Vol VII, No. 2 – 2023

In this issue, we bring from authors Alexis Levitin and Matthew Roberson, two elegantly written prose pieces dealing with memory and mortality. By contrast, the nine poets offer a varied selection of themes and styles. But some poems stand out for their magical or surreal situations and characters, such as John Barger’s “Insomniac in Center City,” where cows, lemurs and trolleys all appear, Sharmilla Voorakara’s “Treeline,” where a driver picks up an ordinary/not so ordinary family, and Marda Mesick’s “Feral Princess,” a retelling of Hansel and Gretel.

News about the magazine: Note from Adrienne, Associate Editor

I am ending my time at BoomerLitMag. I’ve enjoyed sifting through the many submissions from you, dear readers, and have delighted at finding the gems that appeared in our issues. What gifts! Along with Leonard, I am so proud of the excellent poetry and prose that we’ve been able to bring to the public. Highlights include the stunning poetry of Sally Albiso, prose from the up-and-coming Lucy Zhang, and the Pushcart-winning verse of Ron Riekki.

Most particularly, I have gratitude for, and will miss, the collaboration with the generous and kind Leonard Lang. I feel lucky that we were able to quickly establish a productive working relationship—one that resonated with laughter, patience (his with me, primarily–I am slow with WordPress!) and a real congruence of aesthetic taste and standards. It was a joyful surprise to find kinship with a fellow writer and make a friend in my time here. I am counting on reading and talking and sharing writing with Leonard in the future. As for this venture, other than continuing to happily read BoomerLitMag, it is adieu!

Note from Leonard, Senior Editor

I just want to add that Adrienne’s adieu is a big loss to the magazine and to my work here. Adrienne has been a delightful and extremely helpful collaborator. It won’t be the same for me without our lively, funny, and valuable conversations. More important, the magazine and its readers and writers, will miss her smart and useful input.

BoomerLitMag will keep going thanks to new volunteers—more on that next issue.

As we’re restructuring, we still can use light tech help with WordPress and uploading the magazine. If that sounds like a good volunteer opportunity for you, write us at Submissions@boomerlitmag.com with the subject Tech Help.

As long as we’re talking about the editors here, we also want to offer you an update about Stephen Peters, who you may recall helped create BoomerLitMag and was a co-editor. He has launched a Substack site with some of his best new and older short stories and nonfiction. Head over to The Weekly Monthly Story Journal to catch up on his latest writings.

Be well, stay safe, help each other.
Leonard Lang, Senior Editor and Adrienne Pilon, Associate Editor

Contents

Prose

Alexis Levitin
• Gravity: A Meditation
Matthew Roberson
• Tomorrow

Poetry

Sharmila Voorakkara
• When I was a Child Welfare Social Worker, They Sent Me to Estrella Street
• Treeline
John Barger
• Insomniac in Center City
William Miller
• Falling
• The Fiddler
David Halliday
• Happy Valley Newfoundland 53.3264° N, 60.4137° W
G. Timothy Gordon
• You
 Richard Luftig
• Against the Stars
Richard Dinges, Jr.
• Sleeping Dogs Lie
Sarah Stemp
• Parts of Speech: Elegy for My Mother
 Marda Messick
• Feral Princess 
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