MUSE IS THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL PUBLISHED BY THE LIT WORDS+IMAGES ISSUE08.09 Images of the Fire in memory of A., 5 years old All that remained were the empty, ash black eyes without their glimmer gleam, the windows burst open­­— shattered like fireworks into the late dusk of April evening, a house that had become newsprint of Munch’s scream. A BENEFIT F He, the man, had paced in panic, then stood at one point, CELEBRATING his hands: bare, dark tree branches reaching into 35 YEARS OF the black plume of smoke that was his shock of hair. COVER THE LIT JEANNETTE PALSA This was after the neighbors had slowed his attempts We Become Enlightened SATURDAY, O and covered his cries with the uselessness of their hands. NOVEMBER, 7 6:30PM In other blind moments, he gathered the shaking little girls CONVIVIUM 33 like shadowed willows that spilled around his legs, clinging, GALLERY their faces: frightened storms off-course, hovering over R the sloping hills of their shoulders that pressed in around their confusion, the unnamed grief that precipitated. Finally, as rivers rushed from gaping mouths, wide eyes: CLOSURE the tiny brown silk of breathless boy lifted from the floor, Visions of Reality, Words of Promise passed through the terrible space between outside and in. For 35 years, The LIT, founded in 1974 as Leonard Trawick, and the late Cyril A. Dostal. Featuring hors d’oeuvres and cock- The Poets' League of Cleveland, has been Lifetime membership is awarded to Mary tails set to the soundtrack of the Vince TINA PUCKETT Northeast Ohio's only independent, non- Chadbourne, Christopher Franke, Nina Robinson Jazz Poets, the evening will mark profit organization dedicated solely to Freedlander Gibans, Diane Kendig, Joan The LIT’s rich history and the organiza- literature and literary artists. Marking its Nicholl, and John Stickney. tion's fertile future. milestone 35th anniversary, The LIT has Featuring provocative, large-scale To purchase tickets, inquire about collaborated with Convivium 33 Gallery photographs of artist Donald Black, the sponsorship, and find out more informa- COVER We Become Enlightened 13 Poem: Soft Spot, Cavana Faithwalker; and artist Donald Black to revisit the very series captures Cleveland’s foreclosure cri- tion about this historic celebratory event, Jeannette Palsa Image: India Moopathis, Herb Ascherman popular Mirror of The Arts Program with sis and provides inspiration for words that contact The LIT at 216.694.0000 or 03 Poem: Images of the Fire, 14 Poem: The Last Goodbye, RB Rhumes; For Closure: Visions of Reality, Words of speak to our city’s ability to survive in the [email protected]. Tina Puckett Image: Aspara Illumination Sita, Keith Berr Promise; An Exhibition of Photography, face of adversity. Words of promise are 04 Poem: Having It, John Donoghue; 15 Poem: Sit on The Wall, David Shevin Words, and Found Materials to honor contributed by Kazim Ali, Eric Anderson, Image: Trolley, Garie Waltzer seminal and visionary figures whose early Grant Bailie, Kelly Bancroft, Mary Biddinger, THELIT 16 Short Fiction: The Good Earth, The Mud CLEVELAND’S LITERARY CENTER influences shaped The LIT’s mission. Giao Buu, Eric Coble, Cavana Faithwalker, 08 Book Archaeology, Rob Jackson Okla Elliot The LIT proudly honors John Gabel, Shurice Gross, Michelle Rankins, Kristin 10 Image: Nicole, Billy Delfs 17 Chapter 11: Ablaze, Rick Ridgway Bonnie Jacobson, Robert McDonough, Olsen, and Erin O’Brien. 11 Poem: Geometry, Neil Carpathios 28 Nonfiction: Plagued, Charlotte Morgan 08 09 12 Poem: Planets, Cavana Faithwalker; M Image: Untitled, Karen Ollis Toula U S EM contents 3 Images of the Fire in memory of A., 5 years old All that remained were the empty, ash black eyes without their glimmer gleam, the windows burst open­­— shattered like fireworks into the late dusk of April evening, a house that had become newsprint of Munch’s scream. A BENEFIT F He, the man, had paced in panic, then stood at one point, CELEBRATING his hands: bare, dark tree branches reaching into 35 YEARS OF the black plume of smoke that was his shock of hair. COVER THE LIT JEANNETTE PALSA This was after the neighbors had slowed his attempts We Become Enlightened SATURDAY, O and covered his cries with the uselessness of their hands. NOVEMBER, 7 6:30PM In other blind moments, he gathered the shaking little girls CONVIVIUM 33 like shadowed willows that spilled around his legs, clinging, GALLERY their faces: frightened storms off-course, hovering over R the sloping hills of their shoulders that pressed in around their confusion, the unnamed grief that precipitated. Finally, as rivers rushed from gaping mouths, wide eyes: CLOSURE the tiny brown silk of breathless boy lifted from the floor, Visions of Reality, Words of Promise passed through the terrible space between outside and in. For 35 years, The LIT, founded in 1974 as Leonard Trawick, and the late Cyril A. Dostal. Featuring hors d’oeuvres and cock- The Poets' League of Cleveland, has been Lifetime membership is awarded to Mary tails set to the soundtrack of the Vince TINA PUCKETT Northeast Ohio's only independent, non- Chadbourne, Christopher Franke, Nina Robinson Jazz Poets, the evening will mark profit organization dedicated solely to Freedlander Gibans, Diane Kendig, Joan The LIT’s rich history and the organiza- literature and literary artists. Marking its Nicholl, and John Stickney. tion's fertile future. milestone 35th anniversary, The LIT has Featuring provocative, large-scale To purchase tickets, inquire about collaborated with Convivium 33 Gallery photographs of artist Donald Black, the sponsorship, and find out more informa- COVER We Become Enlightened 13 Poem: Soft Spot, Cavana Faithwalker; and artist Donald Black to revisit the very series captures Cleveland’s foreclosure cri- tion about this historic celebratory event, Jeannette Palsa Image: India Moopathis, Herb Ascherman popular Mirror of The Arts Program with sis and provides inspiration for words that contact The LIT at 216.694.0000 or 03 Poem: Images of the Fire, 14 Poem: The Last Goodbye, RB Rhumes; For Closure: Visions of Reality, Words of speak to our city’s ability to survive in the [email protected]. Tina Puckett Image: Aspara Illumination Sita, Keith Berr Promise; An Exhibition of Photography, face of adversity. Words of promise are 04 Poem: Having It, John Donoghue; 15 Poem: Sit on The Wall, David Shevin Words, and Found Materials to honor contributed by Kazim Ali, Eric Anderson, Image: Trolley, Garie Waltzer seminal and visionary figures whose early Grant Bailie, Kelly Bancroft, Mary Biddinger, THELIT 16 Short Fiction: The Good Earth, The Mud CLEVELAND’S LITERARY CENTER influences shaped The LIT’s mission. Giao Buu, Eric Coble, Cavana Faithwalker, 08 Book Archaeology, Rob Jackson Okla Elliot The LIT proudly honors John Gabel, Shurice Gross, Michelle Rankins, Kristin 10 Image: Nicole, Billy Delfs 17 Chapter 11: Ablaze, Rick Ridgway Bonnie Jacobson, Robert McDonough, Olsen, and Erin O’Brien. 11 Poem: Geometry, Neil Carpathios 28 Nonfiction: Plagued, Charlotte Morgan 08 09 12 Poem: Planets, Cavana Faithwalker; M Image: Untitled, Karen Ollis Toula U S EM contents 3 Having It I cried once and I think smaller. Tomorrow 0 5 Having it is bad, I’m not saying it isn’t, if they find more, I’m a goner. I knew someday This summer has been filled with good news: LIT lifetime but the moment of being told you have it— something would tap me on the shoulder. MUSE IS THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL PUBLISHED BY THE LIT 0 9 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 AUG 2009 member, Nina Freedlander Gibans, who has been an just before going in and then going in— It’s like I’m on a train, like I’ve passed inspiration, an editor, and friend to nearly every writer and that’s maybe worse: you hear it, and everything through a window—me on one side, artist in this city, was awarded the Martha Joseph Prize for falls to your feet like pots and pans. everything else on the other. JUDITH MANSOUR Editor Community Arts Leadership by the Cleveland Arts Prize; We chew life and spit it out as it comes—even [email protected] 2002 Writers & Their Friends Fiction Honoree, Thrity Umrigar, that moment of being told, JOHN DONOGHUE was awarded the 2009 Cleveland Arts Prize for Literature; “Having It” originally appeared as “Old People” GARIE WALTZER though I wouldn’t have believed it. TIM LACHINA and 2008 Writers & Their Friends Honoree, Paula McLain’s in Precipice published by Four Way Books. Trolley / Lviv, Ukraine Design Director [email protected] upcoming novel, The Great Good Place – a work of historical fiction about the life of Hadley Richardson – sold to Random RAY MCNIECE House’s Ballantine division for just north of half a million Poetry Editor [email protected] dollars. Congratulations Nina, Thrity, and Paula. ROB JACKSON Other friends of The LIT: Kazim Ali, Dan Chaon, David Giffels, Fiction Editor [email protected] and Robert Flanagan are slated to release books in the coming months. In fact, Kazim and Ted Mathys will be reading ALENKA BANCO from their new novel and poetry collection, respectively Art Editor on October 10th at The LIT. David Giffels and Dan Chaon [email protected] have both agreed to make appearances this fall at The LIT’s BONNIE JACOBSON book club: Local Perspectives, hosted at Mac’s Backs, and DAVID MEGENHARDT I am hoping to schedule Robert Flanagan for a reading in Contributing Editors [email protected] Cleveland some time very soon. There is a lot to look forward to, not the least of which is great reading. KELLY K. BIRD Advertising Account Manager [email protected] One of the perks of this job is that I often have the inside scoop on when a new book is in the works, when it will be released, what the author’s process has been, and what the SUBMISSIONS critics are saying.