Mud Season Review
Aurora Nowak interviews
Naomie Jean-Pierre
Poetry co-editor Aurora Nowak recently had this exchange with Issue #40 featured poet Naomie Jean-Pierre. Here’s what Naomie had to say about the inspiration for her poetry, how she approaches form, and how painful experiences manifest in her art…
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Jennifer duToit-Barrett interviews
Justin Hamm
Art editor Jennifer duToit-Barrett recently had this exchange with Issue #40 featured artist Justin Hamm. Here’s what Justin had to say about his photographic style, the landscape of the Midwest, and how his art connects to the past…
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Grace Safford interviews
Joe Baumann
Fiction co-editor Grace Safford recently had this exchange with Issue #40 featured fiction writer Joe Baumann. Here’s what Joe had to say about his approach to brainstorming story ideas, what role exposition plays in a piece, and what he’s working on now…
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Julie Patterson interviews
Melissa Goodnight
Nonfiction reader Julie Patterson recently had this exchange with Issue #40 featured nonfiction writer Melissa Goodnight. Here’s what Melissa had to say about how she approached revealing intimate moments in her own life, and how writing helped to process her grief in service to others…
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Doll
By Melissa Goodnight
Dana worked the morning shift at Skaggs Regional Hospital. As far as nurses go, she was friendly and efficient. She was a sturdy girl, with gentle hands and a welcoming hug. In the early morning hours, as the sun made its slow climb from behind the clouds, Dana could be found shuffling cords and fluffing pillows…
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Vernix
By Joe Baumann
The neonatal nurses couldn’t remove the vernix from Evan’s skin. They tried hot water, scrubbing with their hands through the squeaky latex of their gloves; they soaked washcloths, scratching them against his pink baby body, at first with a delicacy reserved for afternoon tea…
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The Apologetics of Leaving
By Naomie Jean-Pierre
a leaving
begins in the
calluses on my feet
calcium, hardened on my teeth
laughter ghosts
a smile in disguise beneath my nose…
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Justin Hamm Photographs Artist Statement “For me, the act of photography is similar to the act of writing a poem. I try to get lost, be unafraid of any turn, and react emotionally first. These pictures come from my drives down backroads in Missouri, Illinois, and elsewhere. In poems and in photos, I am trying […]