Every year, as an editor, I have a chance to nominate work to other presses. Orison Books, which describes itself as "a literary press, focused on the life of the spirit from a broad range of perspectives," puts out a call to editors for works that have a "transcendent effect" and "leads the reader into profound contemplation." I feel this way about nearly all the works that are featured in Star 82 Review, so, as usual, it's a hard call. Here are the nominations, from 2019, for the 2020 Orison Anthology.

From 7.1
"Still, it's gone" by Simon Perchik
"Timbrel Flowers" by Yoram Naslavsky, translated by Anthony Berris

From 7.3
"Why We Sing" by Oak Morse
"Time Over" by Nicholas DelloRusso

Good luck to all!

The new Star 82 Review 7.3 issue holds up different lenses to the world, showing how each of our experiences helps shape us and see things in various ways. We have a poem about roping cows, one about dresses with pockets, an ode to a park, and reflections on regret, children, grandparents, and shared struggles, among others. The things that make us human.

7.3 online is here.
7.3 print version may be ordered from Lulu here. (There is also a link to it at the foot of the online page.)

Thank you to all the contributors and thanks for reading!



Contributors
7.3
Dan Alter
Robert Beveridge
Dmitry Blizniuk
Roger Camp
Martha Christina
Genevieve Creedon
William Cullen Jr.
Susan Dashiell
Nicholas DelloRusso
Maggie Dove
S. Preston Duncan
Jodie Filan
Robert Funderburk
Sergey Gerasimov
Carmen Gordon-Rein
Nels Hanson
Tracy Ann Johnson
Toshiya Kamei
Sarah Kobrinsky
Elaine Mead
Catfish McDaris
Oak Morse
Karen Neuberg
Deonte Osayande
Leland Seese
Natsumi Tanaka
Michael Thompson
Dan Wiencek
Roy White
Sop…

As always, Contributors, whether you were nominated or not, I love all of your work. Here are the six poems, two fictions, two creative nonfictions nominated by *82 for 2018-19 Best of the Net, Sundress Publications. Good luck to everyone!

POETRY
Fall 6.3 Thinning Beets by Martha Christina http://www.star82review.com/6.3/christina-beets.html
Fall 6.3 Flip it on the Solstice and rotate on the Equinox by Kali Lightfoot http://www.star82review.com/6.3/lightfoot-flip.html
Winter 6.4 Stanley by Gale Acuff http://www.star82review.com/6.4/acuff-stanley.html
Spring 7.1 Plane after plane by Simon Perchik http://www.star82review.com/7.1/perchik-plane.html
Summer 7.2 Borders and Boundaries by Carol Dorf http://www.star82review.com/7.2/dorf-borders.html
Summer 7.2 Gardening by Sarah Shapiro http://star82review.com/7.2/shapiro-gardening.html
FICTION Fall 6.3 The Angels’ Day Job by Ona SIporin http://www.star82review.com/6.3/siporin-angels.html
Fall 6.3 Outside a Kindergarten in Fragrant Harbor by Flo Au http://ww…

This is the twenty-seventh poem created from either the first two or last two words from each written piece in an upcoming issue of Star 82 Review. I am told that this type of collage poem, that merges words from several writers, has an actual name, a "Cento," Latin for "patchwork." Here is the poem that unites the community of writers that will appear in issue 7.3, upcoming mid-September or so.

Look over a straw person’s day
The new night outside has pockets of wind
to dance Over untended eggs, cooling
we sung to help at all
been reading Big angels can beget from perfect ghosted companion
The call to life be together just be
This was nice even
Old West court martial We thought wrong before
I leave your feet
platters filled

As an editor, I am allowed to nominate one flash fiction each year to submit for consideration for the VERAs, the award from Vestal Review. Star 82 Review's nomination for work from 2018 (issues 6.1 - 6.4) is Ona Siporin's "The Angels' Day Job."  I just received news that it is a semi-finalist and will be forwarded to the finals. Good luck to Ona! You can read her short piece in issue 6.3 here.


Previously, Gen Del Ray's story "Tough" was a finalist for the VERAs from issue 4.1 (2016).

I'm pleased to report that we've got an issue with a strong spirit coming up for fall 7.3!  The layout is coming together now for the anticipated mid-September release, and the poem created from either the first two or last two lines of each written piece will be posted soon. Meanwhile, I'm reading for issue 7.4. Go deep! Go Strong! Write something only you could write.