Fiction

Synergy Volum 3 No 6 Peace on Earth ? The Works of Tinto Brass Leopold & Loeb from Rope to Swoon A World in Conflict: The Films of Rainer Fassbinder War in Film Cowboys & Outlaws War in Film Review Series World War II Plus lots and lots of reviews ! Issue 24 of Neon features the work of Emily Darrell, Claudine R. Moreau, L.E. Butler, Omar Metwally, Howie Good, Jonathan Greenhause, Tetman Callis, Noel Sloboda, Rachel Mehl, and Caitlin Elizabeth Thomson. For more information, see: www.neonmagazine.co.uk. Issue 23 of Neon features the work of Arijit Sen, Matthew Dexter, Bob Thurber, Matthew Burnside, Daniel Powell, Ian Gammie, Patrick McGinty, and Sara Crowley. For more information, see: www.neonmagazine.co.uk. The February 2009 issue of The Battered Suitcase. Eric Bennett, Rachel Chew Blakley, Myra King, Geoffrey Craig, Jennifer Houston, Alex Myers, Rachel Kuhnle, Mallory Path, Kenna Barrett, John Grochalski, John Lind Whitby, John Paul Thornton, >PM Mooney, Ryan Cooper, Dasha Lilith Desir, D.C. Lynn, Aryan Kaganof, Joseph Reich, Rob Plath, Daniel Casebeer, Joseph Coelho, David E. Oprava, Claire Crowley, April Dressel, Diane Payne From broad slapstick to the driest of irony, it's always seemed to me that humor is a far under-used tool in the art of storytelling. Truth to be told, from my earliest days, my favorite writers, musicians and artists have been the ones that made me laugh out loud or chuckle quietly in the back of my mind. The ones that turned plots back on themselves to expose the underbellies of hypocrisy, the giddiness of man, to make us laugh (and to wonder) at our own preconceptions. There something enlightening about art that can somehow -- with great affection -- illuminate the foibles of humankind. Therein lies the magic of humor, it can correct and comfort at the same time. It binds us together by teaching us to laugh at all our little universal tragedies. For January, the rest of our editorial staff has been kind enough to humor me (as it were). They've given me permission to indulge myself and in this month's issue, you'll find sly bits of wit tucked into corners, ironic twists of fate, outright comedy, some sardonic satire and perhaps, some inexcusable silliness. Selecting pieces for our January 2009 issue has been a complete joy for me. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed putting it together. "Perhaps the mission of those who love mankind is to make people laugh at the truth, to make truth laugh, because the only truth lies in learning to free ourselves from insane passion for the truth." - Umberto Eco We'll drink a cup of kindness yet... A new year approaches -- a new beginning, a fresh start. Funny, how at the dead end of the year, in the deepest dark of winter, there's a sense of rebirth and renewal... the heady air of pure potential just waiting around the next bend in the calendar. During December, some of us celebrate Christmas -- the birth of the Saviour and the promise of a new life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Some celebrate Chanukah -- the promise of continuing light and blessings from the Lord of the Universe. Some celebrate the Winter Solstice -- the festival of the unconquered sun and the return to longer days and the promise of new life as the world turns again to face it's warmth. Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day, the anniversary of Prince Siddhartha's enlightenment and his new life as bringer of hope and compassion to those who suffer. Our Muslim brothers and sisters follow a lunar calendar, but this year in December, they will be celebrating Eid al-Adha, in honor of Abraham's obedience to Allah when he prepared to sacrifice his son and in honor of Allah's mercy when He replaced the boy with a lamb for sacrifice. A life spared -- and surely a whole new life for Abraham. Some of us celebrate Kwanzaa -- a rededication to the principals that emphasize unity and cooperation and foster stronger life bonds with family and friends. The pace of life slows and the nights grow longer -- and somewhere within this peace and dark we can find our true selves -- that seed of kindness, that kernel of generosity, that flicker of optimism that tells us that we truly can be better people. And what more is humanity than a complicated ape, fired by some divine spark, in the unending struggle to become more like an angel? The wrapped packages of new clothes and cosmetics and appliances under our holiday trees bring promise of becoming better people; better looking and certainly better-dressed people. The dollars we tuck into kettles and cans show our new-found generosity of spirit. The gift basket we send to our ex-mother-in-law proves our willingness to forgive and forget and forge stronger family bonds for the new year. We even make long and detailed lists of exactly how we plan to become better people; more forgiving, more ambitious, more tolerant, more pleasant, more present and, hopefully, somewhat thinner. And then at midnight, on December 31st, when the cork is popped -- it's a whole new world. Every year, a whole new world, sparkling with promise. If the darkness and bitter cold of December brings us anything, it's hope for yet another chance. Through the breadth of human history, we've practiced rituals of forgiveness and rededication to our God or gods, our families, our mates. The new year, perhaps, is the one day we take to forgive ourselves -- and to remake ourselves anew. In this issue of The Battered Suitcase, we celebrate that spirit of rebirth and renewal, as we celebrate all of life's rituals, through song and story. Novelist and long-time sufferer of Cat-Feeding-Disorder, E.J. Knapp gives us a glimpse of a new life when he unites two long-distance lovers for their first meeting. Writer and teacher Mimi Rosen explores a new twist in rebirth in Extra-ordinary Man. Ann Tinkham's circus aerialist defies gravity and authority when she finds her inner liberator and leads herself and a very special friend into a new life. Michelle Panik closes the door to the past and opens new doors in the heart in Slight Chance of Showers. Writer and HIV/AIDS activist Kerry Hudson honors the past by pledging courage in the name of love for the future. In Tracy Pitocchelli's Music Outside, a young girl discovers new feelings to explore and define as she becomes a young woman. In Claire Trevien's Chameleon, we see parted lovers reinvent themselves in order to face their new futures, but their story has yet not completely unfolded. Mystery writer Barbra Annino offers a new look at renewal as a dying woman gets her last wish and writer and playwright Joel Willans offers a glimpse at a working girl who is offered her chance at a whole new life. Santa Claus himself makes an appearance in Kathryn Magendie's Moonshine and Santy Clause and it's obvious he needs to mend his ways, as well. In Lost and Found, Karen Vanuska finds new life, new family, where she least expected. Poetry selections this month are kindly contributed by Miriam Nash, Davide Trame, Tera Wilson, Howie Good, Abigail Beaudelle, Ry Kincaid, and Emma Sovich, with haiku by Ron Hayes. Photographers Andrew To and Jason Ball grace our pages with their images of familiar scenes presented from new perspectives. And perhaps lyricist and poet Ingrid Andrew sums it up best in Five O'Clock; in the darkest of winter, new life is just a breath away. "The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul." ~ G. K. Chesterton Here's a free preview--the first 53 pages of my original e-novel .tabs { display: none; } Issue 22 of Neon features the work of Howie Good, Paul McDonald, Ladee Hubbard, Dave Migman, Adam Moorad, Joseph A. W. Quintela, Jessica Hollander, Emily Darrell, and Bryce Alister Doersam. For more information, see: www.neonmagazine.co.uk. 5-page sample of a work in progress: "Spirits and Seekers: Cagliostro in Courland". Based on the life of alchemist, healer, and "Egyptian" Freemason "Count" Alessandro di Cagliostro (1743 or 1748 -- 1795), focusing on Countess Elisa von der Recke's account of his visit to her family in Mitau, Courland (now in Latvia) in 1779. Issue 21 of Neon features the work of P. Edward Cunningham, Robert S. King, Kate Wyer, Kirsty Logan, Sean Patrick Conlon, Michael Spring, Sonia Hendy-Isaac, Angela Parker, Gavin Broom, and Jason Irwin. For more information, see: www.neonmagazine.co.uk.
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