Contributors Biographies

Elisha Porat: was born in 1938, to a family that was among the founders of Kibbutz Ein Hahoresh in Emek Hefer. He is the author of five books of poetry in the Hebrew, numerous stories, a novella, five childrens' books, and The Messiah of La Guardia (Mosaic Press, 1997) translated into English. Besides writing, his current endeavors include editorial duties for several literary journals. He recieved the Prime Minister Prize in 1996. He resides in Israel. His website is http://www.artvilla.com/porat

Tara P. Deal: is a writer, editor, and New Yorker currently living in London. Her poetry has appeared in a variety of literary magazines, including West Branch, Flyway, Lilies and Connonballs Review, and failbetter.com. She is the author of Wander Luster, a chapbook published by Finishing Line Press (2007). Contact her at tara@euco.com

Pete Lee: has held jobs that include being a newspaper reporter, private investigator, federal intelligence operations specialist, and a US Army sergent/counterintelligence agent. His poetry has appeared in Curbside Review, Puckerbrush Review, Wavelength, and elselwhere. He lives in the high desert town of Ridgecrest, CA with his wife, and works as an independent bookseller. More of his poetry can be found at www.peteleepoems.blogspot.com

Robyn Raggio: developed her artist side at a young age and then went on to win a Bank of America Scholarship and a full tuition scholarship to Chapman Collage, Orange, CA. She graduated from Cal State Hayward in 1973 with a BA in Photography and Technical Illustration and a minor in English and Creative Writing. She has worked in Broadcasting fro 20 years including PBS. She currently works as a freelance photographer and lives with her husband and children in Ventura County's Gold Coast north of Malibu in California, where she continues to search for interesting motifs that take her to new artistic heights. See more of her images at www.raggiovisivo.com

Joel Toledo: holds a Masters degree in Creative Writing (Poetry) from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. He is a literature professor at Miriam College, also in the Philippines. He won the Meritage Press Poetry Prize and placed second in the 2006 UK Bridport Prize for his poem, The Same Old Figurative. His poetry has appeared in Rogue Poetry Review, The Washington Square, The Bidport Prize Anthology, The Philippines Free Press, The Sunday Inquier Magazine, and elsewhere. He lives in Quezo City, The Philippines with his wife and two children. Contact him at ramblingsoul@yahoo.com

Martha L. Deed: is the author of an autobiographical chapbook, 65x65 (Peter Ganick's Small Chapbook Project 2006). Her poetry has appeared in Shampoo, Unlikelystories, Death Metal Poetry, New Verse News, and elsewhere. She lives on the Erie Canal close to where it merges with the Niagara River in North Tonawanda, NY. Her website can be found at www.sporkworld.org/Deed.

Ray Templeton: is a Scottish writer and musician. His poetry has appeared in print and online journals, most recently in Magma, Eclectica, Loch Raven Review, Tattoo Highway and Nthposition, and short fiction in Antithesis Common. He is a member of the editorial committee of Blues & Rhythm Magazine and a regular contirbutor to Musical Traditions. He presently resides in St. Albans, England. Read more of his poetry at: www.argotistonline.co.uk/Templeton%20poems.htm

Susan Knaap: is, by and large, a self-taught artist. Encouraged to paint as a child, she began selling her work in her late teens. Her paintings are lush, multi-layered works rendered in multiple mediums. Her approach is both planned and intuitive. In December 2005, she represented New Zealand, along with two other artists, at the Florence (Italy) Biennale Juried Symbolist Online Art Show. She is of Dutch decent and lives and works in New Zealand's Horowhenue region. Her website is: www.susanknaap.com

Janet Buck: is a six-time Pushcart Nominee. Her poetry has recently appeared in Octavo, Cross Connect, Poetry Magazine.com, Poetry Bay, Offcourse, and hundreds of journals worldwide. Her poetry explores a complex tapestry of grief - the loss of love and youth and health, even the horros of war - all with the goal of underscoring what's left in the form of human compassion and growth. She beleives as poets we have to finger the darkness in order to cradle the light. Her second collection of poetry, Tickets To A Closing Play, won the 2002 Gival Press Poetry Award. Her third collection, Beckoned By The Reckoning, was released in 2004. Visit her at: http://members.aol.com/jbuck

Marianne LaValle-Vincent: is a published author, poet and humorists who has achieved world-notoriety both online and in print. She is the author of three poetry collections, and countless short stories and articles published which include the "Chicken Soup For The Soul" volumes and many educational sites such as "Her on line Network". She is a native of Syracuse, NY and when not working as an administrative RN, spends her time editing, writing, and creating gourment dishes. Her first cookbook is scheduled for publication in winter 2007. Contact her at lavs4@hotmail.com

Closing Notes: The editor would like to thank the contributors for the use of their work. Each contributor reserves their original rights. Look for the next issue of CSR online on Mar. 1st. Copyright 2008 by Maurice Oliver. All Rights Reserved.

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