Contributors Biographies

Christine Hamm: she is a PhD candidate in English Literature at Drew University. In 2007, she was a runner up to Queens' Poet Laureate. Her poetry has been published in The Adirondack Review, Pebble Lake Review, Horseless Press, Lodestar Quarterly, Blue Fifth Review, Snow Monkey and Exquisite Corpse, among others. She has been nominated twice for a Pushcart Prize, and once for "The Best of the Web". Her collection of poems is called The Transparent Dinner (Mayapple Press, 2006). She teaches English at Rutgers University and poetry writing at Women's Studio Center in Queens, NY. She has publised three chapbooks and lives in NYC area.Find her blog at www.christinehamm.org

Cheong Lee San: works in a telecommunication industry where he spends his days writing boring reports, excuses and subtle threats. The only conclusion he can come up with for continuing his profession is that it pays the bills, which in turn keeps insomnia at bay. His real passion is poetry, something he writes in his spare time. What inspires him are the mundane, ordinary events and people that he observes during his work and play in his urban world. His work has appeared in Quarterly Literary Review Singapore and The Sidewalk's End. He resides in Singapore. You can read more of his works at his poetry blog at http://dsnake1.blogspot.com

Tasha Klein: she is a receptionist for a retirement facility and a telecommunications business. She is inspired by the poetry of Anne Sexton, Jim Morrison and E.E. Cummings. She has been published in numerous web eZines including Conspire, 2River View, Snakeskin, The Melic Review, The Rose & Thorn, Gumball Poetry, Mentress Moon, Mind Caviar, The Green Tricycle, Mi Poesias, Poems Niederngasse, MindKites, Snow Monkey, 3rd Muse Poetry, New World Poetry, Southern Ocean Review, and so on. She lives in a grain solo in Dekalb, IL. Find out more about her at www.myspace.com/dreamsonnets

Micha Boland: he believes his photography can speak words he never thought were in his soul. So he lets his pictures do the talking. Some of his motifs include Monumental Valley, Florence, Berlin, Las Vegas, and carnivals. He shots with a keen artistic talent whether the subject matter is the Glen Canyon Dam or the Mercedes Benz Museum. He lives and works in Zollernalbkreis, Germany. Find more at: www.fotocommunity.com/pc/pc/pcat/339019

Patry Francis: she grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts, a city known for its legendary boxers and its heritage as "the shoe city of the world". Both her father and grandfather labored in the leather factories. She likes classic novels like David Copperfield and Crime and Punishment. Her first novel, The Liar's Diary, was published by Dutton and Brilliance Audio in February, 2007, and there are plans for it being published in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic. She continues to reside in New England. Find her blogsite at www.waitresspoems.blogspot.com

Stan Apps: he is a poet and essayist, originally from Toronto, Canada, and Waco, Texas. Currently though, the gusty winds of D.C. are tearing him loose from his root-system in Los Angeles, California, and transplanting him to Tampa, Florida. His books include Info Ration (Make Now) and Soft Hands (Ugly Duckling); upcoming books include God's Livestock Policy (Les Figues) and Why I Joined the Avant-Garde (essays from Combo Books). Drive one mile more and take the first exit to his blog at: http://nonprovocativeurl.blogspot.com

January O'Neil: she is a 39 year old teacher, poet, writer and editor with a keen interest in literature and the Boston Red Sox. Her poetry and articles have appeared in Crab Orchard Review, Literary Mama, Field, Callaloo, Seattle Review, Stuff Magazine, Poetry Thursday, and Cave Canem Anthologies II and IV, among others. She is a fellow with Cave Canem poets, and is cofounder and cohost of New and Emerging Writers Series (NEWS), a blossoming reading series in Arlington, MA. Her first collection of poems, titled Underlife, will be published by CavanKerry Press in October 2009. She lives with her husband and two kids in North Shore, MA. Her blog is called Poet Mom at http://poetmom.blogspot.com

Xiaoyang Galas: she was born in 1973 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. From 1993-95 she studied art at Sichuan Fine Arts Academy. By 2002, she had had first solo exhibition of her oil paintings which she titled “From China To Europe” at the Rentes Genevoises in Geneva, Switzerland. She says there is so much sorrow in the world, but she does not want to paint that side. She wants to be a contributor to the world’s beauty. She currently lives in Varennes Saint. Sauveur, France. Visit her website at www.artbreath21.com

Tim Martin: he has a BA in Writing and Literature. His serial poem, ricochet, has been recorded twice and recently turned into a performance piece.His work has appeared in iOutlaw, One Less Magazine,Fugacity,Hamilton Stone Review, Big Bridge, Altered Books Project, The Attic Which is Desire and other small magazines. A professional stage manager, he has worked with many theatres in the Philly area (Enchantment Theatre, Theatre Ariel, New Paradise Laboratories, and many others.) He is the production manager for Mum Puppettheatre and Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company. He lives in Philadelphia, PA. His blog can be found at http://timothymartin.blogspot.com

Shanna Compton: her books and chapbooks include Down Spooky, (Winnow Press, 2005), Closest Major Town (HEHF, 2006), and For Girls (Bloof Books, 2007). Her poems and essays have appeared in dozens of publications and several anthologies, including The Best American Poetry 2005, and the Poetry Foundation website. She founded the DIY Poetry Publishing Cooperative in 2005 and publishes poetry chapbooks and broadsides via her micropress Half Empty/Half Full. She works as a freelance copywriter/publisher and occasionally teaches poetry. She lives in NYC. Her website can be found at http://shannacompton.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 Sept. 1st.

Copyright 2008 by Maurice Oliver. All Rights Reserved.
Visit the editor’s personal blog: http://www.copyat5.blogspot.com/
And his music blog: http://www.medleymakersant.blogspot.com/