler on the Roof.

What was it like to give birth to twins at the age of 51? Do you think your parenting style changed much with their arrival as opposed to your first child?

I was 38 when I had my first son, so, no, my parenting style was pretty well established. I’m incredibly patient and probably a little too permissive, and I try always to understand life through my boys’ feelings.

 What do you love most about being a mother?

All of it – except having to cook dinner for 3 boys who don’t like any of the same foods the others do. We order out a lot.

 What led you try your hand at writing?

That’s also in the memoir. I believe my closest friend, who’d died from breast cancer, sent me a message that that’s what I was supposed to do. Doesn’t get any weirder than that!

What can your readers expect from Love Bites?

Love Bites is a witty (well, I think it is) detective novel about a Hollywood Scream Queen (they say write what you know) who happens to be a vampyre. In fact, she’s the head of the Vampyres of Hollywood (who are most of the A-list actors, including Orson Welles and Charlie Chaplin.) It’s sexy and fun and it gave me a chance to tell stories (about my business) out of school.

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

I’ve never liked the taste of alcohol, don’t care much for water, and drink at least a quart of grapefruit juice a day.

 What projects are you working on at the moment?

Just filmed an episode of Sons of Anarchy and I’m writing the third book in the Vampyres of Hollywood series.

 How do you hope to be remembered when your time comes?

A great mom, a loving friend, and someone who was good at what she does.

 Anything you’d like to say in closing?

I’m on Twitter  @abarbeau  and Facebook – the Adrienne Barbeau page where I talk about my sons’ soccer team is the one that’s really me, and my website is abarbeau.com. And I’d love it if all your readers bought the ebook version of Love Bites which is available on Amazon and really cheap!

I Haven’t Done with You

No,

I haven’t done with you,

Nor after all that waiting.

It’s quarter after two,

And I’m recuperating.

You are the  choice I’ve made,

And that was just beginners

Though Pandarus parade

All his Olympic winners

In a row.

So

Don’t be so pitiful,

Disconsolate, downhearted.

You’re as desirable

As you were  when we started,

As delicately damp,

As downy, as delicious,

But even  Aladdin’s lamp

Could only grant three wishes

In a row.

Photo by Dylan Kenin

Robert Patrick is an American playwright, poet, lyricist, and short-story writer and novelist. His latest books are A Strain of Laughter and Bitter with the Sweet. 

Painting by Michelle Basic Hendry

The Not-Here

I.

The attic windows whispered to the steamer trunk.

I heard it. I heard it.

“Not-here. Not-here.”

Aunt Fortuna’s camelhair coat nudged

The bald, legless mannequin. “Not-here.”

The basement boiler told the washing machine,

Which told the dryer, which told the laundry sink.

The letters spurted from the tap in 12-point

Times New Roman.

N-O-T-H-E-R-E.

“By whom shall the Knower be known?

The self is described as not this, not that.”

The Upanishads

II.

The attending physician informed the head nurse,

Who conveyed the data to the needle.

The analgesic was an effective dose of not-here.

A heart beats like the clock on the corridor wall,

The heart—his heart—reconsidered as analogue.

“Hour gone,” says the clock on the wall.

“Follow me,” the flatline says, “to the not-here,

Not the not-there, which is the now-here,

But the not-here … the not-here … the not-”

Joel Allegretti is the author of four collections, most recently,Europa/Nippon/New York: Poems/Not-Poems (Poets Wear Prada, 2012). His second book, Father Silicon (The Poet’s Press), was selected by The Kansas City Star as one of 100 Noteworthy Books of 2006. Allegretti’s poetry has appeared in many national journals, including Smartish Pace, The New York Quarterly, Fulcrum and PANK. He wrote the texts for three song cycles by Frank Ezra Levy, whose work is released on Naxos American Classics. Allegretti is a member of the Academy of American Poets and ASCAP.

“Ceridwen” by Christopher Williams

My Mother Ceridwen

The light on the icon,

the way I see her in my dreams,

the core of her at the edge of darkness

in a magic cauldron always full,

never exhausted,

that brings her back to life

guarded by a golden serpent

coiled in the shape of an egg,

the world snake marshaling

inner reserves,

the seed of a new journey,

a glimpse of the mysterious and elusive,

a woman in a wreath made of morning glories.

This is how she lands on the page,

slanted, looking out in space,

integrated within me

save the blue sky across her face.

From Life in Suspension, forthcoming from Salmon Poetry.

Hélène Cardona is a poet, linguist & actor, author of Dreaming My Animal Selves (Salmon Poetry, 2013), winner of the Pinnacle Book Award and the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Award in Poetry; The Astonished Universe (Red Hen Press, 2006); and Life in Suspension (Salmon Poetry, 2016). Her translation Ce que nous portons (Éditions du Cygne) of What We Carry by Dorianne Laux came out in September 2014.

She also translated Beyond Elsewhere by Gabriel Arnou-Laujeac, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Renard, Crickillon, René Depestre, Ernest Pépin, and her father José Cardona. She holds a Master’s in American Literature from the Sorbonne, taught at Hamilton College & Loyola Marymount University, and received fellowships from the Goethe-Institut & Universidad Internacional de Andalucía. She is Chief Executive Editor of Dublin Poetry Review and Levure Littéraire, and Managing Editor of Fulcrum. Publications include Washington Square, World Literature Today, Poetry International, The Warwick Review, The Irish Literary Times, & many more.

Acting credits include Chocolat, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Hundred-Foot Journey, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Muppets Most Wanted, World War Z, Mumford, and Happy Feet 2. For Serendipity she co-wrote with director Peter Chelsom and composer Alan Silvestri the song Lucienne, which she also sang.

Guy Gilchrist is best known for his work as writer and illustrator of one of the longest running internationally syndicated comic strips Nancy. Guy took over the strip in 1995. At age 24 he was hand selected to create Jim Henson’s Muppets Comic Strip, he was later instrumental in helping create the Muppet Babies series. His work has graced such notable cartoons as Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry Fraggle Rock, and The Pink Panther. His work is also on permanent display at the Smithsonian.

What were you like as a child growing up?

 I loved comics and music and cowboys. I loved playing baseball. I was primarily raised by my single mother, so we didn’t have a lot of worldly possessions, but I had a lot of time to draw and pretend.

 What are your fondest memories from back then?

My fondest memories are being with my grandfather in the woods and at his cottage on the lake in Connecticut.

Do you happen to remember what you love to draw most as a kid?

 I liked copying Woody Woodpecker and Popeye off of the television set but mostly, I would copy the cartoons that were printed in the newspaper.

When did you first take an interest in art?

 There has never been a time when I wasn’t interested in art. My mom told me that when I was still in diapers, I took some chalk or something and while she was in the kitchen, I drew on the wall. When she saw it, she could tell that it was Mighty Mouse holding up a big car full of cats. I got spanked, but I don’t think she erased it.

 Who are some of your biggest influences?

 My biggest influences were Walt Disney, Roy Rogers, Dr. Seuss, Walter Lantz and Hank Williams.

What was it like to be chosen to do Jim Henson’s Muppets Comic Strip?

 Beyond any dreams anyone could ever have.

Did you ever get the chance to meet Jim, himself?

I worked very closely with Jim Henson. He took a great interest in the comic strip and everything about it. Jim was a huge comic strip fan, especially Pogo…he loved the old Pogo comic strip and thought that my artwork was similar. Jim hired me and my brother over 200 very experienced, very professional and wonderful artists and writers. I was so young but Jim had many gifts—one of those gifts (unless you knew him, you wouldn’t know about it) was that he could see inside your creativity and intensity and see what “the best of you” truly was. He knew how good you could be before you could even imagine being half that good. Anybody that worked for Jim became much greater than they ever dreamed of just because we wanted to please him and never let him down.

 Why do you think his work has left such a lasting impression on the modern world?

 His work leaves an impression on the world because it was the best there ever was—it was funny, it was honest, it was true and heartfelt. Oh…and did I say, it was funny? (re-emphasis). Anytime you have a real genius who puts every ounce of his imagination and energy into something, it will always be remembered and it will always make the world a better place.

Was it fun to help create Muppet Babies?

 Of course. I got sent the film clip of the dream sequence from Muppets Take Manhattan where the world would first see them…and being the guy that every day was drawing cartoon versions of Jim’s puppets, he wanted my take on what the new puppets would look like as cartoon characters. I loved working on them, helping to establish a story arc and then creating so many toys and games and all that good stuff. (Laughs) I have a lot of musician friends that tour the country and they get great joy out of going into antique shops and taking pics of my Muppet Babies toys and texting them to me. Get it? Because the toys are now antiques, they are razzing me that I’m REALLY old.

Jim Davis once said working on Comic Strips has allowed him to never grow up and stay young at heart. Would you agree with that?

 Jim Davis has been so successful, I will agree with anything he says (grinning). By the way, Jim is one of the most giving and generous guys in the business and he’s always been there when we needed him for charities (you know donation of artwork…that kind of thing). I do agree with Jim that we get to play and draw funny things on paper and call it a job. Even though sometimes the deadlines can really press you, I have to say I’ve always felt like I’ve been way, way, way too blessed to be able to do what I do. I never end any interview without saying how grateful I am for anyone who has read any of our stuff, bought any of our stuff or come to our shows or events, because they are the reason I get to do what I do. And I never, for one moment, take it for granted.

 Why do you think comics, whether in strip or book form, have always been so popular?

 Comics are “of the people.” They are written for everybody and through the pictures, even if you can’t read yet, you can usually follow the story. Also, holding that piece of printed, colorful paper in your hand…it seems to always make somebody pick up a pencil and on their napkin, or school paper, or whatever, try to draw the character…whether its NANCY or Superman or Snoopy. I think, from a very early age, the pictures and then the words connect with us on a very personal level.

How does it feel to have your work on display at the Smithsonian?

 Like I’ve been stuffed and mounted, on display myself smelling like mausoleum preservative. (Laughs) It’s funny, of all the places that my work is displayed, I feel a bit like a mummy whose on display and running around. But seriously, it’s one of the greatest honors I’ve ever had because one of the pieces on display was requested by President and Mrs. Reagan and there is NO WAY that a kid that learned to draw cartoons on placemats in a diner with the newspaper funnies while his mom worked as a waitress could have ever seen a day when the road from that diner would ultimately lead to the White House!! But it did and every time I see that quote or that section in my bio, it absolutely blows my mind. A lot of people ask, “How can I be successful? How can I be a millionaire?” and I tell them to try really hard, never quit, and above all, always do what you say you will do. It will blow people’s minds. That’s the secret—make up your mind and do it—THAT’s it!

 What do you love most about living in Tennessee?

 It’s the most creative place for a writer on Earth. My days are filled with writing strips, writing song lyrics, working on movie and television ideas. Nashville is an incredibly wonderful electric ocean of creativity. Also, the natural beauty of this state is never ending. It’s really gorgeous. Our dogs love the lake and the woods…and you can go from downtown Nashville and in 20 minutes, you can be fishing. There is not another major entertainment capitol that can come close to saying that. Plus, I would have never met my wife-to-be, so even that was plenty.

Who do you consider to be some of the best living comic strip illustrators?

 When you talk about illustrators, that’s one thing. But there’s also the writer cartoonists who may not necessarily be the greatest illustrator but they put their ideas together terrifically…so I think you have to break this up into two sections. For instance, best living cartoonists…I would have to put Scott Adams (Dilbert) in there, for sure. Scott’s drawings are very simple and his writing is PERFECT…and it comes together beautifully—HE’S AWESOME. I also really like Brian Bassett (he does a strip called Red & Rover). I also like both of the McCoy brothers (Glen and Gary)…they have a comic that they split up (they have a panel that they call The Flying McCoys). They are really funny.  And Mark Tatulli (Lio and Heart of the City)…

As far as best living illustrators…the greatest is Jack Davis and Mort Drucker of Mad Magazine. Also, I think that the Mick Mastroianni, who is drawing his grandfather’s comic strip, B.C. He draws a GREAT job of drawing just like his grandfather.

I’m also a big fan of Joe Staton. A couple of years ago, Joe, took over Dick Tracy and he’s just done an incredible job of bringing everything back.

LoI,I hate you guys for asking this question because now Mort, John, Tom and all the rest of my friends who I think are awesome will hate me, because space is limited to name my other favorites. You guys stink.

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

 I think most people know that I write and record songs, but if they didn’t…there….now you are surprised.

I grew up without a real father figure in my life, so I always looked for other role models. Creatively, I looked at Walt Disney as an example of how to live my life. I looked at Roy Rogers to show me the right thing to do. All these years later, I realized that this little kid was absolutely right.

Finally, I try to make my house and my studio as much like Mayberry as ridiculously possible. We let no negative energy in…there is only room for the niceness and good old-fashioned fun that I make sure I get a dose of pretty much every night—at 10 o’clock, everything stops for The Andy Griffith Show.

What do you love most about creating the strips?

 Honestly, what I love most about the strips is being DONE. It’s always a nice 5 minute vacation before the next batch is due and I get to read your responses and go to Mayberry in my mind for a few minutes before I start writing the next batch.

What is the most challenging thing you face when coming up with a new strip?

 The greatest challenge of doing a strip is all of it—it’s daily…you have NO days off. So regardless of what you have going on in your life, you must get the strips done. That’s also the biggest blessing though, because even if you’re having problems or whatever is happening in your life, as far as me, I have to put all that away for a while and concentrate on doing something that hopefully will make someone smile. I think that the Lord put me in this position to help me get through my own tough times by drawing and writing through it, through the comic strip.

What projects are you working on?

 We have quite a few museum exhibits that are in the planning stages for NANCY. We are working with the city of Nashville on a “Keep Nashville Beautiful” campaign through the schools. I have a neat, new project called Bearly Angels with Bradford exchange and I’m writing songs and working on the story arc and movie treatment for a project for Dreamworks.

How do you hope to be remembered when your time comes?

 I’ve always said that on my gravestone, it should say “I’m sorry, but I think the dailies will be a little late this week.” I guess I’d like to be thought of (if I am ever thought of at all) as somebody that did what they could with what God gave me to make you smile a little bit.

Anything you’d like to say in closing?

 I always enjoy going out and doing speaking engagements because in this world of digital media and digital art, folks maybe don’t even realize that they have all the power that they could ever need just in their brain and with a paper and a pencil. I like to just draw and talk in a really low tech way because we can never forget that our most powerful strength is in or thoughts and that our thoughts become things and these things, then, change the world. As a matter of fact, really, thoughts turn into action are the only things that have EVER changed the world.

Painting by Nigel Gillings

The Book Eater’s Haiku

helter-skelter notes

a poem long forgotten

on her mental shelf

he’s sitting nearby

his maroon leather bookmark

the tongue of a snake

dusty yellow book

the evaporating scent

of a sepia dream

Virginie Colline lives and writes in Paris. Her poems have appeared in The Scrambler, Notes from the Gean, Prune Juice, The Mainichi, Frostwriting, Prick of the Spindle, Mouse Tales Press, StepAway Magazine, BRICKrhetoric, Overpass Books, Dagda Publishing, Silver Birch Press and Yes, Poetry, among others.

Alexander Ghastbrow is an author, artist, sculptor, and , photographer who resides in Beverly Hills, CA. His works appeal to fans of all things edgy and dark. He is currently working on his novel Wanderlust and editing Clive Barker’s Alphabet a tribute to Edward Gorey’s Gashlycrumb Tinies, illustrated by Paulo Daniel Lorca.

Can you tell us a little about yourself? What were you like as a child?

I’m a writer. I’ve been writing stories since I was a kid, and I wasn’t a normal kid. I caused all sorts of trouble. And since I was very precocious I tended to videotape everything I did. So there is lots of evidence of my misbehavior.

Did you always have an affection for all things creative?

I’ve always been creative. I can’t remember a day I wasn’t creating something, or inventing some story, or writing a cheesy script to turn into a five minute flick. I loved Horror movies. I loved making people feel something, whether it was laughter or fear. I don’t think I’ve ever scared anyone though. I’m too funny…my humor is dark.

Who were some of your earliest influences?

My earliest influences were French poets like Atonin Artuad, Baudelaire, Henri Michaux. But as a child I loved reading all the classics of children literature. I especially loved R.L Stine.

What do you think you’d be doing right now if you hadn’t chosen to be an artist?

Well, art for me is a hobby. I do it for fun, as a way to express myself. I consider myself a writer. That’s what I enjoy doing the most. If I wasn’t writing or drawing…I’d probably be a publicist, or an agent. I think I have a talent for finding rarities. So if anyone wants to hire me…I’d certainly do that.

Photo by Austin Young

Are there any little known things about yourself you’d not mind sharing with our readers?

I love fried food. Fried ice cream. Fried pickles. Fired cookies. Fried bananas. You want to win my heart, fry me some food!

You are also a sculptor, photographer, and author as well as an artist. Do you enjoy more than the other?

I prefer writing because it’s easier for me. Painting requires lots of energy. When I draw I get very exhausted, and the older I am becoming, the more exhausted I am feeling. I have to be able to envision the drawing very clearly I have I am going to dedicate my soul to a piece. On the other hand, writing for me comes very easily. I can write 60,000 words in 8 months if I sit down everyday…I’ve done it several times.

Who are some of your favorite living artists?

Quentin Blake, Diamanda Galas, Clive Barker, Paulo Andreas Lorca, Marilyn Manson’s water colors are beautiful. Sadly, I think the majority of my favorites are dead…but their alive through their art in some way, aren’t they?

 Why do you think art has always been so powerful through the ages?

Art is love. Art moves. Art is a living thing, without which the world would be worse. The Renaissance artists knew this when they depicted religious scenes in art form, it was a way to worship Christ or the apostles. Art is a breathing beast.

Alex as Satan

Is there on thing you’d most like to accomplish in your work that you have yet to do?

I want to write an epic fantasy series. I haven’t done that yet. Perhaps someday if I can find someone to pay me, I can sit down and write it. In the meantime I have to earn a living, so all my writing is coming slowly.

What would you say is your favorite subject to cover in your artwork?

I love to draw faces. I love eyes, and lips and ears. I like to exaggerate them.

What advice would you give to the artists of tomorrow?

I would pass down the advice that my mentor gave to me. Learn the three T’s: Taste, Talent and Tenacity. Sometimes it’s hard to learn it, because it feels almost metaphysical, like the type of thing a philosopher would say. But this was Clive Barker who said it to me. And at first I didn’t understand it. It’s abstract. But if you think about it long enough. It’s true, it works. You can apply that to everything.

You are also an author. What first led you to try your hand at that?

I’ve been writing stories since I was 10 years old. I would sometimes turn these stories into short movies I would film with my cousins. Perhaps some day people will see them?

Can you tell us a little about Wanderlust? What can the reader expect from this book?

Wanderlust is a place that exists in my imagination. It’s a word that means “A strong desire to travel.” I have always been in a state of wanderlust, I want to travel to places that, sometimes only exist in my mind. This book is a fantasy book based off of true experiences, for example, my mom’s schizophrenia was the inspiration behind this children’s story. I wanted to explore what it was like growing up with a mother who often times escaped her world via her illness, involuntarily of course. She couldn’t control her illness, people with this illness have no choice. Wanderlust is a journey into that world, that state of being.

You also work closely with Clive Barker. What is it like to get to work alongside him? What is he like as a person?

I’ve been working and collaborating with the Prince of Midnight for many years. He’s shaped every aspect of my creative life. He has given me access to the map of the imagination. I don’t think I would have been able to access certain part of my creative imagination without his guidance.

You had the chance to work with Paulo as well. Did you enjoy that?

His emergence in my world came as a surprise. I didn’t think I would be working with him, but we found a mutual bond and love for art and imagination that allowed us to form a creative collaboration. We’re working on Clive’s Alphabet book, which has a title now, (Can’t reveal that yet thought!) and he’s so easy to work with. He takes suggestions really well, he listens and he also isn’t afraid to speak his mind. He’s a great collaborator. I don’t think I’ve ever come across an artist so inspiring and innovative; he has a style that is all his own. He works so well with ink and pen, and brush. In one month I watched him make over 50 drawings….so detailed. We made a little documentary too, you should watch it!

Do you think encouragement is an important asset to have when you work in the creative fields?

Encouragement is very helpful. I try to do that everyday when I talk to other artists. Artists should support one another, regardless of the medium. There are some very cruel people out there who also call themselves artists, and are very successful artists as well who do not support emerging artists. I think that’s unfortunate. Working on Clive’s facebook page we’ve been able to showcase artwork by his fans. I think they appreciate the exposure.

Do you believe in ghosts and such? What are your feelings on the afterlife?

I don’t believe in ghosts. As for an afterlife. I might be a plant, or a fly…or a maggot.

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m working on editing Clive Barker’s Alphabet and doing some design work for that. It’s going to be amazing!

I’m also compiling all of Clive Barker’s poetry. I’m digging through everything so we can have a definitive collection. Not sure what we’re going to do with that yet.

I’m also working on finding a publisher for my own novel. I’m a first time author, so it’s going to be a long hard road to get my work read by people. I just want people to have fun when they read my work. It’s not Horror. I write children’s fantasy. I know some people think I would write Horror because of who mentored me, but that’s not what I do. I want to explore the fantastical world of magic and fantasy…

Anything you’d like to say before you go?

Stay tuned…I have such sights to show you! Wink! Bwahahhahahhaha!

For more examples of Alex’s work please see The Artwork and Photography of Alexander Ghastbrow.

Have a good day at work honey, sorry for my deadness

Hush

It’s dark down here and oh so cold

Zombie Worms chew me blindly

Hag Fish and Sea Snails live off the white brick of my bone

Sad Eyes you look at me with hunger

you and the dogs would eat the fat of me

But I’m tired

let me settle

under the ice

the withering glaciers

to survive the depths one must carry a tiny fire inside

one must light their own way

In this pickle jar

I am still

under swell under salt

my vertebrae scattered

my building blocks

your stepping stones

I once swam fast made rich milk for my son

Now I’m all clammed up

the beast at the bottom

I lay for centuries

Ice cubes in your deep freeze

I will still be here

when you are all gone.

Cassandra Dallett occupies Oakland, CA. Cassandra writes of a counter culture childhood in Vermont and her ongoing adolescence in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has published in Slip Stream, Sparkle and Blink, Hip Mama, Bleed Me A River, Criminal Class Review, Enizagam among many others. Look for links and chapbooks on cassandradallett.com

Tye Harris is a tattoo artist specializing in stunning portraits. Based out of Austin, Texas he has produced some of the world’s finest tattoos all over globe. For more information please see Facebook.

Perspectives

While looking through some old photographs the other day, I came across some that were taken when I was a child. It was wonderful to see the looks in my friends’ faces. Their youth, their joy, their love of life. Not the lines of old age, the gray hair, the harshness of life that was apparent when they passed over to whatever lies beyond.

I thought about the old Tarzan movies and the natives who thought that the camera took your soul and wouldn’t allow the photographer to live unless they destroyed the image. This got me to thinking, and Crom knows it’s not always a good thing for me to think too hard.

A photograph does steal your soul. It takes a piece of it and places it on a piece of paper for everyone to see. It steals the moment it was taken. It steals a moment of joy, a moment of sadness and keeps it constant. It will never change as each passing second changes the person in the picture.

As you grow older, you remember the youth and the things only the young can do. You wonder why you have to age and allow the miseries of age to rob you of the things you want to do, but cannot do. Age, illness and misery are the earmarks of a long life, while the image on paper stays the same and mocks you.

If you could live forever and not age another day, would you? Would you want to watch your friends and family age and wither until they die? Would you want your feet firmly planted on solid ground and never discover the mysteries beyond the veil?

No one knows what tomorrow will bring. If we did, we would all be happy and win the lottery and not have a care in the world. Or is it better to live each day to the fullest and enjoy your life? If we live each day as if it were our last and follow the original “golden rule” of treating each other as we wish to be treated, wouldn’t the world be a better place.

It seems there are too many today who live by the “Modern Golden Rule” in that he who has the gold, makes the rules. I’m sure there are more “modern” folks out there than “originals”. We all have our demons and angels in our lives.

There are some who allow the demons to rule their life and use them to obtain their goals. Every now and then, someone loses the control and allows the demon to reach out and touch someone else and in doing so end up as demons themselves.

Then there are those who feel the demons inside and use any means possible to keep them bottled up inside and lose themselves only to become a vessel of pain.

Sometimes one can keep the demon under control and keep it in a deep dark place in their soul, but know that it can break out at any time and wreak havoc. It becomes a constant ache or ringing in your ears to let you know it’s there waiting for that instant it needs to break out and go on a spree. You maintain the control, but become numb to the joys and, sadly, to the love that is in the world. You “live in your own world”, “march to the sounds of a different drummer”, or beat on the cells of a rubber room.

A home is said to be a place filled with familiar things, love, and safety. I would say it’s funny, but too many people have a home only in their mind. Too often the dust and the cobwebs build up there and they are afraid to shed the skin or the shell and grow and find their feelings again. They can’t bring themselves to open that door and escape into the sunshine.

Why do we stay this way? Are we happy to spend our lives in our own private Idaho or in one of the nine circles of Hell? Crom, I’m full of questions and I have no answers. BS, that’s not true. I’m full of answers, but no one ever asks me, or if they do, it’s the wrong one and they really don’t want an answer.

Do you really think the person that you pass on the street really wants to know “How are you?” No, they don’t, not any more than they want to know what you had for breakfast this morning. We go through life making the motions until they become habits.

Here’s an exercise for you. Make a list of your friends, I’ll wait.

Now look at that list and use your fingers to count those to whom you would tell your deepest, darkest secret. Use your other hand and count those who already know your deepest, darkest secret. I’ll bet you have at least two fingers left on your first hand. I’ll also bet that your other hand only has one finger outstretched at the most. If I’m wrong, you are a better person than I am, but I know who I trust and who I can talk to about anything and it makes me a better person.

I never said I was an exceptional person, not even a good one; but, I know it makes me a better person. I may be totally fubar, but I know it, my true friends know it and they accept me for who and what I am. No apologies needed or wanted – just honesty, truth and understanding. They are with you from the lowest low to the highest high, but yet they are an anchor to keep your feet planted firmly on the ground.

Living is a lot harder than dying, especially these days. But living is always better than dying. We all will pass over one day and I would rather it be on my own terms than on someone else’s. Make peace with yourself, live life to its’ fullest, laugh often and love with all your heart.

I hope this little epistle gives you a new perspective on what’s going on. Let me hear what you think, I’m not going anywhere until the guys in the white coats drag me off kicking and screaming.

Barry Hunter has published Baryon Magazine since 1976 and it is well known in the science fiction and fantasy field. He has been writing since his college days and most recently his fiction has been presented in various anthologies published by Whortleberry Press. He is married and has one son. His websites are www.baryon-online.com and thebaryonreview.blogspot.com