We proudly present the October/November issue of Synchronized Chaos Magazine, which features 6 creative writing submissions, 5 fine art submissions, and 4 critical reviews. Although it would have been ideal to generate separate issues for each month, we are very excited about the diversity and quality of pieces that are included in this mega issue. As the theme indicates: better late than never!

This issue features poetic sketches by Felino Soriano, a poem by Bruce Roberts inspired by the calamity of homelessness, and a poem by Farida Samerkhanova about imprisonment. Other writing submissions include excerpts from “The Pigeon Chronicles or Bike Messenger Assassins,” a recent book by Pam Benjamin, a short story entitled, “I Saw you At Church Today” by Blanca Jones, and “The Red and the Black- Lessons of the High Andes,” a short story by Oliver Myers. 

Fine art submissions included photography, painting, and sculpture. The works include oil paintings and recycled materials sculptures by Terence K. Stephens; intriguing paintings by Vera Tchikovani; naturalistic paintings by Azar Vaghefi; vibrantly colorful paintings by Queena Hernandez; photography by John McNeal highlighting the unusual, absurd, or sublime; and photography of the natural world, submitted by Michael Lavin Flower.

You’ll find several insightful reviews of influential literature including the “The Road to Guanajauto” by Joe Livernois (reviewed by Sarah Melton); a look at “Gloom and Doom,” a book of poetry by Elizabeth Ann (reviewed by Bruce Roberts); a memoir and self-help book called “Live or Die: A Stroke of Good Luck” by Richard L. Burns (reviewed by Floyd Logan); and also a review of a recent performance of “Tosca” by the San Jose Opera (reviewed by Patsy Ledbetter).

We thank everyone that submitted their ideas and creative endeavors. Your submissions keep our magazine alive and well. We want to remind you that Synch Chaos accepts all submissions; we look forward to debuting newcomers as much as we enjoy promoting familiar and seasoned artists. If you’re a reader of Synch Chaos and  have considered putting your work out for feedback, remember that it is never too early or too late to submit.

The December issue will be published very soon. If you would like to see your name in our  magazine, please send your submissions to the editors, Gloria Balderas or Nick Friedland.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Have You Ever?

Imagine thirty creatures
Remotely resembling women
In a dark filthy kennel of a cell
With a toilet bowl and
A dirty sink shared by all.

Everyone is shivering with cold.
No vacant room on the stone bench.
Some snore on the concrete floor.
Others step on them when
Passing by and swear.

No hair pins, no shoe laces,
No garbage containers either.
Twice a day they get liquid food
Which tastes like nothing.
Disposed cups are all over the place.

Every now and then
The disturbing iron door is opened
And a name is called out.
Mischievous clicking of handcuffs
Drives everyone crazy.

If it takes a woman too long to get
To her feet as her joints become
Unbearably stiff, they would not wait
And take somebody else, forgetting about her
For a long humiliating while.

Screwed drug-longing bodies
Of whores and thieves scream with spasm.
Ache and fatigue dim their eyes down.
Devastated souls vaguely remember life.
Have you ever been through this hell?

Farida Samerkhanova  lives in Toronto, Ontario.  Her letters to the editor have appeared in the magazines Elle Canada, Canadian Stories and Canadian Immigrant. Within the past few years, her poems, short stories, and essays have been published in numerous publications.

To inquire about Farida Samerkhanova’s work, e-mail farida203@yahoo.com.

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Terence K. Stephens recently returned to San Francisco after spending
some time pursuing artistic endeavors in Salt Lake City and Seattle.

From his playful portraits to his vivid landscapes to his wild orchids,
Terence’s art inspires the imaginations of people all over the world.

His artwork includes figurative painting and sculptures, landscapes,
flowers, and portraits, including pets. His inspirations are travel and
everyday experiences. His goal is to have art experienced by everyone he
encounters.

Live or Die: A Stroke of Good Luck, by Richard L. Burns, reviewed on Sept. 25, 2010 by Floyd A. Logan, San Rafael, CA.

Richard Burns of California wrote a 160 page memoir and self help book published in 2008.

Richard was one of the premier advertising executives in the 1960s. His ad campaigns for airlines, restaurants and personal products were iconic.

Richard was part of the group that thought of painting smiles on the noses of planes. They understood the catchy appeal of those “fruit of the loom” characters in their colorful costumes.  He achieved a high level of success by age 38, when he seemed to have all that anyone could want; a loving wife, three healthy children, and the knowledge that some of his ideas had a direct and lasting influence on American culture.

It was then, at the relatively young age of thirty-eight, that Richard was felled by a massive cerebral hemorrhage.  There was severe cranial bleeding, with almost no detectable brain function. Immediately following the stroke, he suffered total paralysis.  The doctors came to his wife, Nancy, and said “there is nothing we can do, you should make arrangements.”  Nancy even wrote an obituary describing Richards’ life, his epic career, and his closeness with his family. All vital signs had become muted or absent.  In essence, Richard L. Burns died on Dec. 26, 1968.  Nancy’s immediate concerns included selecting which flowers would be at his funeral service.

Floyd Logan lives in San Rafael.  He is a Literature enthusiast and amateur writer.  If you have questions or comments about his review, he can be contacted by email at floydalogan@gmail.com

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It’s a girl!

As I waited on B St.,
New friends entered my life,
Calling me “Buddy,” asking for dimes,
Wandering off, aimlessly, but for one–
A small lady with staring eyes–
Who mumbled, three feet from me,
And stared, three feet from me,
And mumbled and stared
And mumbled and stared,
Stared and mumbled
As I replied “I don’t know,
I don’t know, I don’t know”
To her monologue unintelligible
And wondered how she came
To this place,
Embracing her coffee cup,
Mumbling at strangers,
With no place to go
After such a promising start
As the apple of her mother’s eye.

Bruce Roberts, 2010

Bruce Roberts is a poet, sculptor, and schoolteacher from Hayward, California – and the winner of the 2010 Hayward Poetry Slam! He may be reached at brobe60491@sbcglobal.net.

Jon McNeal is a photographer and architect from San Francisco, California.

STATEMENT FROM THE ARTIST:
“My act of interpretation is in highlighting the unusual, absurd, or sublime in a place or object as found, whether it has formed naturally or been heavily shaped by human activity.  What fascinates me most is that understanding that everything in my photographs is in transition, whether large or small in scale.  Holding a moment still with an image is a key means of identifying and defining that momentum of change.  My hope is that the forces that drive the metamorphosis of the subject are brought to light by holding it still for a moment and observing that instant carefully.  We look for clues to its past and future, while perhaps glimpsing a bit of our own.”

Website: www.jonmcneal.com
Contact info: jon@jonmcneal.com