poetry

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 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. 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. Issue 20 of Neon features the work of Jonathan Greenhause, CL Bledsoe, Howie Good, Christopher James, Donna Burgess, Stevie Blue, Daniel Uncapher, and Jenn Clarke, as well as photo-illustrations by Matina Stamatakis. For more information, see: www.neonmagazine.co.uk. Issue 19 of Neon features the work of Rhian Waller, Daniel Hudon, Puma Perl, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, Jacqueline West, Raul Gallardo, Shokry Eldaly, Lydia Williams and Heather Bell, as well an interview with Alvaro Zinos-Amaro about his short story "The Man Made Only Of Straight Lines: A Rectilinear Fable". For more information, see www.neonmagazine.co.uk. Where is Hell? Who is the Devil? Zachary Bell is about to find out. Zachary Bell is a rising star in the world of advertising and his trendy, often controversial commercials are a direct reflection of his personal affairs. A married father of two daughters, Zach is anything but a family man. A blossoming career and sordid lifestyle of infidelity and Hollywood-style parties are common substitutes for school plays and family picnics. One stormy September night, while driving home from a party with his co-worker and mistress Judith Sample, Zach falls asleep at the wheel. When he awakens a few seconds later, his car is careening out of control toward a steep embankment. As the car plunges over the hillside, it plunges Zach's life into a realm of unspeakable terror. While in a comatose state, the result of trauma suffered during the accident, Zach experiences an evil only Hell itself could unleash. When he emerges from that coma, he soon comes to realize that the evil wasn't merely a dream and that the life into which he awakens no longer belongs to him. The Lobby is available for purchase from Amazon and Barnes & Noble Horror anthology from the members of the Southern Horror Writers Association.
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