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Editor’s Note: April ’25: In Memoriam and Spring Poetry
by Aiden Hunt
“I wanted to pay respect to her in these pages and acknowledge the debt this publication owes to her loving parenting. Thank you and rest in peace, Kathleen Hunt.” Read a note from editor Aiden Hunt about our last issue, upcoming original poetry, and a brief tribute to his mother, who passed away in March.
Book Excerpt: The Prize of Québec by Jennifer Nelson
by Philly Poetry Chapbook Review
“I tend to lean into the transconstitutory powers of ekphrasis. … Only in poetry can one go to the moon in a way that critiques the quest for the moon.” Read the featured Excerpt Poem of the Month for April 2025, “The Prize of Québec” from On the Way to the Paintings of Forest Robberies by Jennifer Nelson, along with a few words from the poet.
Chapbook Poem: This Is How They Teach Us How to Want It . . . by Shanta Lee
by Philly Poetry Chapbook Review
“Are we trained to want our own undoing or slaughtering? If so, how, when and why? … This poem explores the levels of our participation in handing ourselves over, often to the people, places, or things that deserve no such delight.” Read the featured Chapbook Poem of the Month for April 2025, “This Is How They Teach Us How to Want It . . .” from This Is How They Teach You How to Want It . . . The Slaughter by Shanta Lee, along with a few words from the poet.
by Jonathan Fletcher
“Instead of having to choose between religion or the LGBTQ community (which I know many member of the latter feel they have to do), I think it is possible (and maybe even biblical) to integrate both into one’s life.” Read three poems by poet Jonathan Fletcher, our first of six biweekly poets of the Spring 2025 issue, along with a few words about the poem “When Easter Fell on the Same Date as Transgender Day of Visibility”.
Review: What Happened? On You are Leaving the American Sector by Rebecca Foust
by Rick Mullin
“Rebecca Foust’s new chapbook of poems has a strange prescience. … Foust isn’t alone in making the obvious connection between Trump’s first term and Orwell’s dystopia.” Read the full chapbook review by new contributor Rick Mullin.
by Sarah E N Kohrs
‘What if we started creating together? What if we looked at who we are from the side and saw a much more complete and honest perspective?” Read four poems by poet Sarah E N Kohrs, our second of six biweekly poets of the Spring 2025 issue, along with a few words about the poem “What We Create Together.”
Book Excerpt: Challenger by Colleen S. Harris
by Philly Poetry Chapbook Review
“We often focus on an event or its aftermath, and forget to reflect on the reality (or banality) of the ‘before’ because it doesn’t become significant to us until afterward. If we look beyond the voyeuristic tendency to focus on the tragedy, what might we see? This poem was a chance for me to zoom in on the calm before the storm.” Read the featured Excerpt Poem of the Month for May 2025, “Challenger” from The Light Becomes Us by Colleen S. Harris, along with a few words from the poet.
Chapbook Poem: What I Did This Summer by Elinor Serumgard
by Philly Poetry Chapbook Review
“Analogous Annum follows the seasons of the year, but it starts at the end of summer rather than in January. I love New Year’s and the promise of a new start, but I like to remind myself that you can start fresh at any point throughout the year.” Read the featured Chapbook Poem of the Month for May 2025, “What I Did This Summer” from Analogous Annum by Elinor Serumgard, along with a few words from the poet.
by Christa Fairbrother
“Being a new mom is a vulnerable time in your life, and it’s natural to seek out support. However … Since women aren’t allowed the power of our anger, we take it out on each other, and that’s what this poem is hinting at.” Read three poems by poet Christa Fairbrother, our third of six biweekly poets of the Spring 2025 issue, along with a few words about the poem “Nursing Moms Group”.
Review: Multilingualism and Metaphor: On Desire/Halves by Jaia Hamid Bashir
by D.W. Baker
“Bashir’s elegant debut collection investigates identity as the result of choices between individual appetites and cultural frames. … [It] announces an exciting addition to the global chorus of contemporary literature.” Read D.W. Baker’s full review.
by Jane Ellen Glasser
“In my fantasy world, I would be able to communicate with the animals I see every day. … A simple gesture of reaching out, like a spider releasing fine silk threads from its spinneret until it becomes aloft, binds us.” Read five poems by poet Jane Ellen Glasser, our fourth of six biweekly poets of the Spring 2025 issue, along with a few words about the poem “How to Befriend Animals.”
Chapbook Poem: I Worry by Flavian Mark Lupinetti
by Philly Poetry Chapbook Review
“I can’t begin to imagine doctors in Gaza courageously practicing medicine while intentionally targeted by the Israeli army aided by the United States. It makes me ashamed to complain about my worries. It should make us all ashamed.” Read the featured Chapbook Poem of the Month for June 2025, “I Worry” from The Pronunciation Part by Flavian Mark Lupinetti, along with a few words from the poet.
Book Excerpt: Ars Poetica by Leigh Sugar
by Philly Poetry Chapbook Review
“I never know where a poem will land when I begin writing it, and I’m often surprised by where it leads me. “Ars Poetica” led me to acknowledge that which I so often try to suppress. What a plain, common thing – to not want to be lonely…” Read an excerpt from Leigh Sugar’s book, FREELAND, from Alice James Books, along with words from the author.
by Bart Edelman
“…she has a sense of style, a modicum of grace, and she recognizes her place in the cosmic order, where revolution rules every other Wednesday and twice, of course, on Sundays…” Read three poems by poet Bart Edelman, our fifth of six biweekly poets of the Spring 2025 issue, along with a few words about the poem “Irma.”
by Victoria Korth
“Quantum physics leads us to the uncanny and the terrifying. I know people fear black holes, but to me they rearrange our relationship to time and to our own lives.” Read four poems by poet Victoria Korth, our last of six biweekly poets of the Spring 2025 issue, along with a few words about the poem “The Great Array.”
New Books
New Poetry Titles (4/1/25)
New Poetry Titles (4/8/25)
Poetry Chapbooks (March 2025)
New Poetry Titles (4/15/25)
New Poetry Titles (4/22/25)
New Poetry Titles (4/29/25)
New Poetry Titles (5/6/25)
New Poetry Titles (5/13/25)
Poetry Chapbooks (April 2025)
New Poetry Titles (5/20/25)
New Poetry Titles (5/27/25)
New Poetry Titles (6/3/25)
New Poetry Titles (6/10/25)
Poetry Chapbooks (May 2025)
New Poetry Titles (6/17/25)
New Poetry Titles (6/24/25)
Meet Our Contributors
Meet Our Contributor: Jonathan Fletcher
Meet Our Contributor: Sarah E N Kohrs
Meet Our Contributor: Christa Fairbrother
Meet Our Contributor: D.W. Baker
