You, I Said by Jennifer Pratt-Walter
“This is a place, I thought,
where words cannot bring us
safely back home.”
As If the World Might Hold Another by Allison Adair
“We approach
middle age as undiscovered country when
really it’s the same old alley, the bowling pin
that wobbles like a drunk but won’t go down.”
Toward Evening, Teton River by B.J. Buckley
“Polyglot wind: her too many voices,
her tangled tongues,
all of them sharp.”
Lake Macbride by Kathleen Maris Paltrineri
“In quietude I feel I am everywhere at once—my own body rehearsing its wintering act, too. I look up from the table to the far side of the lake to see a buck limping, his hind legs sixteenth-notes in the dry leaves. From far off, a shot sounds like an encyclopedia falling to a wooden floor and like the echo of its striking.”
I don’t know what to do for my own sons by Jessica Pierce
“One of my first shifts in the ER, I looked down the throat
of a young boy and saw a nail. The boy smiled. He coughed.
The nail quivered.”
Your Body, Still Your Body by Donna Prinzmetal
“It’s too good to last, this early sunshine in April,
this smell-of-cut-grass morning
and this body, with its mirage of infinite breaths,
its lie of immortality.”
My Mother Says She Won’t Outlive the Dog by Rebecca Brock
“My own heartbeat
neither wants or doesn’t want to live.
It just does.”
Passage by thandiwe Dee Watts-Jones
“It’s official: dementia and medication. Not unexpected. But getting the ICD code is like being pinned. Mom does not protest.
The transitions before me are not unique, I know. Yet the fact that they’re universal and part of life matters as much to me as cocktail party chitchat.
What I treasure are tiny pearls that appear in mundane surroundings, a particular moment between particular people.”
toward the south, past st ives by Livia Meneghin
“past weatherworn bluffs and farther than any bird known, the swift sleeps on the wing, leaving grief behind“ Enjoy this audio recording of “toward the south, past st ives” by Livia Meneghin from Vol. 32:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Livia Meneghin is a current MFA candidate and writing instructor at Emerson College. She
I Tell My Dying Cat Stories About His Food by Kristine Nowak
“He half-licks at the food, turns away, or shifts, licks at himself and tears out patches of gray fur. This food was living light, green where it drank from the sunlight.” Enjoy this audio recording of “I Tell My Dying Cat Stories About his Food” by Kristine Nowak from Vol. 32:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the
La Femme by Nicole Miyashiro
“They tried to scratch off the paint. A portrait. They tried to scratch. A woman. The paint. A woman with a long face.” This audio recording of “La Femme” by Nicole Miyashiro from Vol. 32:1 of CALYX Journal was inspired by Diane Samuels’ art piece, “Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas/Testimony Against Gertrude Stein”, 2011 (ink
Soapstone by Courtney Huse-Wika
“We didn’t hear what she couldn’t say because the prairie stitches women’s mouths shut.” Enjoy this audio recording of “Soapstone” by Courtney Huse-Wika from Vol. 31:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Courtney Huse-Wika teaches writing in the Black Hills of South Dakota. She believes in the art of collection: overheard quotes, bird facts, forgotten stories,
Decisions by Livia Meneghin
“consider the (curious)(strained) way she admires the hummingbirds (hovering)(swirling) above her head, and the air now saturated with (teargas)(sun)(clementines)“ Enjoy this audio recording of “Decisions” by Livia Meneghin from Vol. 32:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Livia Meneghin is a current MFA candidate and writing instructor at Emerson College. She is the author of
What I Mean by “I Love You. Goodbye.” by Kristine Nowak
“When I imagine a life after this one, I imagine a field. And in this field, there are people running toward each other, delighted to be able to.“ Enjoy this audio recording of “What I Mean by ‘I Love You. Goodbye.’” by Kristine Nowak from Vol. 32:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Kristine Nowak
Absentee Ballot by Willa Schneberg
“You are tired of pretending to be the authority on democracy when you believe all governments stink, some just smell more rank than others. As you sing the praises of the secret ballot, you pray that no one will step on newly laid land mines walking to the polling site.“ Enjoy this audio recording of
Rings of Pink, Enheduanna by Nicole Miyashiro
“revolve this landscape encased by pulverized petals the stories round the wood in areola waves” This audio recording of “Rings of Pink, Enheduanna” by Nicole Miyashiro from Vol. 32:1 of CALYX Journal was inspired by Diane Samuels’ art piece, “Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas/Testimony Against Gertrude Stein”, 2011 (ink on handmade paper, coated in pulverized
Aubade with Hot Cross Buns by Siobhan Mulligan
“Unasked, she doesn’t think to pray. Half a bun is gone before she makes time, not for a holy act, but an attentive one, attuned to the soft chew of raisins on molars” Enjoy this audio recording of “Aubade with Hot Cross Buns” by Siobhan Mulligan from Vol. 32:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here.
Just Nerves by Caroline M. Grant
“The dentist reassures me that my tongue looks fine, that the sensation I feel of its edge fraying against my teeth is “just nerves.” He assures me that it won’t choke off my breathing. Mostly he has answered “I don’t know” to my questions, but I trust this (I don’t have much choice.) The pain
The Why Nots and The Whys by Marcie Roman
Enjoy this audio recording of “The Why Nots and The Whys” by Marcie Roman from Vol. 31:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Marcie Roman lives in Evanston, IL. Her stories have been published in Split Lip Magazine, Black Fox, The Gravity of the Thing, and Blotterature. Her collection, Residential Units, was a finalist in the 2019 Autumn House Press fiction
Facedown by Sherri Levine
Enjoy this audio recording of “Facedown” by Sherri Levine from Vol. 31:3 of CALYX Journal! “Facedown” was the winner of the 2019 Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize. Read the full poem here and buy the issue here. Sherri Levine is a poet and teacher. She lives in Portland, OR, where she teaches English to immigrants
Sausage by Ilene Rudman
Enjoy this audio recording of “Sausage” by Ilene Rudman from Vol. 31:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Ilene Rudman is a psychotherapist and career counselor living in Maynard, MA. Her work and poems focus on remembering, nourishing silence, and naming the unnamable. For fifteen years she has been in a weekly poetry master class
The Rape of the Sabine Women by Judith Sanders
Enjoy this audio recording of “The Rape of the Sabine Women” by Judith Sanders from Vol. 31:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Judith Sanders’ work has been published in journals such as The American Scholar and on the website Full Grown People. She won the Hart Crane Poetry Prize and Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Prize. Her manuscript, The Universe
Isako Isako Review by Katharine Coldiron
Enjoy this audio recording of a review of Mia Ayumi Malhotra’s book, Isako Isako, by Katharine Coldiron from Vol. 31:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Buy a copy of Isako Isako here. Katharine Coldiron’s work has been published in Ms., the Times Literary Supplement, BUST, the Rumpus, and elsewhere. She lives in
The Multiverse by Emma Bolden
Enjoy this audio recording of “The Multiverse” by Emma Bolden from Vol. 31:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Emma Bolden is the author of House Is an Enigma (Southeast Missouri State UP), medi(t)ations (Noctuary Press), and Maleficae (GenPop Books). The recipient of a 2017 NEA Fellowship in Poetry, her work has been published in
Language Acquisition by Jung Hae Chae
Enjoy this audio recording of “Language Acquisition” by Jung Hae Chae from issue 27:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Jung’s poetry and prose have appeared in the CALYX Journal, Crab Orchard Review, Georgetown Review, MiPoesias, Third Coast and elsewhere. She teaches writing and lives in northern New Jersey.
Her Voice by Iris Dunkle
Enjoy this audio recording of “Her Voice” by Iris Dunkle from issue 27:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Iris Jamahl Dunkle was the 2017-2018 Poet Laureate of Sonoma County, CA. Her poetry collections include Interrupted Geographies (Trio House Press, 2017) Gold Passage (Trio House Press, 2013) and There’s a Ghost in this Machine of Air (Word Tech,
Reasons For & Against Dating Tyrannosaurus Rex by Emari DiGiorgio
Enjoy this audio recording of “Reasons for & Against Dating Tyrannosaurus Rex” by Emari DiGiorgio from issue 27:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Emari DiGiorgio is the author of Girl Torpedo (Agape, 2018), the winner of the 2017 Numinous Orison, Luminous Origin Literary Award, and The Things a Body Might Become (Five Oaks Press, 2017). She’s
Family Fest by Lynn Casteel Harper
Enjoy this audio recording of “Family Fest” by Lynn Casteel Harper from issue 27:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Lynn Casteel Harper is a writer, minister, and chaplain. She is the author of On Vanishing (Catapult, April 2020), a nonfiction book that explores the dimensions of spirituality, social justice, and dementia. Lynn received a Barbara Deming Fund grant
Halfway In by Judy Halebsky
Enjoy this audio recording of “Halfway In” by Judy Halebsky from issue 27:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Judy Halebsky is the author of the poetry collections Sky=Empty, Tree Line and the chapbook Space/Gap/Interval/Distance. Fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the Millay Colony, and the Vermont Studio Center have supported her work. Her passions include the Moth-style storytelling
Saturday by Emily Tuszynska
Enjoy this audio recording of “Saturday” by Emily Tuszynska, the runner-up in the 2018 Lois Cranston Poetry Prize contest. Read the poem here. Emily Tuszynska’s poetry can be found in many journals, recently including Poetry Northwest, Salamander, The Southern Review, and Water-Stone Review. She lives in Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C.
What Hummingbirds Do by Louise Cary Barden
Enjoy this audio recording of “What Hummingbirds Do” by Louise Cary Barden from issue 31:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. “What Hummingbirds Do” was the winner of the 2018 Lois Cranston Poetry Prize. The poem can be read here. Louise Cary Barden is the author of Tea Leaves, winner of the North
Aubade for Dreamland by July Westhale
Enjoy this audio recording of “Aubade for Dreamland” by July Westhale from Vol. 31:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. July Westhale is the award-winning author of Via Negativa, Trailer Trash, The Cavalcade, and Occasionally Accurate Science. Her most recent poetry can be found in The National Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner, and Quarterly West. Her essays have been nominated for Best American Essays.
Burlesque by Hannah Fries
Enjoy this audio recording of “Burlesque” by Hannah Fries from Vol. 26:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Hannah Fries is a poet, writer, and editor. She is the author of the poetry collection Little Terrarium as well as the book Forest Bathing Retreat. She grew up in New Hampshire, went to Dartmouth College, and later
Women of a Certain Age by Penelope La Montagne
Enjoy this audio recording of “Women of a Certain Age” by Penelope La Montagne from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Penelope La Montagne was poet laureate emerita of Healdsburg, CA. (2004-2006). She lived on the banks of the Russian River and learned most of what she knew from watching the
Thoughts on Gay Marriage While Visiting My Lover’s Parents by Judy Ireland
Enjoy this audio recording of “Thoughts on Gay Marriage While Visiting My Lover’s Parents” by Judy Ireland from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Born and raised in the Midwest, Judy Ireland’s poetry benefits from the verdancy and barefaced authenticity of that working class culture which keeps her work grounded and
The Script by Rosa del Duca
Enjoy this audio recording of “The Script” by Rosa del Duca from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Rosa del Duca is a writer, journalist, teacher and musician. A California transplant, she grew up in Montana, where she joined the National Guard at seventeen years of age. Four years later she
The Death of Chang and Eng 1811-1874 by Jennifer Fandel
Enjoy this audio recording of “The Death of Chang and Eng 1811-1874” by Jennifer Fandel from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. In graduate school, Jennifer Fandel taught both at the university-level and the community, and she also began working in publishing at that time. Her work in the publishing field
The Air by Sandra Kohler
Enjoy this audio recording of “The Air” by Sandra Kohler from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Sandra Kohler’s third collection of poems, Improbable Music, (Word Press) appeared in May 2011. Earlier collections are The Country of Women (Calyx, 1995) and The Ceremonies of Longing, winner of the 2002 Associated Writing Programs Award Series in
My Brother Who Doesn’t Speak to Our Mother Comes to Visit by Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor
Enjoy this audio recording of “My Brother Who Doesn’t Speak to Our Mother Comes to Visit” by Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Professor of TESOL and World Language Education in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, Dr. Cahnmann-Taylor’s honors include a 2017 Richard Ruiz Scholar-Artist Residency
Layl-tul-Qadr (The Night of Power) by Aisha Sharif
Enjoy this audio recording of “Layl-tul-Qadr (The Night of Power)” by Aisha Sharif from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Aisha is a Cave Canem fellow who resides in Shawnee, Kansas, a suburb that borders Kansas City, Missouri. Her debut poetry collection, To Keep From Undressing, is available here. As an
Impossible Questions by Eugenia Leigh
Enjoy this audio recording of “Impossible Questions” by Eugenia Leigh from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Eugenia Leigh is the author of Blood, Sparrows and Sparrows, winner of the 2015 Debut-litzer Prize in Poetry and finalist for both the National Poetry Series and the Yale Series of Younger Poets. The
If This Looks Odd by M.L. Brown
Enjoy this audio recording of “If This Looks Odd” by M.L. Brown from issue 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. M. L. Brown is the author of Drought, winner of the Claudia Emerson Poetry Chapbook Award, forthcoming from jmww in 2016. Her poems have been published in various journals and anthologies including Blackbird, PMS PoemMemoirStory, Gertrude,
How Does the Dog Spend Her Day by Margaret Hasse
Enjoy this audio recording of “How Does the Dog Spend Her Day” by Margaret Hasse from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Margaret Hasse’s five books of poems are Stars Above, Stars Below; In a Sheep’s Eye, Darling; Milk and Tides; Earth’s Appetite; and Between Us. The books have been prizewinners and bestsellers. Hasse is
Good Friday by Sandra Kohler
Enjoy this audio recording of “Good Friday” by Sandra Kohler from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Sandra Kohler’s third collection of poems, Improbable Music, (Word Press) appeared in May 2011. Earlier collections are The Country of Women (Calyx, 1995) and The Ceremonies of Longing, winner of the 2002 Associated Writing Programs Award Series in
after ten years, a net by Tamiko Beyer
Enjoy this audio recording of “after ten years, a net” by Tamiko Beyer from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Tamiko Beyer writes to shape change: thought-provoking essays, poetry that pushes boundaries, and hard-hitting articles that challenge the status quo. She is the author of the award-winning poetry collection We Come Elemental (Alice James
A Wendy House by Molly Spencer
Enjoy this audio recording of “A Wendy House” by Molly Spencer from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Molly Spencer’s poetry has bee published or is forthcoming in Copper Nickel, FIELD, Georgia Review, Gettysburg Review, The Missouri Review online, New England Review, Ploughshares, and other journals. Her critical writing has appeared at Colorado Review, Kenyon Review Online, Tupelo Quarterly, and The Rumpus. She holds an
After Reading a Letter from the Addict by Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor
Enjoy this audio recording of “After Reading a Letter from the Addict” by Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor from Vol. 27:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Professor of TESOL and World Language Education in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, Dr. Cahnmann-Taylor’s honors include a 2017 Richard Ruiz Scholar-Artist Residency Award (Guanajuato, MX); 2015
The Penelope Metaphor by Kyla Marshell
Enjoy this audio recording of “The Penelope Metaphor” by Kyla Marshell from Vol 27:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Kyla Marshell is a creative writer whose poems, essays, articles and interviews have appeared in Bookforum, BuzzFeed, Ebony.com, ESPNw, Gawker, The Guardian, Hannah Magazine, Kinfolk Magazine, O, the Oprah Magazine, PEN America, the Poetry Foundation, REVIVE Music, and elsewhere.
Collision by Jenna Rindo
Enjoy this audio recording of “Collision” by Jenna Rindo from Vol. 27:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Jenna Rindo’s work has been published in Crab Orchard Review, Crab Creek Review, and Blood and Thunder: Musings on the Art of Medicine. She lives in rural Wisconsin with her family, and small flocks of Shetland
The Farm Floats, It Disappears by Joni Lee
Enjoy this audio recording of “The Farm Floats, It Disappears” by Joni Lee from Vol. 27:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Joni Lee’s poems have been published in PMS: Poemmemoirstory, Juked, H_NGM_N, and elsewhere. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and fellow poet,
Each Day I Open the Door to Damage by Emily Pérez
Enjoy this audio recording of “Each Day I Open the Door to Damage” by Emily Pérez from Vol. 27:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Emily Pérez is the author of Backyard Migration Route and a recipient of grants and scholarships from the Artist Trust, Jack Straw Writers, Bread Loaf Writers’ Workshop, Summer Literary Seminars, and
Entirely Lit Up from Within by Natalie Bryant Rizzieri
Enjoy this audio recording of “entirely lit up from within by Natalie Bryant Rizzieri” from Vol. 27:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Natalie Bryant Rizzieri’s poems have been published in journals such as Salamander Review, Crab Orchard Review, Oklahoma Review, Sugar House Review, Connotation Press, Redactions, Ascent, Permafrost, and Spec – Journal of
Cosmovore Finds Pluto Less Palatable Than Imagined by Kristi Carter
Enjoy this audio recording of “Cosmovore Finds Pluto Less Palatable Than Imagined” by Kristi Carter from Vol. 27:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Kristi Carter’s poems have appeared in publications including Alyss, Gertrude, So to Speak, poemmemoirstory (now Nelle), Nimrod, Naugatuck River Review, North Carolina Literary Review, Not Somewhere Else But Here:
Quantum Theory by Victoria Kelly
Enjoy this audio recording of “Quantum Theory” by Victoria Kelly from Vol. 28:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Victoria Kelly was born in New Jersey and graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University. A U.S. Mitchell Scholar, she received her M.Phil. in Creative Writing from Trinity College in
Resentment of the Dead Toward The Living Ann Gearen
Enjoy this audio recording of “Resentment of the Dead Toward The Living” by Ann Gearen from Vol. 28:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Ann Gearen is from Oak Park, IL, and worked for twenty-five years as a psychotherapist at a shelter for battered women. Her work is published in Primavera, Mobius, After Hours, and River
October Lines by Liz Minette
Enjoy this audio recording of “October Lines” by Liz Minette from Vol 28:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Liz Minette lives in Esko, MN, near Lake Superior. She’s been writing for about ten years. Publication credits include Abbey, Earth’s Daughters, Nerve Cowboy, and Many Mountains Moving, among others. She is part of a local writing
Kings of Metal by Erin Swan
Enjoy this audio recording of “Kings of Metal” by Erin Swan from Vol. 28:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Erin Swan is a writer of fiction and non-fiction whose work has been published in various journals, including Asia Literary Review, Bodega Magazine, and The Portland Review. She holds an MA in English Education from
How we Play with Dolls by Avital Gad-Cykman
Enjoy this audio recording of “How we Play with Dolls” by Avital Gad-Cykman from Vol. 28:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Avital Gad Cykman was born and raised in Israel, lives in Brazil, and writes in English. She is the winner of Margaret Atwood Studies Magazine Prize and first placed in The
Fall From the Sky by Kate Ver Ploeg
Enjoy this audio recording of “Fall From the Sky” by Kate Ver Ploeg from Vol. 28:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Kate Ver Ploeg has lived and biked throughout the United States and abroad. She now lives where she grew up and studies in the University of New Hampshire MFA writing program.
By His Grave Eight Years Later, Pete’s Hat by Catherine Freeling
Enjoy this audio recording of “By His Grave Eight Years Later, Pete’s Hat” by Catherine Freeling from Vol. 28:1 of CALYX Journal, available here. Catherine Freeling worked in theatre and as a public school teacher before finding poetry. She has been a finalist in the Rattle, Nimrod, and Bellevue Literary Review poetry contests, and a
Dali’s Clock by Tricia Knoll
Enjoy this audio recording of “Dali’s Clock” by Tricia Knoll from Vol. 28:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Tricia Knoll has degrees in literature from Stanford University (BA) and Yale University (MAT). Her poetry and haiku appear in numerous journals and several anthologies. Her most recent collection, How I Learned To Be
‘Twas Brillig at Marriage Counseling by Mary Moore Easter
Enjoy this audio recording of “‘Twas Brillig at Marriage Counseling” by Mary Moore Easter from Vol. 28:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Mary Moore Easter is a Cave Canem Fellow and poet/choreographer who mixes movement, text, and song, live and on video. Her chapbook is Walking from Origins. Professor of Dance Emerita at Carleton
The Second Son by Elizabeth Berlin
Enjoy this audio recording of “The Second Son” by Elizabeth Berlin from Vol. 28:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Elizabeth Berlin is a teacher, writer, and avid hiker in Tucson, AZ. Recent publications include a nonfiction piece, Death and the Canyon, featured in the Canadian literary, Room. The same piece was a headliner on the magazine’s website and
The Day We Searched for the Road with Our Name by Catherine Freeling
This interview with Catherine Freeling was conducted in 2016 and includes her poem “The Day We Searched for the Road with Our Name” from Vol. 28:1 of CALYX Journal, available here. Catherine Freeling worked in theatre and as a public school teacher before finding poetry. She has been a finalist in the Rattle, Nimrod, and
The Shear Magic Salon by Sharon Pretti
Enjoy this audio recording of “The Shear Magic Salon” by Sharon Pretti from Vol. 28:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Sharon Pretti lives in San Francisco, California. Her work has been published in Nostos, Spillway, MARGIE, The Bellevue Literary Review, The Comstock Review, The Healing Muse and other journals. She is an
Specified Tolerance by Carla Laureen Bollinger
Enjoy this audio recording of “Specified Tolerance” by Carla Laureen Bollinger from Vol. 28:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Carla Laureen Bollinger is an author of cookbooks, Souper Skinny Soups and Vegetarians in the Fast Lane, travel, news editorials, and historical articles, but it is poetry that keeps her awake at night. She is a member of
Rise Up by Nicole Rollender
Enjoy this audio recording of “Rise Up” by Nicole Rollender from Vol. 28:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Nicole Rollender is the author of the poetry chapbooks Absence of Stars (July 2015, dancing girl press & studio), Little Deaths (November 2015, ELJ Publications), and Arrangement of Desire (Pudding House Publications). She’s the recipient
Proof by Grace Mattern
Enjoy this audio recording of “Proof” by Grace Mattern from Vol. 28:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Grace Mattern’s poetry and short fiction have been published in numerous literary journals and magazines, including Prairie Schooner, The Sun, Poet Lore, Cider Press Review, and Yankee. She has received fellowships from the New Hampshire
Period by Catherine Lewis
Enjoy this audio recording of “Period” by Catherine Lewis from Vol. 28:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Catherine Lewis is the author of three books, most recently Thrice Told Tales (Simon & Schuster). Her shorter works have been published in magazines such as The Bellevue Literary Review, South Loop Review, and DASH Journal. She
How the Birds Returned by Sharon Pretti
Enjoy this audio recording of “How the Birds Returned” by Sharon Pretti from Vol. 28:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Sharon Pretti lives in San Francisco, California. Her work has been published in Nostos, Spillway, MARGIE, The Bellevue Literary Review, The Comstock Review, The Healing Muse and other journals. She is an
“Brick Heart” by DJ Gaskin
Enjoy this audio recording of “Brick Heart” by DJ Gaskin from Vol. 28:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. DJ Gaskin has published poetry in Gargoyle, SLAB, The Comstock Review, Iodine Poetry Journal, DeepWater Literary Review, Ars Medica and others. She also has work in two anthologies and was a finalist in Arlington, Virginia’s “Moving Words” contest. DJ’s
U. of Wisconsin 1995 by Malisa Garlieb
Enjoy this audio recording of “U. of Wisconsin 1995” by Malisa Garlieb from Vol. 28:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Malisa Garlieb is a Waldorf teacher living and working in Shelburne, VT. Her poems have been published in Off the Coast, Painted Bride Quarterly, Lines + Stars, and Compass Rose, among others. Her first book, Recurring Down-slurred Trill, is forthcoming by Sunridge
Memento Mori by Joan Roberta Ryan
Enjoy this audio recording of “Memento Mori” by Joan Ryan from Vol. 28:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Joan Roberta Ryan is the author of the poetry collection Dark Ladies & Other Avatars (3: A Taos Press, 2017). Her poems have been published in Atlanta Review, Nimrod, The Sow’s Ear Review, Spillway, Naugatuck River Review,
Leave Here Knowing by Elizabeth Oakes, a Review by Sherry Chandler
Enjoy this audio recording of “Leave Here Knowing by Elizabeth Oakes,” a review by Sherry Chandler from Vol. 28:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Sherry Chandler is the author of The Woodcarver’s Wife and Weaving a New Eden. Her poems and reviews have appeared in many periodicals, including Smartish Pace, The Cortland
A Rite of Friendship by Ann Mallen
Enjoy this audio recording of “A Rite of Friendship” by Ann Mallen from issue 28:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Ann Mallen is a writer based in West Palm Beach and Pittsburgh. Her work often focuses on the struggle of the individual in relation to institutional, psycho-social, and cultural power. She graduated
When Summer Falls by Taijhet Nyobi
Enjoy this audio recording of “When Summer Falls” by Taijhet Nyobi from issue 28:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Taijhet Nyobi is an artist of African descent based in Oakland, CA. Her poetry has been published by Saul Williams, online magazines, and several literary journals. She is the 2014 grant recipient of
This is the Place Where Sound Was Born by Bonny Barry Sanders
Enjoy this audio recording of “This is the Place Where Sound Was Born” by Bonny Barry Sanders from issue 28:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Bonny Barry Sanders’ poems have been published in Blueline, Chattahoochee Review, The Christian Science Monitor, Connecticut Review, Carolina Quarterly, Ibbetson Street, Florida Review, The Louisiana Review, Puckerbrush Review, and The
This is a Question Mark Ready to Fly by Sarah Jane Holsteen
Enjoy this audio recording of “This is a Question Mark Ready to Fly” by Sarah Jane Holsteen from issue 28:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Sarah Jane Holsteen holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her work has previously been published in South Loop Review and Drunken Boat.
Recalculating by Jennifer Burd
Enjoy this audio recording of “Recalculating” by Jennifer Burd from issue 28:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Jennifer Burd has had poetry published in numerous print and online journals. She is author of two full-length books of poetry, Days’ Late Blue (2017; Cherry Grove Collections) and Body and Echo (2010; PlainView Press), a chapbook with CD of
Persephone Talks to Her Girlfriends on Her Cell Phone by Judith Arcana
Enjoy this audio recording of “Persephone Talks to Her Girlfriends on Her Cell Phone” by Judith Arcana from issue 28:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Born and raised in the Great Lakes region, living now in the Pacific Northwest, Judith Arcana is a writer of poems, stories, essays and books. Praised by
Melon Mouth by Taijhet Nyobi
Enjoy this audio recording of “Melon Mouth” by Taijhet Nyobi from issue 28:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Taijhet Nyobi is an artist of African descent based in Oakland, CA. Her poetry has been published by Saul Williams, online magazines, and several literary journals. She is the 2014 grant recipient of the
Interdit by Gillian Cummings
Enjoy this audio recording of “Interdit” by Gillian Cummings from issue 28:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Gillian Cummings is the author of The Owl Was a Baker’s Daughter, selected by John Yau as the winner of the 2018 Colorado Prize for Poetry (The Center for Literary Publishing at Colorado State University, 2018)
Amanat by Lisa Dordal
Enjoy this audio recording of “Amanat” by Lisa Dordal from issue 28.3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Lisa Dordal is the author of Mosaic of the Dark (Black Lawrence Press, 2018) and teaches in the English Department at Vanderbilt University. A Pushcart Prize nominee and recipient of an Academy of American Poets
A Name for the Year’s Longest Night by Ruth Awad
Enjoy this audio recording of “A Name for the Year’s Longest Night” by Ruth Awad from issue 28:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Ruth Awad is an award-winning Lebanese-American poet whose debut poetry collection Set to Music a Wildfire (Southern Indiana Review Press 2017) won the 2016 Michael Waters Poetry Prize and
Whitetail by Abby Minor
Enjoy this audio recording of “Whitetail” by Abby Minor from Vol. 28:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Abby Minor lives in the ridges and valleys of central Pennsylvania, where she works on poems, essays, gardens, paintings, quilts, and projects for reproductive justice. She’s received fellowships, residencies, and awards from Bitch Media, Split
Specimens Mounts 4 and 28 by Amy Wright
Enjoy this audio recording of “Specimens Mounts 4 and 28” by Amy Wright from issue 28:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Amy Wright is Nonfiction Editor of Zone 3 journal, Coordinator of Creative Writing at Austin Peay State University, and author of Everything in the Universe, Cracker Sonnets, and five chapbooks including
Blessing and How Joy is Never Erased by Edwina Trentham
Enjoy these audio recordings of “Blessing” and “How Joy is Never Erased” by Edwina Trentham from issue 29:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Edwina Trentham is a Professor of English at Asnuntuck Community College, where she is also the Editor of Freshwater, a national poetry journal, which celebrated its Tenth Anniversary in
Night Sheep and The Corn-Pecked Ground by Carol Tiebout
Enjoy these audio recordings of “Night Sheep” and “The Corn-Pecked Ground” by Carol Tiebout from issue 29:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Carol Tiebout is a poet and an educator who lives in Edmonds, WA. She has been an end-of-life bodyworker with hospice for ten years. Recently she has also developed collaborative
Harvest by Mary Salisbury
Enjoy this audio recording of “Harvest” by Mary Salisbury from issue 29:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Mary Salisbury, an Oregon Literary Arts Fellowship recipient and finalist for the Orlando Poetry Prize, graduated with an MFA in Writing from Pacific University. Finishing Line Press published Salisbury’s chapbook, Come What May, in 2014.
Free App by Sheila Sondik
Enjoy this audio recording of “Free App” by Sheila Sondik from issue 29:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Sheila Sondik, poet and printmaker, lives in Bellingham, Washington. Her poetry has appeared in Calyx, Raven Chronicles, The Floating Bridge Review, Frogpond, and many other journals and anthologies. Egress Studio Press published her chapbook,
Badmash Company by Tania Malik
Enjoy this audio recording of “Badmash Company” by Tania Malik from issue 29:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Tania Malik was born in New Delhi, and raised in India, Africa, and the Middle East. She was educated in boarding schools in the foothills of the Himalayas, and graduated from the University of
Sister Psalm by Katherine Lo
Enjoy this audio recording of “Sister Psalm” by Katherine Lo from issue 30:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Katherine Lo is a writer and high school English teacher who lives in Southern California. Her work has previously been featured in Poet Lore, Rattle (Poets Respond), and Qu.
Mayakovsky Ghost by Svetlana Beggs
Enjoy this audio recording of “Mayakovsky Ghost” by Svetlana Beggs from issue 30:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Svetlana Beggs is a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, and holds an M.A. in Philosophy. Her poems will appear in forthcoming issues of Columbia Poetry Review and Pleiades, and her flash story was in a recent issue
Funeral by Dorsey Craft
Enjoy this audio recording of “Funeral” by Dorsey Craft from issue 30:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Dorsey Craft holds an MFA from McNeese State University, where she was awarded the Joy Scantlebury Prize for poetry. In addition toNinth Letter Web Edition, Dorsey’s poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Crab Orchard Review, the
A Wheel of Brie by Meredith Davies Hadaway
Enjoy this audio recording of “A Wheel of Brie” by Meredith Davies Hadaway from issue 30:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. An award-winning poet and teacher of ecopoetry, Meredith Davies Hadaway is the author of three collections of poetry, At The Narrows, (2015) The River is a Reason (2011) and Fishing Secrets of the Dead (2005), all issued