The Winter MindFire ready to read

(Check the end for a note on submissions for the next issue.)

Welcome to the winter issue of http://www.mindfirerenew.com, our first for 2006. The issue is large, so be prepared to spend some time in our literary/language journal to read:

A memorial to Nadia Anjuman, Afghan poet and martyr

Poetry Features for Kathleen Chaffin,

Dave Ruslander and Marc Lowe

Outstanding poetry, essays and fiction from every region of the world

Experimental poetry

The American Taliban (to be continued in the next FireWeed)

Works in over a dozen languages and more. Please take the time to read them.

We guarantee you will be entertained and surprised at the content MindFire provides for you.

If I were to pick highlights, they would include Dave’s Black Dog poems; Timons Esaias’s short story, “Curse;” Alex Stolis’s “Playing Cards With Houdini,” a novella in poetic form, which will continue in future issues; Susan Brassfield Congan – “Intelligent Design: The Love Child of a Publicist and an Advertising Agent” in nonfiction; Laryalee Fraser’s art and poetry; and in the regions - Carole Barley’s "Incantation for Owl," Michaela A. Gabriel’s "Behind Cupped Hands: Hann"; Molara Wood’s "Tropic Woman;" Néstor de Luca’s poetry and art, and Carole Nelson Phillips’s "Blood, Ink and Long Grass."

And last but far from least, don’t forget the Fibonacci lesson in the workshop, From the Pyre.

We have also opened a store for books by the editors and other goodies. We will be adding books by Friends of MindFire as the months progress.

And if all that was not enough, there are new staff poems. Silvia is still running her contest in español (linked on the table of contents).

This quarter, we add a new editor, Lisa MeGraw. She will select for Great Britian, Ireland and the surrounding isles. Additional editors will be added during the year. We are especially interested in mainland China, Japan, Hebrew and Arabic.

The next issue will highlight several long poems and include our first play, portions of a musical about Jack the Ripper. We are also planning a pro-peace/anti-war issue, centered around photos of Derry, Ireland, taken by our official photographer, Ellen Blankenship. By “war” we mean assault not only between countries and peoples, but against individuals, our earth and the free exchange of ideas. Your submissions are desired.

Go to here for samples of Ellen’s pictures. http://www.mindfirerenew.com/issue5winter2006/0106-derry.html

There you have it; if I do say so myself, another fine issue Enjoy and do come back monthly for FireWeed and in May for Spring 2006. Thank you.

Gary Blankenship