The Print Version of the Literary Hatchet #4 is Available

[Stefani]

The print version of the jam-packed issue of The Literary Hatchet, #4, is available for sale.



At only $8.00, it is the best bang for your literary buck!

Order your copy here: https://www.createspace.com/3368704

Here is an image of the table of contents:



Please support your fellow forum members/authors and read their work today!

[augusta]

What a gorgeous issue, inside and out! Another great cover and so far I am enjoying it immensely.

Oh. The dedication to Wm. Schley-Ulrich is lovely. Yes, he sure was a gentleman. And a great Borden researcher and writer. And friend. I miss him. Something tells me I'm only going to get one Bill Ulrich in my lifetime, and I find myself savoring every piece of paper I find that he had sent me.

I thought "Pigeon's Blood Birthstone" by David Marshall James was fantastic! I read it straight thru and couldn't - wouldn't - stop. The humor bits were really good (Abby's relatives being cattle; the "pot" and the "window"...). Mr. James knows the characters well, and I thought his story was well-crafted. It's one I'll read more than once. Move over, Angela Carter. Thank you, David, for the marvelous story.

I couldn't get into Ada Jill Schneider's poem "Cleopatra's Needle with Oranges" (page 17). It could be a masterpiece for all I know. I just personally couldn't get a grasp on it.

"Rainbow Clown" by Michael Brimbau (page 18) was very good, I thought. I think I always like Michael's poetry. At least, I can't remember one he's written that I haven't liked a lot. He writes a lot about the sea, which are wonderful pieces. But it is nice to see something different sometimes.

Kat Koorey's "Give In" (page 15) was incredible. I'll be reading that more than once, too. What deep thoughts you share with us, Kat, and I was surprised and touched by your writing of our late friend, Bill Ulrich. Kat's poetry I think also always touches me and is special.

I think I had commented on her poem on page 41, "One", on another thread. I loved it and thought it was excellent. It seems that I read it somewhere before. Was it published in an issue of 'The Hatchet' before? It sure rings a bell. It's one of the best poems I think I've ever read.

Denise Noe's "Shaking Your Hand" on page 40 I at first thought was morbid. But the more I read it, the more I like it. I like the surprise ending. I think it's a good choice for this magazine.

[mbhenty]

Yes Augusta. Nice of you to give a brief review of the magazine.

Rainbow Clown was written out of my fear of clowns. Of course I lost that fear long ago, as a little boy, but even today clowns spook me.

A little story-------

When I was a little lad I had this clown. I didn't really trust him. I thought he was alive. I prized him as one of my few toys, but I feared him. He was one of those stiff stuffed dolls with a hard plastic face. The kind whose nose usually got pushed in and cracked.

One night I was in bed and before going to sleep I flung the clown off the bed. (can't remember whether I flung him or just did not take him to bed that night.) When I woke up in the morning.......sure enough, the clown had climbed into bed with me. There he was with his frozen insincere smile, as if to say, "you can't get rid of me kiddo." Of course Mom had placed him there.

The photo used as a backdrop for the poem is of the actual clown, taken from an old photo. Not a good shot, but Stefani did a great job making it work.

Thus the poem Rainbow Clown.

The poem is really about fear. Those we may fear in life.

What I am trying to say is that you have a lot more to fear from politicians, priests, and lovers than you do from clowns.

I'm happy you liked the poem. Thank you for the kind words.

[augusta]

I so loved T.K. Rouse's "Time Waits for No One" (page 44). I enjoyed her descriptive prose and the depth of the narrative. It went right thru to my very marrow, it seemed. A lovely, lovely piece.

mb - I'm glad you've gotten over your fear of clowns. Oh, so Stef used the picture of the real clown on the page. That is really cool. It was neat to see the photo you posted of it, too.

When my son was about 3, one of my daughter's baby dolls was on the floor of the living room. With no one near it, its eyes shut. He saw it, and he was so scared of that doll. He was at the age where he was tattling constantly on his sister. ("Mom! Narla called me a name!" - Her name is 'Marla' but he couldn't say it. "What did she call you?" "She called me - Stevie." (That was his name.) Anything, anything to stir up something. That baby doll helped out for a good year in keeping his behavior in check.

[Tina-Kate]

Thank you so much, Augusta!