Think Journal, a quarterly review of fine literature.

1.1 (cover art by Bill Covaleski): 

The featured poet section includes five sonnets from E. Shaun Russell, an emerging poet from British Columbia (Canada).  Russell’s poetry resonates with a strong view of man; the ending couplet of his sonnet, “The Best in Man,” concludes: “The best in man is that which can exist / In all the moments that he is not seen.”

Other emerging poets included two West Chester University graduates, Luke Bauerlein and Adam Wassel.  Also included by editor, Christine Yurick, is a short essay on the evolution of her pantoum, “Motion and Sound.” 

The lead essay by Anne Stevenson, recipient of The Neglected Masters Award from the Poetry Foundation of America, is an in-depth analysis on scansion and speech clusters in poetry, including a detailed analysis of selections of her own poetry.  In another essay, John Enright argues that, “A Poem, To Be, Must Mean.”

The fiction showcases “Redemption in a Cheap Motel Room,” a thought provoking short story by Michael Wojciechowski, shows what happens when an old man, who seeks redemption, ends up in a motel room with a young prostitute.  

In Chapter 1 of “Endurance Test,” an upcoming novel by Amanda Hall, a dedicated doctor struggles to deal with a disturbing reality that his mentor tells him: “…some people simply don’t want to live.”

2.1 (cover design by Dave Sippel):

The featured poet section includes four poems from Walter Donway, of East Hampton. In 2008, The Atlas Society published Donway’s first poetry book, Touched by its Rays.  While writing about his natural history as a poet, and the great poetry masters, Donway states: “All wrote in the great tradition of poetry, all masters of form and metrics.  Almost all thought writing poetry began with the commandment Think.”  

Other poets include Think Journal veterans: Suzanne Sykora; E. Shaun Russell; Cathy Porter; along side other newcomers.  Philadelphia resident, Peter Krok, known as the ‘red brick poet’ also makes his appearance here with a “Montage” of needy and wanting hands.  David Rothman’s poem, The Death of the Chair received a commendation in the 1991 competition for the Cecil Hemley Memorial Award, “for a lyrical poem on a philosophical theme,” from the Poetry Society of America. 

The lead essay by Pushcart Prize nominee, Connie Harrington, whose short stories have been published in nine literary journals, is an in-depth analysis of the short story as an art form, posing the argument that the form should convey meaning, and should have a plot where something actually happens, and that there should be a clear, logical ending.  Harrington uses a detailed analysis of selections from two short stories published inThink Journal. 

The fiction showcases “The Highest Note,” a short story by editor, Christine Yurick, that shows how Estella, a musician, overcomes all obstacles, whose success is based solely on her ability, and whose endurance will determine whether she obtains the man she loves.  

Also included is an excerpt from Chapter 4 of “Adagio Sostenuto,” an upcoming novel by G.L. Green.  The protagonist, Samantha (Sam), is a swashbuckler eight-year-old girl whose sword is her sense of right and wrong, and her willingness to defend the good.  When Sam finds the alternative to an irrational world, she risks everything when she chooses her soul and her mind over her safety.