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.

We chase our tails. Over and over we ask, "Why wasn't this piece accepted?" And when the answer comes that it's "subjective," we may look at our shoes in despair. What does that mean? For *82, it usually means, believe it or not, the subject. I read many stories about dates in cafes, restaurant conversations, break-up stories, bad relatives, and dying relatives. Most are heartfelt, but don't tell me anything new. They need to both translate an experience and transform it, show something the reader probably hasn't thought of, and something unique to the person who wrote it, yet universal enough for other readers. Tricky, but it can be done. Mostly, I look for a new setting, some fresh dialogue or strong voice, some imaginative comparisons or metaphors, or at least some variation on the themes. And for *82, a positive direction that encourages compassion and empathy.

Coming this fall… room on the perch for a few more pieces. http://star82review.com/submissions.html

This week, Star 82 Review brings words off the page in a lively reading at Etui in Berkeley, California. Join us Friday, July 12, 2019 at 4pm to experience some local writers who have contributed to *82's pages. The new art, gift and art center Etui is graciously hosting us at 2518 San Pablo Avenue, between Dwight and Parker. The lineup: Dan Alter, Sarah Kobrinsky, Jaime Robles, Lynn Mundell, Maxine Chernoff, Alastair Johnston, and your editor, Alisa Golden.

Contributors are from issues 1.1, 1.3, 2.1,  2.3, 2.4, 3.3, 4.1, 6.1, Flash 50/50, and Pocket Poems.

Star 82 Review 7.2 is now live online! Thanks to all the contributors for a wonderful collection of symbols and signs, tastes, smells, and observations.
Web: http://www.star82review.com/7.2/contents.html Print: http://www.lulu.com/shop/alisa-golden/star-82-review-72/paperback/product-24126531.html

7.2 Contributors
Marcia Krause Bilyk Micki Blenkush Prince A. Bush Martha Christina K.M. Crane Carol Dorf Jenna Heller David Johnson Kali Lightfoot Margaret Madole Delvon T. Mattingly Todd Mercer Noriko Nakada Erica Soon Olsen Louisa Owen Jory Post Sofia Rybkina Spencer Sapienza Fabio Sassi Daryl Scroggins Sarah Shapiro Michael Thompson Jennifer Vaknine Alia Hussain Vancrown Mark Lee Webb
If you are interested in pre-publication discounts on future issues, please sign up at the side bar!

I don't consciously choose an equal number of works by female and male writers, and I can't make an even third with nonbinary or LGBTQ because I don't receive that much, but I've noticed that each issue of Star 82 Review is otherwise gender-balanced. The door is open. For art, too. For everyone.