BIO

Brenton Bostwick was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area where he currently lives and works. He has studied sculpture and painting at New York University and the San Francisco Art Institute. From a young age he was drawn to the human form, studying portraiture as well as human and animal anatomy as sources of inspiration for his paintings.

Bostwick was also greatly influenced by his travels abroad. He was intrigued and deeply moved by the masterworks of the old world painters and sculptors. It was on one of these trips that he visited the Sedlec Ossuary which created a lasting, and iconic visual experience for him. The Ossuary in Sedlec, also known as the Church of All Saints, is a 13th century chapel just outside of Prague. The chapel is heavily decorated with human bones. He was in awe that the skeletons of over 30,000 people, their deaths brought on by the bubonic plague, could be transformed in to something so beautiful. The contrast between the absolute beauty and mastery of the work there, with the dark nature of the medium struck a chord.

To see more artwork by Brenton Bostwick, visit his website at http://brentonbostwickart.com/index.html

To contact the artist, send an email to brenton.bostwick@gmail.com

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Ytaelena Lopez is a poet and artist who currently lives in San Francisco, CA, although she is originally from Venezuela. Lopez prefers to work in mixed media. Her work has been exhibited in Miami (85@85: 3rd annual International Juried Exhibition 2008- 2009 at MiArte Gallery), Los Angeles (Seyhoun Gallery), New York (Lana Santorelli Gallery), and Chile (Galería Locarno in Talca, 2008). She has also exhibited her work in several venues throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

You can see more of the artist’s work at http://ytaelena.com.

Contact ytaelena@gmail.com for more information.

Click ‘read more’ to see the artist’s statement.

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Steady Ground for Sea Legs

I want to write a very grown up love poem
for this seemingly
very grown up sort of love,

the kind which is polished of most of its sharp edges,
is warm but never burns the tongue

the kind of love which sleeps in late on Saturday mornings snuggled under 1000 thread count sheets,

This love doesn’t lend itself well to sweeping semantics
It’s too quiet and sophisticated for that,

Gone from it are the teenage dramatics
Empty threats, idle dreams and false needs,

I want to write you a love poem,
from a very grown up woman
who has completely grown into her own skin,
but here I am still fidgeting and pulling at my sleeves

So here is this,
from someone at that strange fevered edge of youth,
sea legs accustomed to violent waves
hobbling about on smooth seas
not yet believing that the likelihood of drowning
has been forever decreased.

Faracy Grouse may be reached for comment at alumine3@gmail.com.
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[Article by Bruce Roberts]

When Tony Bennett croons about leaving his heart in San Francisco, tourists the world over call up fond memories of the Golden Gate Bridge, Cable Cars, Fishermans’ Wharf, Alcatraz-the world class sights and sites of “The City.”

Still, for me, frosting on the cake of a visit to San Francisco means tickets to Beach Blanket Babylon. Performed in the funky Club Fugazi, in mellow Italian North Beach, BBB is a raucus, rowdy, sometimes raunchy, foot-stomping, hand-clapping, LOL musical satire, that has entertained audiences in over 8000 performances since 1974. It is the longest live run in theater history, and what other show has its own street name:  Beach Blanket Babylon Boulevard?

BBB has something for everyone.   Loosely structured around Snow White, searching the world for her Prince, the show’s performers pull in every  name in the news, every classic song, all with their own unique San Francisco interpretation.

Some of their bits have been in for years, and younger audiences may wonder at the allusions.   How many years since Man O Manischevitz has been a well-known ad, for example?

Yet every year, many of the skits are also new.  The World Series Champion SF Giants made their first appearance this year.  And the one-upmanship war between an ersatz Lady Gaga and her fake Katie Perry counterpart drew its first laughs in 2011, then hyped the audience to hysteria when the cast version of Justin Bieber-shy, naïve, inexperienced-came out, and was immediately rubbed up against by the two femme fatales, promising to be the best he’s ever had.

Bruce Roberts may be reached at brobe60491@sbcglobal.net.

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Donna McGinnis specializes in landscape and abstract paintings. MicGinnis’ artwork has been exhibited many times throughout Northern California.  She describes the landscape paintings as “dream-like, soft
and atmospheric with a touch of fantasy and timelessness.”

You can see more of the artist’s work at donnamcginnisartist.com.

Contact mcginnisart@sbcglobal.net for more information.

I struggled through the first part of the story, not because of lack of interest. It was because I though Lena was too whiny. Lena came across with the classic victim syndrome. She’s an intelligent Black woman who gave up her dreams to help fulfill the dreams of her husband Randall. Lena took on her role as wife and mother with a drive to perfection in her decorating, stylish outfits and culinary skills. She did it all to support her husband and family. But that was the deal she made with Randall. She would put her dreams of becoming a professional photographer on the back burner to help him achieve his dream of becoming more established and trusted at his company. But when it came time for Randall to support Lena and her dreams, he renegotiated for more time, again and again.

Life has been very, very good to Lena, Randall and their children, son Kendrick and daughter Camille. They live in an upscale neighborhood, drive expensive cars, wear designer clothes, and enjoy the finer things in life. But Lena spirals downward as she realizes that she has lost herself. She gave herself away to the family and now she wants herself back. Randall tells her to take some time and figure out what she wants even though she has been telling him in very clear language. He just doesn’t hear it because that’s not what he wants.

Lena’s fixates on the life of Tina Turner to give her strength when she realizes that her husband of twenty-three years has lost his respect for her and when her son’s therapist tells her that her son Kendrick questions her value. As the story transitions Lena finds a way to step into her power, accepts the turn her life takes and moves on. Along the way she reconnects with an old love, one who helps her remember the strong intelligent woman that he knew. Throughout the story Lena gets support from her sister Bobbie, mom Lulu and long time friend Cheryl.

In the end Lena reclaims herself. I’m glad I selected this book and followed Lena on her journey. It is a good story, one well worth sitting down to read.

-Tammra Smith

Have questions or comments for the reviewer?  Reach her by email at tsmithhrh@att.net.

[Article by Robbie Fraser]

When I first met Dr. Ogaga Ifowodo it was in a small class room on the campus of Texas State University where he works as an English professor.  I was his student, and at the time I could not have been less enthused about it.  My pessimism was rooted in the prospect of a semester spent grappling with the course topic – writing poetry.  I had been late to register that semester, and having few options with most classes already full, I decided with heavy reservation to enroll in Ifowodo’s class.  At this point, I hadn’t read much poetry, and certainly had never taken up the task of writing any poetry myself.  As he started his first class, he asked who among us was “passionate about poetry.”  I was one of the few who kept their hands down.  Yet, as the semester continued, Ifowodo’s own passion began to chisel away at my initial disinterest.

My interest was piqued further over the course of the semester as I heard brief mentions from classmates and other professor’s about. Ifowodo’s background.  I learned he was an established poet.  A civil rights activist.  A political prisoner.  His class had my attention, and I soon found myself eagerly reading every assignment, eagerly writing my own poems, and when the semester eventually ended, my study and writing of poetry did not.

Thus, when I first learned that Ifowodo had ventured into the realm of fiction via the publication of his short story, “The Treasonable Parrot,” I was intrigued.  Before the story’s recent publication in the 72^nd edition of the acclaimed literary magazine Agni, Ifowodo’s creative work had been focused entirely in poetry.  He is the author of three award winning collections: The Oil Lamp, Madiba, and Homeland and Other Poems, all winners of prizes administered by the national association of writers in his native Nigeria.  He was now entering a different realm; a realm he points out during our subsequent interview, that every poet, with few exceptions, aspires to find success in at some point.  I wanted to see how he might fare.

Robbie Fraser is an associate editor with Synchronized Chaos Magazine and may be reached at robbiedfraser@gmail.com.

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