J.J. Campbell (1976 – ?) is trapped in the suburbs, probably forever. He’s been widely published over the years, most recently at Disturb the Universe Magazine, The Beatnik Cowboy, Mad Swirl, Yellow Mama and Horror Sleaze Trash. You can find him most days taking care of his disabled mother, wondering which of them will die first. He has a blog, evil delights, he sometimes writes on, given a few free seconds here and there. (https://evildelights.blogspot.com)
1-Please share your thoughts about the future of literature.
When u start writing?
Bahar BÜKE: I have been interested in poems and writing poetry since I was a child.
Poetry is also like a brain gymnastics. It improves the ability to think about the harmony of words, descriptions, deep meanings and also empathy. It imposes compassion and love. Humanity really needs it. Therefore, the poem must spread quickly. It is necessary to especially encourage the new generation of young people. Words have power. There are some poems that are like advice. Some make it sad, some poetry gives hope. Therefore, poetry is the virtue of being human.
It is not possible to say anything clear about the future of literature, but there will definitely be those who serve literature after us as before us.
The presence of young writers and poets is very promising for the future of literature.
2- The good and the Bad.Who is winning in nowadays?
Bahar BÜKE: I know there are really strong pens that can’t make your voice heard.
It is my only wish that efforts are valued.
It takes a lot of effort for success. Let the success of the real workers, not the strong one..
3- How many books have you written.And where can we find your books
Bahar BÜKE: My poetry book called “The Woman in a Black Coat” is my first and only printed book. It is on sale on the sites of my publisher (Ange Publications) and all elite bookstores in Turkey, especially Amazon.
I’m preparing the second book. My file is almost ready, I’m waiting for the right time for the publication of my second book. I’m not in a hurry. Because my poems are already on newspapers, literature magazines and literature websites. It is often read by professional poetry interpreters on poetry radios.
4- The books E book or Hardcover book . What will be the future?
Bahar BÜKE: E-book is like a blessing of the digital age, but I still prefer to read by smelling books and turning the pages. Unfortunately, the economic fluctuation in the world also affects publishing houses and printing. This situation causes some writers/poets to prefer e-books.
5- A wish four 2025. A phrase from your book.
Bahar BÜKE: I hope poetry spreads to the souls of all the people of the world like a virus. It evokes emotions such as empathy, compassion, friendship and brotherhood.
It is a quote from my poem “The Woman in a Black Coat”, which I named my book: “The rain falls into the foggy, hazy streets of the dark city
And a woman in a black coat is alone on the streets
The wind caresses her hair on the sidewalk while walking
Tears are flowing from his eyes, he kisses his cheeks
Even if he erases it with his occasional trembling hands
His eyes are quite persistent…”
…” Every story has a soul. That soul is reached with the eye of the heart. Open the eyes of your heart, open it so that the world becomes beautiful, open it so that your world becomes beautiful”
Thank you so much
Bahar BÜKE: thank you very much.
Long live literature
Long live poetry
Long live art
Turkish writer/poet Bahar Önen BÜKE was born on March 6, 1984 in Balıkesir / Turkey. She is the author of the poem book “The Woman in the Black Coat”. She is published in many literature magazines and literature websites with her poems. At the same time, with her author identity, she meets the reader with his culture, art, literature and magazine news on news websites and printed newspapers. Author Bahar BÜKE, who said “Poetry is my way of life”, has recently been preparing for her second book. She continues to actively serve Turkish poetry literature.
The Flowerless Spring Oh spring! Beloved spring! Don’t ask me without flowers I and flowers are in the same vase Believe me! Believe me!! Oh spring! Dear spring! Don’t love me without love I and love are twins Trust me! Trust me!! Oh spring! Musical spring! Don’t invite me without the tune of dream I and tune live in heart Stay here! Stay here!! Oh spring! Sincere spring! Come here with words of heart Your words are my words Make me dreamy! Make me dreamy!! Oh spring! Caring spring! Hold my time with silver moon The moonlit nights are my pen’s verses Give your hand! Give your hand!! Oh spring! The queen of love l just miss you I need you to compose a poem Give me rain! Give me rainbow!! Oh spring! Lovely spring! Love is not in the rest Hear the song of the rivers Make me flowery! Make me flowery!! Oh spring! Sweetest spring! I need a tiny hut of poems We will get lost there To search the light of love. Bless me! Bless me!!
With the prevalence of social media and growing societal expectations, it has become increasingly common for individuals to voice their frustrations and opinions online, particularly in technologically advanced societies. While there are valid reasons for expressing dissatisfaction on such platforms, I strongly assert that this trend has both harmful consequences and meaningful benefits. On the one hand, it may increase negativity and affect mental health; on the other, it can raise public awareness and lead to quicker solutions for social problems.
One of the major consequences of this trend is the spread of negativity online, which can significantly impact individuals’ mental well-being. As more people share complaints and disappointments about their lives, it creates a cycle of emotional dissatisfaction that others are exposed to daily. This constant exposure can lead users to feel more anxious, discontent, or even inferior, especially when comparing their own lives to what they see online. Over time, such emotional stress can damage people’s mental health and reduce the overall positivity of online spaces.
Despite these downsides, public complaints on social media also offer a significant benefit: they can serve as a catalyst for change. By bringing issues such as poor infrastructure, low-quality services, or political concerns into the public eye, individuals can draw attention from government bodies, service providers, and the media. For example, in Uzbekistan, citizens often highlight poor road conditions via social platforms. In many cases, these posts go viral and prompt authorities to respond quickly. In this way, social media empowers ordinary people to contribute to community development and hold institutions accountable.
In conclusion, although venting frustrations on social media can negatively affect users’ mental health by spreading pessimism and stress, it also allows people to highlight societal problems and demand immediate action. Thus, while the trend may carry emotional risks, it plays a vital role in raising awareness and pushing for positive change.
My name is Rashidova Jasmina, daughter of Bahodir. I was born on November 23rd, 2008, in Shakhrisabz district, located in the Kashkadarya Region of Uzbekistan. I am currently a 10th-grade student at School No. 74.
Throughout my academic journey, I have proudly taken part in numerous educational grants, national seminars, and academic meetings. I am a winner of several contests and competitions dedicated to education and innovation. Notably, I was a finalist in both the “BBG” and “FO” programs, which further motivated my passion for leadership and community development.
One of my most prestigious achievements includes being awarded the “Katta Liderlar” grant, which recognizes young emerging leaders in Uzbekistan. I also had the honor of participating as a delegate representing Switzerland in a Model United Nations (MUN) conference, where I strengthened my skills in diplomacy, negotiation, and global issues.
In addition to my academic accomplishments, I run my own educational channel, where I teach and mentor students in various subjects. I am also the founder and instructor of a Pixel Art course, where I combine creativity with digital skills to inspire others in the field of design and technology.
Christopher Bernard celebrates the photography of urban chronicler Vivian Maier and the recent rediscovery of her work.
Gopal Lahiri’s poetry looks over varied landscapes – aging city infrastructure, a painted teatime scene, a rainstorm – with a painter’s thoughtful eye.
Wazed Abdullah draws on soft, childlike language to elegantly portray a monsoon rain in Bangladesh. Don Bormon writes in a similar style of the rain’s return in the region after a hot sunny summer. Tamoghna Dey speaks to the strength and flexibility of water as a metaphor.
Eva Petropoulou Lianou finds union with nature on her daily walk, taking inspiration from its diversity and authenticity. David Sapp’s poetry highlights our human connection to the rest of nature through musings on barns, fields, and a dead cat.
Chimezie Ihekuna revels in the beauty of nature and the intricate ways in which its systems work and creatures survive, but warns of its destruction. Graciela Noemi Villaverde also urges care for the natural world and highlights how natural systems can self-heal and regenerate.
Sayani Mukherjee revels in the passage of seasons in nature as Kylian Cubilla Gomez explores the hidden world of snails, centering the small mollusk in his photos. Sara Hunt-Flores reflects on the sun lighting her path, helping her distinguish illusion from reality.
Svetlana Rostova uses nature metaphors to convey the breadth and intensity of her past experiences. Mahbub Alam compares falling in love to the wonder of seeing a firefly. Shamsiya Khudoynazarova Turumnova illuminates the way love can revive a person and rejuvenate their life. Dr. Prasanna Kumar Dalai evokes memory and the ecstasy of falling in love. Mesfakus Salahin pleads with a lover to take him back as a response to his enduring feelings.
Stephen Jarrell Williams reflects on the poignancy and power of stories: those in books and those of family love and passing generations. Kassandra Aguilera’s poetry expresses love that remains despite troubled parental relationships. Bill Tope’s short story addresses a platonic and artistic friendship between a man and a woman and the tragic social disapproval that drives them apart.
Scott C. Holstad probes various sorts of physical and emotional desire. Duane Vorhees speaks to birth and death, love and war, then turns to a personal blues poem about feeling disillusioned by faith.
Gordana Saric offers up a prayer for personal compassion and global peace. Brian Barbeito shares daily musings on meaning and ethics and and speculates on our individual lives’ effects on the universe. Inayatullah encourages us all to look inward and heal our inner wounds and forgive each other in order to change the world on a larger scale.
Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa shares the hope and strength and healing she finds through her faith. K. Sayyid Mubashir Hadhi explicates the spiritual and cultural significance of Eid Al-Adha. Timothee Bordenave’s old-style pieces express his spiritual faith and desire for universal oneness. Bruce Mundhenke expresses how faith and wisdom can outlast our technologies and our inhumanity to each other. R.K. Singh calls us to ethnic and religious tolerance based on the world’s complex history and celebrates physical and spiritual love.
Dr. Jernail Singh speculates on how literature and drama, religious or not, can inspire moral development as well as catharsis, when villainy and evil are stopped. Matthew Kinlin interviews Kenneth M. Cale about the inspirations and creative process behind his book Midnight Double Feature: Director’s Cut, a stand against the growing darkness he sees in the world.
Lidia Popa describes the power of writing to transmute ideas and feelings into a mode of communication from one soul to another. Haroon Rashid outlines the role of silence, observation, and empty space for thoughtful writing in his ars poetica.
Xadjiyeva Nodira studies idioms and whether the phrases can take on different meanings within the same language. Kaljanova Gulmira’s paper outlines the benefits of having a language learner “shadow” a native speaker. Shahnoza Ochildiyeva’s essay explicates the complex task of translation and how, as of now, translation requires a human being with cultural awareness.
Isabel Gomes de Diego’s photography celebrates human and natural creativity in various forms: origami, sewing, typing. Bahora Mansurova turns to the craft of medicine, discussing ways to treat periodontal diseases. Linda S. Gunther reviews Kristina McMorris’ suspense novel of the newsroom, Sold on a Monday.
Nozima Gofurova describes an educational visit to Tashkent’s Mirzo Hotel, where she learned about Central Asian art and history. Joseph Ogbonna highlights the majesty and historical influence of ancient Egyptian civilization. Maja Milojkovic’s ekphrastic work draws inspiration from the strength of ancient Herakles.
Z.I. Mahmud explores feminist speculative literature in India and the works of Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossein. Bhagirath Choudhary, in a piece translated by Eva Petropoulou Lianou, advocates for respect for women and for society to celebrate positive traits traditionally associated with the nurturing feminine.
Eva Petropoulou Lianou speaks of her intimate and demanding relationship with her female poetic muse. Isaac Dominion Aju reflects on the artistic inspiration he received from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose work helped him to find his own voice. Donna Dallas’ poetic speakers find writing inspiration from a quiet morning, a busy urban city full of desire, and the throes of drug addiction. Hauwa’u Naseer Mukhtar evokes the peace and creative source of solitude as Chloe Schoenfeld resolutely affirms her claim to her own soul.
Kelly Moyer’s asemic poetry invites us to the experience of appreciating writing and art, even without literal meaning. Ric Carfagna’s poetry touches on perception, how we experience and make sense of our world.
Loki Nounou reflects on life’s unpredictability, as S. Afrose exposes existence’s slippery nature, complex and hard to pin down and define. Utso Bhattacharyya’s short story involves an ordinary man’s visit to a surreal reality existing alongside and within our own.
Alex S. Johnson’s horror tale probes the insidious way oppression works not only through violence, but also through individual and social gaslighting. Mark Young’s poetry crafts off-kilter scenes where people and other creatures adjust to their settings.
J.J. Campbell turns to poignant nostalgia while experiencing slow trauma. John Angelo Camomot’s verse speaks to the grief of losing a loved one and the comfort of memories.
Sean Meggeson’s humorous tales probe our relationships with authority and failures of communication. On the theme of authority, Taylor Dibbert observes wryly that leaders who are least affected by policies are often the first to advocate for them.
Mykyta Ryzhykh’s short story depicts war as an unwelcome trespasser, refusing to communicate its intentions or ask permission to occupy someone’s basement. Ahmed Miqdad laments the suffering of civilians in Gaza while expressing hope for the region. Combat veteran Steven Croft speculates on goals for a possible return to United States military intervention in Afghanistan and hopes they will finally get girls back to school.
CHAPTER I – Dreams Born in the Shadow of the Harvest I was born in a simple village. Here, mornings began before the sun rose and after the work was done. People didn’t consider us rich, but we had one treasure — patience. My parents would head to the fields early in the morning. I sat in a classroom with faded walls, flipping through every page of the textbook like it was a treasure. My passion for books was strange — they gave me a light, hopeful feeling. Every word, every verse seemed to whisper: “Though you are here for now, another path awaits you.” But that path wasn’t easy to reach. In grades seven and eight, I would open my notebook at night, exhausted from the fieldwork. On top of my fatigue came my mother’s soft but heavy words: “What will studying bring you? Better find a job.” Her words weren’t wrong. She lived on one side of life, while I was discovering the other.
CHAPTER II – One Room, One Dream, One Sharp Truth I will never forget the day I arrived in the city. A dorm room shared with three others, stuffy air, a heart full of questions. I remember dipping my mom’s homemade bread in hot water during the first week. The city felt foreign — noise, flashy ads, indifferent faces. I was a village boy who hugged his notebook, wore the same uniform for a week. After classes, I carried loads on the streets. Some laughed when they saw me. But I knew one thing: this was temporary. Yes, it hurt now, but tomorrow it would bear fruit. The hardest day — winter of my first year. On the phone, my mother said: — We couldn’t send money. I asked for credit at the store today… Tears welled up in my eyes. But I told myself: “You are not one to be defeated. Those who are patient, win.”
CHAPTER III – A Dawn Seen Through Dewdrops Years passed. I worked two jobs — studied by day, translated and taught by night. Every new word I learned, every scholarship I earned — were sprouts of the dreams planted in the harvest’s shadow. One day, my professor called me: — Your writings are great. Write a research paper, we’ll recommend you for a grant. That day, for the first time, I felt a strong belief in my heart: “I can do it.” I won the grant. I got the chance to study abroad. But it didn’t change who I was — I was raised by the sandy roads of the village, my mother’s sweaty forehead, and the pages of books from my childhood.
CHAPTER IV – A Quiet Life Behind Success Now I’ve graduated. I have a job, I’ve published articles. But every time I hold a pen, I remember the first story I wrote — in an old village notebook. Whenever I set a new goal, I hear my mother’s words: “We believe in you.” Success is not about money or fame. It’s about reading on an empty stomach at night, taking action through tears, rising after falling — fulfilling the promise you made to yourself.
CHAPTER V – Traces Etched in the Heart As the years passed, I adapted to a new city, a new life. Now the city’s noise has found its echo in my heart, and my eyes no longer see dreams, but well-planned goals. Yet the village — it always lives within me. One day, I was invited back to my old school — for a meeting titled “Young People Who Have Successfully Completed Their Studies.” When I walked in, I searched for my younger self in the pictures on the classroom wall. Children with dreams, just like I had, sat in the chairs. I saw that familiar spark of passion in their eyes. Standing among eyes that looked like mine once did, I said: — I came from among you. I’ve tilled soil, walked to school in the rain, stayed hungry, cried. But I never gave up on my dreams. Know this — you can do it too. Those who win with patience, not impatience, are truly strong. After the event, I sat in the schoolyard, closed my eyes under the sun’s rays on my forehead. I thought: how many days I cried, dreaming of this sunshine. Now I could look straight at the sun — because my dreams had not only come true, they had opened paths for others. I will continue to write — not for myself anymore, but for the children still clutching their old notebooks. Because behind every success story, there are footprints etched into the heart that lead the way for others.
This story is not merely about a young man’s journey from a village to the city, from struggles to triumphs. It is the inseparable union of patience, determination, hardship, and hope. If one can discover the hidden strength within, even the roughest roads can lead to the stars.
Sadoqat Qahramonovna To’rayeva was born on March 26, 2005, in Gurlan district of the Khorezm region. She graduated from School No. 23 in Gurlan district and studied at the academic lyceum of Urgench State University from 2021 to 2023. Currently, she is a second-year student at the Faculty of Philology and Art of Urgench State University named after Abu Rayhon Beruni.
On Half-believing News Reports the US is Returning to Bagram
So, we are creeping back like Jeff Bridges
in The Old Man
In the Shomali Valley where seasons occurred
before men came to feel and name them
Afghanistan’s gnarled finger of time points
to another invader returning
As a soar of C-17 Globemasters appears above mountains
and drops to Bagram
But in the orchards and fields spread around the airfield
veiled women in headscarfs, men in tunics barely notice,
Hardly look up, at the power of American dollars
flying over them, winning over even their Supreme Leader
With his hardened Deobandi heart and impoverished
country of poor workers, beggars, sadistic soldiery
****
We won’t return to give them any kind of government
in the image of democracy — already tried, failed
We won’t do anything to let women escape their homes,
no longer cover their faces, swallow their tongues
Whatever geopolitical motivation: attack plans against Iran,
because China’s an hour away, a combat boot pivot to Asia
No matter the reason, whatever massive grease payment
to these turbaned, hard-bitten America-haters
Let the cargo planes land, let soldiers climb back into guard
towers, let the Apache helos circle,
Seal teams hike mountains to clear attackers, let data
from satellites rain down again to decryption receivers,
Just use this offer-the-Taliban-can’t-refuse power for one
noble human thing, too: make them let girls go back to school
A US Army combat veteran, Steven Croft lives on a barrier island off the coast of Georgia. His latest chapbook is At Home with the Dreamlike Earth (The Poetry Box, 2023). His work has appeared in online and print journals and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.
