Yellow Arrow Publishing Blog

Kapua Iao 3/10/26 Kapua Iao 3/10/26

Spotlight on Abalone Mountain Press

By Avery Wood, written December 2025

At Yellow Arrow, we believe in uplifting marginalized voices and supporting the intersection of womanhood with a vast array of identities. And we support all publishers who focus on amplify diverse voices. Abalone Mountain Press is a women-owned independent publishing house owned by Amber McCrary, a Diné woman and a “feminist, zinester, and poet.” McCrary and Abalone Mountain Press were one of Phoenix Magazine’s 2021 “Great 48.” She is a “Red House Clan born for Mexican people—originally from Shonto, Arizona and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona.” She earned her BA from Arizona State University in political science with a minor in American Indian studies and her MFA in creative writing at Mills College.

She is the proud author of Blue Corn Tongue: Poems in the Mouth of the Desert and Electric Deserts! She is also the author of many wonderful multimedia zines, poems, interviews, and art that you can find at ambermccrary.com or at Yellow Medicine Review, Room Magazine, Thin Air Magazine, Poets & Writers Magazine, Turning Points Magazine, The Womanist, and The Navajo Times. Abalone Mountain Press itself is “operated on the traditional lands of the Akimel O'odham and the name Abalone Mountain is inspired by the Diné term (Dookʼoʼoosłííd) for the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, Arizona, which holds deep sacred significance to the Navajo people as one of the four holy mountains.

Abalone Mountain Press’ slogan is “A Place for Indigenous Writers to Dismantle the Canon.” Through various multimedia works such as chapbooks, zines, anthologies, coloring books, their blog and podcast, and their Abalone Writing Circle, Abalone Mountain Press supports and uplifts Indigenous voices in the Phoenix area and beyond. Their work includes themes like Indigenous culture, mental health, queerness, spirituality, the natural world, Native masculinity, and more. Incredible titles from Abalone Mountain Press (and Indigenous Nations Poets) include The Future Lives in Our Bodies: Indigeneity and Disability Justice, an online zine with authors featuring Jessica Mehta (Cherokee Nation), Rachael Johnson (Diné), Gillian Joseph (Ihaŋktoŋwaŋ and Mdewákhathuŋwaŋ Dakota), Scott Bentley, and Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw), as well as award-winning Two-Spirit storyteller Taté Walker’s poetry collection The Trickster Riots.

As McCrary describes in Abalone Mountain Press’ blog, The Trickster Riots is a collection of poems that “weaponize the English language against colonial normativity and navigate the responsibilities of an urban Two-Spirit writer carrying and empowering the next generations.” Abalone Mountain Press works to lift up Diné voices and is a wonderful place to support Indigenous authors and creators.

Find Abalone Mountain Press at abalonemountainpress.com or on Instagram and Facebook @abalonemountainpress. All quotes within this blog come from the Abalone Mountain Press at abalonemountainpress.com/mission.

Amber McCrary is Diné poet and zinester. She is Red House Clan born for Mexican people. Originally from Shonto, Arizona and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona. She earned her BA from Arizona State University in Political Science with a minor in American Indian Studies. She received her MFA in creative writing with an emphasis in poetry at Mills College. McCrary is also the owner and founder of Abalone Mountain Press, a press dedicated to publishing Indigenous voices. She is a board member for the Northern Arizona Book Festival and Words of the People organizations. She is the Arizona Humanities 2022 Rising Star of the year and a Native Arts and Cultures Foundation LIFT awardee.

Avery Wood (she/her) was the fall 2025 program management intern at Yellow Arrow. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, and attends North Carolina State University, studying English and business administration. Following graduation, she intends to bring her passion for business and creative writing to the publishing industry. She was thrilled to be a part of the wonderful Yellow Arrow team, making a difference and amplifying female voices.

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Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we LUMINATE a path for women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook and Instagram, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.

Guest User 3/6/26 Guest User 3/6/26

Her View Friday

Yellow Arrow Publishing supports women-identifying writers from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes us stronger. Women’s voices have historically been underrepresented in literature, and we aim to elevate those voices and stories through our programs, publications, and support.

Part of our mission in supporting and uplifting women writers is to promote the Yellow Arrow community’s individual accomplishments. We’d like to further expand that support and promotion outside of our Yellow Arrow publications. Twice a month, we’d like to give a shout out to those within the Yellow Arrow community who recently published:

single-author publications
single pieces in journals, anthologies, etc., as well as prizes/awards, book reviews, and podcasts/interviews

You can support our authors by reading this blog and their work, sharing their news, and commenting below or on the blog. Congratulations to all the included authors. We are so proud of you!

Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling.

Author: Katharine Weinmann

Katharine Weinmann writes poetry, walks long distances, sees beauty in life’s imperfections, and photographs its shimmer. She was the 2024 winner of Canada’s Lawrence House Centre for the Arts’ Carmen Ziolkowski Poetry Prize and has been nominated for a 2026 Best of the Net in poetry. She blogs at A Wabi Sabi Life. With her husband and their English setter, Walker, Katharine makes her home in Sherwood Park, Alberta Canada, ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Amiskwacîwâskahikan), Treaty 6 Territory.

Where are you from: Sherwood Park, Alberta Canada, ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Amiskwacîwâskahikan), Treaty 6 Territory

Tell us about your main writing space in three words: intimate, colourful, inspiring

Tell us about your publication: Bringing together the rich complexity of free verse poetry with original photography, Skyborne Insight, Homemade Love is a metaphor for my realizations about living, often brought into focus while flying. Personal experiences resonate with universal themes, inviting readers to explore their own questions about loss and grief, identity, and the nature of the world around them.

Published by Friesen Press (January 2026) and evocative and lyrical, this is a meditation on the beauty found in life’s inevitable imperfections, the wonder of travel, and the everyday moments and choices that come together to heal and make a joyful existence. Readers will be uplifted and inspired to cultivate a wise appreciation and tender fierceness to navigate their own opportunities and challenges.

Why this book? Why now? How did it happen? Six years ago with the onset of COVID-19, grieving the abrupt end of work I had known and cherished, I found my way to writing poetry. This collection is a love story amplifying the ever present beauty found in life’s imperfections. It is the tangible evidence of a vow made a decade ago when I attended my first writing retreat. Then, beset by self-doubt, surrounded by seasoned and published writers, sitting in the dark before dawn, I looked upon the storm-shadowed cedar forest and asked for a sign that I was in the right place. Within moments the power suddenly restored, and I received an email saying I’d won a writing contest for the first story I’d ever submitted. An answer to my silent prayer.

What advice do you have for new writers? Someone with a book that needs a home? Be patient with yourself. Be tender in the face of inevitable rejection and the often lonely nature of writing. Observe yourself to understand and stand comfortable in your unique creative process. Make community. And consider hybrid publishing to get your labor of love out there.

What is your writing goal? As a long distance walker, soon to have completed my fifth, walking-pilgrimage are rich metaphors which I hope to create a hybrid poetry-memoir.

Author: Annie Marhefka

Annie Marhefka is a writer in Baltimore, Maryland, whose work has been featured on The Slowdown Show, nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net, and received the 2024 Eunice Williams Nonfiction Prize. Annie is executive director at Yellow Arrow Publishing, a Baltimore-based nonprofit empowering women-identifying writers. Her collection, Strangers We Know By Heart, was a winner of the 2025 Garden Party Collective chapbook contest, and she is an MFA candidate at the University of Baltimore.

Where are you from: Baltimore, Maryland

Tell us about your main writing space in three words: coffee + candles + music

Tell us about your publication: Annie Marhefka spends the day in Baltimore in this forthcoming travelogue in the Writer In Sites series. Her “Baltimore,” published in March 2026, is an ode to longing and a love letter to the city she loves.

Why this book? Why now? How did it happen? After publishing a couple concepts for Writer In Sites, Andy Brown started sharing it with contributors to Scrawl Place. During a trip through Baltimore, he met Annie Marhefka for coffee. He said, “Someday I’d like other people to write one of these. If you’re interested, I’d like you to think about being one of those people.” She said, “I like this idea. Why don’t we try to do it now?” Yes and yes. So there you have it. Annie spent the day exploring places new and familiar to her. She wrote a soulful ode to longing that is also a love letter to the city she knows and loves. You can follow Annie and hopefully it will inspire you to create your own itinerary in the place you love.

What advice do you have for new writers? Someone with a book that needs a home? Find a writing buddy, or a small group to share work and focus on uplifting each other.

What is your writing goal for the year? I'm hoping to focus more on the sounds of the language as I write this year, the noise or silence a piece projects.

Yellow Arrow (past and present) board, staff, interns, authors, residents, and instructors alike! Got a publication coming out? Let us help celebrate for you in Her View Friday.

Single-author publications: here.

Single pieces as well as prizes/awards, book reviews, and podcasts/interviews: here.

Please read the instructions on each form carefully; we look forward to congratulating you!

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Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we LUMINATE a path for women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook or Instagram, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.

Kapua Iao 3/3/26 Kapua Iao 3/3/26

Birth of a Debut Poetry Collection: Dear Planet

By Ann van Wijgerden, written January 2026

It was a week never to be forgotten. Not one, but TWO totally unexpected things happened. The first came during a family video call.

. . . . But, before that, a bit of context: My husband, Paul (Dutch), and I (English) live in the Philippines. About 18 years ago we founded a charity here called Young Focus. Currently, we work with a team of around 40 Filipino colleagues, and together we help provide education for just under 1,000 young people living in Manila’s slums. (For more info, here’s our website: youngfocus.org.)

Every now and again Paul and I can be heard declaring we have the best job in the universe. It is unbelievably rewarding seeing what a long-term difference a full education can make in a young person’s life. But, of course, the work does have its downsides, too: being far away from family (thank God for video calls!); the constant confrontation with the injustice of extreme poverty (poetry is my coping mechanism); the madness of Manila traffic (music soothes the soul).

Meanwhile, both of our grown-up children, together with their spouses, live in the

Netherlands. Every two weeks or so, the six of us have a video call, and it was during one of these calls that it happened. Our daughter was patiently waiting for each of us to have our turn sharing the latest, when finally there was a pause in the conversation, and she said quietly: “Actually, I have a bit of good news.” There was the slightest of catches in her voice, and instantly I had tears in my eyes, as if my body “knew” before I did. Moments later her words confirmed the amazing news of her pregnancy, the tears-of-joy tap got turned full on, and Paul and I were expecting our first grandchild!

The second totally unexpected thing happened only a few days later.

. . . . But, before that, another bit of context:

For almost 2 years I’d been trying to find a publisher for my first poetry collection, but to no avail, experiencing only silence or rejection emails—apart from the occasional positive rejection encouraging me to keep going with the manuscript submitting. What also stopped me giving up was a simple determination to find a home for these poems, my “babies,” where they could be together, because I’d become convinced they belonged together; they had a story to tell, they had a song to sing, and, as a chorus they needed to sing together, not scattered across the world in different mags, or shut up in silence on my laptop.

Just three days after hearing our daughter was pregnant, I received an email from a publisher based in the Netherlands responding positively to samples of poems I’d sent and requesting the full manuscript, soon after that, expressing serious interest in publishing.

In contrast to the unadulterated joy of earlier in the week, my emotions were mixed, to put it mildly. Rationally, I was telling myself that I should be feeling stupendously happy: FINALLYYYY a publisher! Instead, I found myself wrestling with such an attack of imposter syndrome and disbelief. Could this be real? Were they serious? Dare I go for it?

Very thankfully, it was around this time that I received help from an unexpected source. A business in Manila, which is supportive of the work of Young Focus, had organized an event for our students celebrating International Women’s Month. Four Filipino professional visual artists had been invited to speak about their experience making art. Some of us staff joined the event as well. It was so inspiring—not only for the students! It was just what I needed to hear, breathing courage into me, to “Embrace the journey,” as my new Filipino artist friends put it.

One week later I signed the contract with Fidessa Literary, and the publication adventure began.

Since then, (and yes, all within nine months) a book has been published, and a baby has been born. Were I to list the joys of grandmotherhood, I’d never shut up. So, here I’ll limit myself to sharing four of the joys I’ve experienced so far, having a debut poetry collection birthed into the world.

First, the cover. One of the things that had drawn me to Fidessa Literary at the very beginning was their book covers; these are works of art in themselves. And indeed, once the contract was signed, I discovered their strategy is to commission an artist to collaborate with the author to come up with a unique cover. Remember those four visual artists who so inspired me to snap out of my “imposter-syndrome-dip”?! Well, Fidessa agreed to my suggestion to ask one of them—the amazing painter Tara Soriano—to make the cover. To my delight, she said yes, and then it was even more exciting to see what Tara came up with. She totally got the theme, the feel of the book! (The imposter syndrome part of me was even satisfied: If purchasers of my book didn’t like the contents, at least they had a beautiful-looking item on their bookshelves!)

The second joy was the editing process. Seriously! Initially, I’d been a bit apprehensive of how this would go, though I’d been assured I’d have the final say if there were any disagreements. But it was everything I’d hoped it would be. Where there was a need for improvement, without telling me what to do, the editors encouraged me, pushed me to dig deeper, reach higher (“further up and further in”—The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis). It was a wonderful experience.

The third? You couldn’t make this up if you tried! The third joy is my cousin Juliet in New Zealand. (My late mother was a New Zealander.) Juliet was getting her debut poetry collection published over exactly the same months. It was so lovely to have someone, a companion along the same road of first-time publishing, comparing notes on anything from book covers, editors, book launches, to last-minute jitters.

Fourthly and finally, and most wonderfully unexpectedly of all, was Fidessa, the publisher deciding to partner with our charity Young Focus, sharing about our work on their website, donating a proportion of their book sale profits, attending a big communication event we had in the Netherlands (bringing a whole load of my books with a “pay what you like, 100% goes to Young Focus”), and now in 2026 starting a partnership with an Indy publisher in the Philippines, not only to launch my poetry collection here, not only to translate and publish Filipino writers for the broader market, but ALSO to collaborate with Young Focus, potentially for the students to access a platform for writing and publishing!

These days nothing can compete with watching the gorgeous face of my baby granddaughter breaking into a huge grin of pure joy. But witnessing this book-birthing process as it escalates and evolves into something so much more than getting poems published . . . it’s pretty darned delightful, too.

British by birth, Ann van Wijgerden lives in the Netherlands and the Philippines. She’s had nonfiction, poetry, and fiction published in magazines such as Orion, Orbis, The Sunlight Press, The Wild Umbrella, Queen’s Quarterly, as well as Yellow Arrow Publishing, and is a 2025 Best of the Net nominee. Her debut poetry collection Dear Planet was published by Fidessa Literary in July 2025. Ann cofounded and works for a nonprofit called Young Focus (youngfocus.org) in Manila.

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Kapua Iao 2/24/26 Kapua Iao 2/24/26

Re-Meet a Staff Member: Alexa Laharty

Yellow Arrow Publishing would like to reintroduce Alexa Laharty (she/her), our creative director (started in 2019 as an editorial associate, became creative director in 2021, and now in an expanded role). Alexa is a designer and sometimes archaeologist living in Berlin, Germany. She grew up in Portland, Oregon (just a few blocks away from Gwen [Van Velsor], Yellow Arrow’s founder!), before moving to Boston, Massachusetts, for her bachelor’s degree, and then the United Kingdom for her master’s. She spent most of the last decade as an archaeologist, before finally making the switch to a career in design. You can find her on Instagram @alexaelisabeth.

Alexa says, “It has been so exciting to see the way Yellow Arrow has grown over the six and a half years that I’ve been part of the team. I’m really looking forward to using my expanded role to help us find and solidify a strong visual identity that aligns with the ethos of our organization. I’m also very excited to have the opportunity to work with more members of our staff.”

Tell us a little something about yourself:

Creative work and hobbies take up a huge portion of my life, one of my favorites being knitting. My big knitting goal for this year is to make my first ever Aran/cable-knit sweater.

What do you love most about where you live?

There is a lot to love about Berlin: the abundance of interesting, artistic people from all over the world, the never ending list of incredible restaurants, cafés, and bars, some of the best museums I’ve ever been to, and, of course, the bike lanes! But the thing I love the most is how the city comes alive with joy and excitement on the first warm, sunny day each year. How people flock to the parks and canals with music and picnics, and how that atmosphere maintains itself all through the summer.

How did you get involved with Yellow Arrow?

I worked with our Editor-in-Chief, Kapua Iao, on an archaeological project in Greece for several years, and it was through her that I found out about Yellow Arrow and first came on as a reader and editor for Yellow Arrow Journal. A year and a half later I became the creative director, which at the time primarily entailed cover art creation for our publications, as well as a bit of logo and merchandise design. My role is now being expanded, so I will be working on a wider range of projects both on the publication and branding side. I care a lot about Yellow Arrow, so I am thrilled about the chance to take on a larger role and be involved in more areas of our work.

What are you working on currently?

My wedding anniversary is coming up, and each year I design a poster to commemorate the occasion. I love designing posters (they are my favorite thing to create in the realm of graphic design), so this is a long form project I’ve started to show how my husband and I change over the years as well as how my design style and interests develop.

What genre do you read the most and why?

When reading, I love to feel transported to different times and places, whether those be real or fictional. I am a huge fan of fantasy novels, though I also read a lot of literary fiction. Currently I am reading Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb, and a recent book that I loved was The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden.

Can you recall an early memory that might have sparked your love of writing/reading?

I loved playing with dolls as a child and would make up very elaborate storylines for them. This progressed into writing plays for my friends and I to perform when I got a little older, which in turn progressed into writing short stories, and now I am taking a stab at writing a novel. I can’t pinpoint the true beginning of it all, I just know that I’ve been coming up with narratives for as long as I can remember.

What books are on the top of your to-be-read pile?

My top two contenders are Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier and My Friends by Hisham Matar (both came highly recommended from friends whose literary taste I have a deep trust in).

Who has inspired and/or supported you most in your writing journey?

I have so many incredibly talented friends who inspire me to pursue my creative dreams, but my number one source of daily support and encouragement is my husband, Andy.

If you could have a workspace anywhere, where would it be and why?

I would love to have my own office in my house or apartment. It would be lined with bookshelves and have enough storage space for all of my crafting supplies. There would be a big wooden desk in front of a window overlooking a garden or some kind of water, and in the corner I would have a big cozy chair for reading and knitting.

What advice do you have for new writers or anyone starting a new adventure?

Don’t be afraid to talk about your writing/creative dreams and goals with your friends/family/loved ones. You will get more encouragement than you might expect.

What’s your vision for Yellow Arrow in 2026?

This year I hope that we at Yellow Arrow are able to reach even more writers and artists than in previous years and continue to help their work be seen.

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Kapua Iao 2/17/26 Kapua Iao 2/17/26

Finding Strength in Our Struggles: A Review of Vic Nogay’s Naming a Dying Thing

By Hannah Bishoff, written November 2025

In October 2025 Yellow Arrow released its third chapbook of the year: Vic Nogay’s Naming a Dying Thing. As Nogay is from Ohio, this collection reflects the stickiness of humid hometown summers, where all heavy senses remain heightened. The daunting weight of womanhood is potent throughout, intersecting with everything it means to be a woman, including pregnancy, motherhood, miscarriage, reproductive rights, love, and more, all while reminding the reader of our deep roots in nature. You can purchase the collection at yellowarrowpublishing.com/store/naming-a-dying-thing-paperback.

Nogay is a Pushcart Prize and Best Microfiction nominated writer. She is also the author of the micropoetry chapbook under fire under water (tiny wren, 2022) and is the microeditor of Identity Theory. If you want to learn more about Nogay, read this conversation between her and Melissa Nunez, Yellow Arrow interviewer, about her latest collection.

This chapbook is special to me not only for its intense content but also because I had the pleasure of doing some editorial and promotional work prior to its release as an intern with Yellow Arrow during the fall 2025. I inherently feel an attachment to it as it is my first real experience with a publication as an intern, and I will be forever grateful that Naming a Dying Thing is that first for me.

While reading the chapbook very closely, and rereading it many (many) times, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholic longing for something I have never known. Be it the unborn child of “Folk tale” (“When the snow melts / the berries hallow the earth; / I check the spot every spring to see / if there’s a baby growing from the ground”) or “Atropos, Goddess of Fate, Faces Her Own” (“I want to tell [the midwife] to stop, that its no use. I was never meant to be a mother. You are not my fate.”). Or the almost-love of “No point in keeping secrets,” as Nogay confesses, “I’ll always wish you’d’ve given in first so I could have made you feel my body ringing beneath the surface of my skin, quaking the roots of the tree where we slept.” Or even just the dreamy, pensive atmosphere of the depths of Ohio’s summers in which Nogay so eloquently creates, like in “a place,”

you sit in an old canoe,
washed ashore decades before,
and lick your lips
while cicadas sing
and fireflies hang in the humidity—
a summer snow globe.

The whispering reminder of our interconnectedness with nature is what brings each poem together as a sort of journey in taking back what it means to be a woman, to be alive, while coming to terms with it in the meantime. In “Testimony,” Nogay recounts a miscarriage, confessing:

We bound a clot with cloth
and thyme and earthed it

between the ancient roots of the sugar maple
and the fruitless, shallow juniper.

I flushed the rest.
What else was I to do?

Her later promise in “stillborn” of “regrow[ing] / perennial / come spring” evokes a reassurance of serenity, of everlasting light in times of darkness. This depiction of nature binding us, reconnecting us, with lost loves and memories of past selves is a beautiful one and brings forth, almost, a feeling of empowerment. With this is the image “Paraphyly” illustrates: that “we have buried [our fears] deep beneath / the earth to soften your step.” It is further empowering, then, when Nogay exclaims, “we don’t need to be hard to be strong.” The struggles and fears of women and mothers before us are what make up the unsteady path of womanhood.

Each poem adds to the chain of advocacy that becomes this collection, which is evermore essential in times such as those of today, our constantly changing modern world and unsteady political climate. Especially in these rocky times, times where the rights of women are being debated over (by men) and decided on our behalf, it is all the more important that the struggles of womanhood be not only understood but, at the very least, regarded as true and valid experiences. It seems that Nogay’s own frustration with this is even mentioned through “The Great Girl Evaporation of 2022,” describing how nothing could stop “[t]he men in charge . . . / . . . from striking us like matchsticks in the dry beds,” but once “[t]he sky lit up like a million suns. . . . It culled us, / body and soul, up, up with the water.” This frustration with the male counterpart is further demonstrated through “Swan Lake,” as Nogay explains, “I do wonder / at all the ways men spit / into nature’s current.” And, while this discontent is indeed relevant, it is nowhere near being the heart of our worries. The struggles of woman are hers and hers alone.

The looming motif of life and enragement over death, too, is a loud one that was never able to escape my mind while reading Naming a Dying Thing. Nogay’s narration is, at times, loud, as well, even as she writes, “i hold my rotted tongue / & hum to the lake / & the mirror of the moon,” all the while “ten thousand tiny bird wings / out of my mouth.” The journey of womanhood continues, then, through this idea of death, as Nogay confesses in “women,” “proof of death made life in me, / turned bravery to wicked wildness.” These two lines are probably some of my favorites in the whole chapbook. It not only points to the literal idea of death through the image of “a deer skull in a shed” held up “like a kindred spirit,” but seems to refer to all of Nogay’s experiences with death, be it miscarriage or the loss of a child, as some sort of epiphanic relief, creating a whole new life in her through the harshness of death. And, if there is anything the reader should take away from reading this collection, I feel it is exactly that. Our struggles, women’s struggles, embody a rather harsh reality, though such an idea is not to deter us; it is only there to make us stronger.

Hannah Bishoff was a senior English major at Towson University with a minor in Business, Communications, and the Liberal Arts. On the weekends, she works at a coffee shop in Towson and when not in class she enjoys reading, drawing, shopping, and watching TV. She hopes to continue working in publishing in the (near) future, if all goes well. Find her on Instagram @hannaheb.

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Kapua Iao 2/10/26 Kapua Iao 2/10/26

Spotlighting Lori L. Tharps’ Podcast Your BIPOC Writing Coach

By Avery Wood, written November 2025

Lori L. Tharps is an award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction, as well as a writing coach, journalist, former college professor, and podcast host. Tharps attended Smith College for her undergraduate degree, then attended Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Afterward, she went on to work as a journalist for Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and several other publications, as both a writer and editor. She has written three nonfiction books: Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America (2001), Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love & Spain (2008), and Same Family, Different Colors: Confronting Colorism in America’s Diverse Families (2016), as well as a fiction novel, Substitute Me (2010). She “lives a proud global literary lifestyle,” having moved to Spain in 2021, where she then launched her first podcast in 2020. Called My American Melting Pot, the podcast evolved into Your BIPOC Writing Coach. You can find the podcast at podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-bipoc-writing-coach/id1442662387.

Tharps also leads a private writing community for BIPOC women called The Reed, Write, and Create Sanctuary and launched a YouTube channel called Literary Lori. She lives her life in support of BIPOC writing and writers, advocating for social change through writing, guiding, and teaching new and experienced writers, carving a space for BIPOC voices to grow and thrive.

The podcast itself has grown in the last five years, where Tharps’ initial focus was on “being a Black woman married to a Spanish man, raising three bilingual, biracial, bicultural children,” The first podcast ran for a single season in 2020 before it transformed into the Reed, Write, and Create Podcast. Then, Tharps began to focus more on “bite-size sessions of creative writing coaching.” She believes in the power of stories and the need for more of them from marginalized voices—specifically BIPOC, female-identifying, and nonbinary individuals—a mission much like our own work at Yellow Arrow Publishing.

By 2025, the podcast will be known as Your BIPOC Writing Coach. Tharps revitalized her commitment to helping Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian American, and all other writers of color, promoting underrepresented voices and guiding their work into excellence. She understands the fiery passion of budding writers, and her goal is to create a space for them to get tangible writing advice that will guide them throughout the writing process.

I personally listened to more than a few of her podcasts in preparation for this blog post, and her tone throughout is cheery, supportive, and insightful. A pep talk. I personally found lots of inspiration and countless helpful tips, some of which I will endeavor to share here. But, if you are a BIPOC writer looking for a little motivation or seeking a space that shares the stories and advice of other accomplished craftspeople, you’ll have to go check out the brilliant podcast for yourself. Some intriguing episode titles include: “Why Smart Authors Aim for the Backlist,” “Behind the Book with David Ruggles: The First Black Man in America to Open a Bookstore,” and “Behind the Book with Literary Agent Regina Brooks: On a Mission to Bring More Asian American Stories into the World.” There are more than 100 other amazing and insightful episodes, with more to come. Some focus on advocacy, some on promotion and craft, and some simply on the state of the world for writers and, really, all individuals.

It was hard to choose which episodes to listen to first—all the different featured perspectives are fascinating and insightful. I listened to her very first podcast sharing her experience and story as a mother in a multicultural American family that moved to Spain, and I loved it because it gave me an introduction into Tharps and her story, as well as served as a kind of cultural criticism for the world as it was back in 2020. I listened to her June 2025 episode “Writers: Do You Have a Reading Habit or a Reading Hobby?” that talked all about how curated and intentional reading can vastly help a writer grow and discussed the tools and mechanics for reading with intention. This was a solo episode for Tharps without a guest accompaniment. Some tricks of note were using a receptacle for tracking reading notes and adding an index to the end of that receptacle for easy note reviewing. She talks about being thoughtful in selecting books, not purely for quantity but for quality, and having a purpose for reading a book as a writer, clearly in your mind throughout your read. She wants writers to avoid mindless “dirty reading” as she calls it. With Tharps’ episode, “How to Strategize, Plan, and Execute a Book Tour that Guarantees Success,” I found both inspiring as well as truly informative, as a budding writer myself. If you are a BIPOC writer and have any specific questions about publishing, publicity, writing in multiple genres, or simply want to know how to get started, I guarantee you there is, or will be, an episode for you on Your BIPOC Writing Coach.

Tharps’ podcast is special not only because she’s an amazing creative writing coach but also because she often learns with the listeners as she speaks with inspiring and noteworthy guests, both BIPOC authors and publishing professionals, all eager to embolden and raise the voices of their communities. As Rebecca Caroll, author of acclaimed titles Surviving the White Gaze: A Memoir (2021) and I Know What the Red Clay Looks Like: The Voice and Vision of Black Women Writers (1994) said in the episode “Telling Black Women’s Stories Across Platforms with Rebecca Caroll”: “Black women showing up for each other is timeless and regenerative.” In this particular episode, Tharps and Caroll discuss journalism, apathy, and cynicism, the effects of politics and violence on writing, the art and complications of writing a memoir, and so much more.

I think it’s absolutely brilliant the way that Tharps has seamlessly integrated activism into a writing coach podcast, featuring professionals from all identities and walks of life, supporting and raising their voices as well as those of her listeners. She gives a spotlight to the topics of activism themselves—race, gender, society, the changing world—while simultaneously balancing practical and tangible writing tools and advice to support all her listeners of any identity or background.

(All quotes came from Lori L. Tharps’ podcast Your BIPOC Writing Coach and her website at loriltharps.com.)

*****

Kapua Iao 2/3/26 Kapua Iao 2/3/26

Legacy Thriving: februaries by Michele Evans

Yellow Arrow Publishing announces the release of our first chapbook of 2026, februaries by Michele Evans. Since its establishment in 2016, Yellow Arrow has devoted its efforts to advocate for all women writers through inclusion in the biannual Yellow Arrow Journal as well as single-author publications and Yellow Arrow Vignette, and by providing strong author support, writing workshops, and volunteering opportunities. We at Yellow Arrow are excited to continue our mission by supporting Michele in all her writing and publishing endeavors.

*Photo K. Evans (Instagram @snapsbykee44)*

Michele Evans, the author of the poetry collection purl, returns with februaries—a chapbook of poems inspired by her participation in the National African American Read-In (AARI) founded by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Chronicling and preserving the achievements and contributions of ancestors Harriet Tubman, Billie Holiday, Maya Angelou, and others, februaries, a museum constructed of poignant poems diverse in form, reminds readers: Black History is American History, and it should be “celebrated, appreciated, and narrated” well beyond the annual 28-day observance.

Inspired by the literary tradition established by an assembly of living legends from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, such as Dr. Joanne V. Gabbin and E. Ethelbert Miller, Evans, a fifth-generation Washingtonian (D.C.) and English teacher, revisits significant and complicated moments from America’s past to spark necessary and challenging conversations about the future of humanity.

The cover and interior art were created by Evans’ son, Harrison. According to Evans, “Because februaries pays homage to the literary contributions from DMV creatives, I asked Harrison to include something that represents the region. After reading the poems penned for my school’s Black History Month annual event, Harrison drew a landscape of the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Hovering above the buildings in the skyline is a rendering of Aquarius—the water bearer, the zodiac sign for people born from January 21 to February 19 and the figure often associated with intellect and independence, the one pouring knowledge and ideas into the world.”

Paperback and PDF versions februaries are now available from the Yellow Arrow bookstore. If interested in purchasing more than one paperback copy for friends and family, check out our discounted wholesale prices here. You can also search for februaries wherever you purchase your books including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. To learn more about Evans and februaries, check out our recent interview with her.

You can find Evans on her website at awordsmithie.com and follow her on Instagram @awordsmithie and connect with Yellow Arrow on Facebook and Instagram, to share some love for this chapbook. You can also share a review to any of the major distributors or by emailing editor@yellowarrowpublishing.com. We’d love to hear from you.

*****

Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we LUMINATE a path for women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook or Instagram, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.

Kapua Iao 2/1/26 Kapua Iao 2/1/26

Yellow Arrow Journal (XI/01) WONDER Submissions are Now Open!

Yellow Arrow Publishing is excited to announce that submissions for our next issue of Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. XI, No. 1 (spring 2026) are open February 1-28, exploring the interplay between curiosity and creativity and how it informs discovery in the personal creative process and encourages artistry and fulfillment for women-identifying writers. And in her introductory blog, guest editor Heather Brown Barrett examined the idea further.

“The connections and therapeutic power between lived experience and artmaking are complex. Some works flow from us in a soothing cascade and some are structured explorations. We write through major life changes and minor annoyances, through healing and fear, loss and joy. We journal to keep a record of days or nuanced introspection. We attempt a sense of play or experimentation, shaking off established norms or forms. Many of us are creative explorers working across mediums. We fit creativity into life with a toddler, or an aging loved one, or a classroom of students, finding ways to keep our creative fires alive. We emphasize attention in a world seeking to monetize or obliterate that very attention.”

The first issue of volume XI will reflect on this idea through the issue’s theme WONDER

(noun)

: a cause of astonishment or admiration (a marvel or a miracle)

: the quality of exciting amazed admiration

(verb)

: to be curious or in doubt about

: to feel surprise, curiosity, or doubt

Here are some guiding questions about the topic and theme:

1. How is your creative process influenced by curiosity? For example, by subjects or motifs you return to, by what you desire to explore, or by what you’re hesitant to explore?

2. How do curiosity and creativity help shape the person you hope to be? What have you discovered about yourself?

3. Was there a defining moment in your life that sparked your writing journey because you wondered where it might lead?

4. Are you curious about breaking from your typical forms or genres? How do curiosity, uncertainty, or discoveries lead you to experimentation of form?

5. What light do you hope your curiosity and creativity sparks within others?

Yellow Arrow Journal is looking for creative nonfiction, poetry, and cover art submissions by creatives who identify as women, on the theme of WONDER. Submissions can be in any language as long as an English translation accompanies it. For more information regarding journal submission guidelines, please visit yellowarrowpublishing.com/submissions. Please read our guidelines carefully before submitting. To learn more about our editorial views and how important your voice is in your story, read about the journal. This issue will be released in May 2026.

The journal is just one of many ways that Yellow Arrow Publishing works to support and inspire women-identifying creatives through publication and access to the literary arts. Since its founding in 2016, Yellow Arrow has worked tirelessly to make an impact on the local and global community by advocating for writers who identify as women. Yellow Arrow proudly represents the voices of women from around the globe. Creating diversity in the literary world and providing a safe space is deeply important. Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling.

*****

Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we LUMINATE a path for women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook or Instagram, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or U.S. mail (P.O. Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.

Guest User 1/30/26 Guest User 1/30/26

Her View Friday

Part of our mission in supporting and uplifting women-identifying creatives is to promote the Yellow Arrow community’s individual accomplishments. We’d like to further expand that support and promotion outside of our Yellow Arrow publications. Twice a month, we’d like to give a shout out to those within the Yellow Arrow community who recently published:

single-author publications
single pieces in journals, anthologies, etc., as well as prizes/awards, book reviews, and podcasts/interviews

You can support our authors by reading this blog and their work, sharing their news, and commenting below or on the blog. Congratulations to all the included authors. We are so proud of you!

Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling

“Intersection” by Kay Smith-Blum

Genre: creative nonfiction

Name of publication: Feisty Deeds II: Historical Tales of Batches and Brews

Date Released: December 8, 2025 (ebook), January 5, 2026 (print)

Type of publication: electronic and print

kaysmith-blum.com/short-works

“The Arrival of Angst” by Heather Brown Barrett

Genre: poetry

Name of publication: The Ekphrastic Review

Date Released: January 9, 2026

Type of publication: online

ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-challenges/remedios-varo-ekphrastic-writing-responses (scroll down page)

Yellow Arrow (past and present) board, staff, interns, authors, residents, and instructors alike! Got a publication coming out? Let us help celebrate for you in Her View Friday.

Single-author publications: here.

Single pieces as well as prizes/awards, book reviews, and podcasts/interviews: here.

Please read the instructions on each form carefully; we look forward to congratulating you!

*****

Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we LUMINATE a path for women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook or Instagram, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.

Kapua Iao 1/27/26 Kapua Iao 1/27/26

Re-Meet a Staff Member: Nicky Ruddell

Yellow Arrow Publishing would like to reintroduce Nicky Ruddell, an editorial associate (originally a Yellow Arrow reader). Nicky is a poet from British Columbia. Her work has appeared in Trouveillle Review, Literary Mama, and Yellow Arrow Journal. Nicky works as a social worker in the school system, and she is currently working on a chapbook for publication.

Nicky says, “I am enjoying learning the editing process and looking at [others’] work with a different lens.”

Tell us a little something about yourself:

I grew up on a Salt Spring island and now live on a bigger island, Vancouver Island, with my husband and two children. In my free time I enjoy reading, writing, and painting.

What do you love most about where you live?

I live in Nanaimo, British Columbia. We live in a beautiful valley, surrounded by trees. I love how I can put on my running shoes and be surrounded by trails within minutes.

How did you get involved with Yellow Arrow?

I had a poem published in the Yellow Arrow Journal HOME (2020). I then joined the team as a reader in 2022. I am excited to try something new. Taking on an editorial associate role feels like the right next step to developing my skills.

What are you working on currently?

I have rekindled my love of painting, and I am making time to work on new pieces.

What genre do you write the most and why?

Poetry.

Can you recall an early memory that might have sparked your love of writing/reading?

I remember receiving a journal when I was 8 years old for Christmas. I loved writing and drawing in the journal and have continued to journal daily.

What books are on the top of your to-be-read pile?

The Antidote by Karen Russell and Goldenrod by Maggie Smith.

Who has inspired and/or supported you most in your writing journey?

My family consistently inspires and supports me.

If you could have a workspace anywhere, where would it be and why?

I would have a small modern cabin in the San Franciso Bay area with lots of windows. Inside would be bookshelves filled with books and cozy furniture with lots of light. My deep connection to northern California is a powerful source of inspiration for me.

What advice do you have for new writers or anyone starting a new adventure?

Keep writing your stories and continue to work outside of your comfort zone.

What’s your vision for Yellow Arrow in 2026?

I see Yellow Arrow growing its readership and continuing to inspire and elevate women’s voices.

*****

Kapua Iao 1/20/26 Kapua Iao 1/20/26

Curiosity and Creativity: An Ever-Burning Fire

Yellow Arrow Publishing would like to announce the next guest editor for Yellow Arrow Journal, Heather Brown Barrett. Heather will oversee the creation of our Vol. XI, No. 1 issue (spring 2026). This next issue of Yellow Arrow Journal will explore the interplay between curiosity and creativity and how it informs discovery in the personal creative process and encourages artistry and fulfillment for women-identifying writers.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

Theme announcement: January 26
Submissions open: February 1
Submissions close: February 28
Issue release: May 19

Heather Brown Barrett is an award-winning poet in southeastern Virginia. She mothers her young son and contemplates life, the universe, and everything with her writer husband. She is a Cherokee Nation citizen, the membership chair of The Poetry Society of Virginia, a member of The Muse Writers Center, and a former board member of Hampton Roads Writers. Her work has appeared in Literary Mama, The Ekphrastic Review, Yellow Arrow Journal, formidable Woman sanctuary, Black Bough Poetry, OyeDrum Magazine, and elsewhere and has been nominated for Best of the Net. Her poetry is featured in the global TELEPHONE exhibition and was previously featured on the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail as part of The Poetry Society of Virginia’s Poetry on the Trail project and in the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts Everyone Has a Story exhibit. Much of her work is influenced by themes and dualities of motherhood, modes of forgiveness and grace, and the types of subjects that plague most poets, like death, grocery stores, and birds. She’s the author of Water in Every Room (Kelsay Books, 2025), a collection of poems embodying the fluctuations of emotion and form in new motherhood.

Please follow Yellow Arrow on Facebook and Instagram for the theme announcement. Below, Heather explains how creativity and curiosity are pivotal to her life and to her artmaking. We look forward to working with Heather over the next few months and can’t wait to hear your words.

By Heather Brown Barrett

Curiosity, creativity, and imagination are kinetic, reinforcing; one fuels the flames of the others, an ever-burning fire within those of us called to the arts. I question, ponder, read, create. I seek knowledge, desiring to know what drives everyone and everything, from the micro to the macro, examining motives and mechanisms of what is natural and human-made, spiritual and theoretical. This curiosity compels my life and my poetry.

It sounds cliche, but writing saves me from myself. I write because the squall inside becomes distracting. Focus on creative work pulls my mind from looping or intrusive thoughts, directing that energy toward a creative process. Writing helps me to process, express, and discover; allows me to explore the motions and emotions of the darker recesses and emerge lighter.

I became a mother in 2021. Motherhood has been the most challenging and most rewarding experience of my life: a bit isolating and a lot transformative. It plunged me deeper into my creativity, exploring ways to record motherhood’s moments and emotions and to portray the transience of attention and time. I’ve developed deep respect for the discipline to continue artmaking amid life’s changes and the redirection of creative impulse when circumstances demand our attention elsewhere.

The connections and therapeutic power between lived experience and artmaking are complex. Some works flow from us in a soothing cascade and some are structured explorations. We write through major life changes and minor annoyances, through healing and fear, loss and joy. We journal to keep a record of days or nuanced introspection. We attempt a sense of play or experimentation, shaking off established norms or forms. Many of us are creative explorers working across mediums. We fit creativity into life with a toddler, or an aging loved one, or a classroom of students, finding ways to keep our creative fires alive. We emphasize attention in a world seeking to monetize or obliterate that very attention.

With Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. XI, No. 1, I invite you to consider what you discover at the intersection of curiosity and creativity. How is your creative process influenced by curiosity, by subjects or motifs you return to, or by what you’re hesitant to explore? How do your curiosity and creativity help shape the person you hope to be? How do you balance life’s responsibilities with your call to artistic endeavors? I’m deeply honored to read your words, to learn what fuels your curiosity and creativity.

*****

Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we LUMINATE a path for women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook or Instagram, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.

Kapua Iao 1/13/26 Kapua Iao 1/13/26

2026 Yearly Value: Yellow Arrow as Your Light Source

Dear Yellow Arrow Community,

Perhaps because I just had a birthday, I am feeling a vibrational affinity for things that are old, rare, and essential.

That’s what “luminate” is, according to my etymological sources.

Before the world threw an “il” in front to create a new word doing triple duty – lighting whole rooms, making things clear, illustrating tales of God – luminate had the singular job of communicating the workings of candles and lanterns and torches. To luminate means to be a source of light, to emit light, and sometimes to reflect it.

Luminate is elemental, existential: Without a light source, there is only darkness.

Luminate is also rarely heard these days, its use having peaked sometime in the early 19th century. And yet its light endures, shining on despite everything. Which may be exactly why it appealed to the Yellow Arrow Publishing family.

As we have every year for the past six, the Yellow Arrow staff, Board and creative community put heads together in the waning weeks of the old year to choose an annual value for the new one ahead. Our yearly value provides a thematic framework for the journals and chapbooks we publish and for the workshops and other programming we offer. Throughout the year we find ourselves returning over and over again to the value, whether we need a refrain for our victory songs or a cry to rally us through tougher times. In choosing the value, we reflect the vibe we imagine for the year ahead—both what the world will be like and what we will most likely need to respond.

Our first yearly value was REFUGE, reflecting the shelter Yellow Arrow offered in the pandemic year 2020. In 2021 we chose EMERGE as we all came blinking out into the light. We started 2022 eyes-wide-open with AWAKEN, then lit the fuse for 2023 with SPARK. In 2024, we raised up our community with AMPLIFY, and by 2025 we were ready to BLAZE a path with everyone.

It turns out we needed all the fire we could muster over this past year, as we saw artistic institutions attacked all around us. Disastrous cuts to arts and humanities funding cascaded quickly down closer to home; while standing up for our sisters of color, our trans sisters, our neurodiverse sisters, all suddenly seemed fraught with danger. With BLAZE to guide us, Yellow Arrow quickly adjusted to new budget realities while steadfastly refusing to waver on core beliefs.

And we endured, glow intact. And we are ready to hit the ground running in 2026 to light the way for woman-identifying creatives. We are thrilled to publish four chapbooks by incredible authors (read about them here), continue our Yellow Arrow Vignette online series, and release two more issues of Yellow Arrow Journal (stay tuned to meet the guest editor and to hear the theme of the first issue later this month!). We will also continue to offer a host of online workshops with our first workshop for the spring, Poetry is Life, with open enrollment (learn about our other spring classes, opening soon, at yellowarrowpublishing.com/workshop-schedule)! Our Yellow Arrow Collective and Invitation to Write course will also be available this year for those looking for a safe writing community.

2026 marks the 10th anniversary of Yellow Arrow’s founding. As we look out over the year ahead, we have no illusions that this birthday will be all frosting and confetti. The challenges we survived in 2025 are all still very much present and in some cases redoubling. We know that our steadfast commitment to elevating the voices of all creatives identifying as women makes us a target and that there’s a delicate but essential balance required of being an arts organization in times of economic reckoning.

That’s why the Yellow Arrow community must remain a steady source of light in 2026. We cannot waver or dim. Together, we shall LUMINATE.

Sincerely,

Mickey Revenaugh
Board President
Yellow Arrow Publishing

*****

We are ever so grateful for your continued support of women-identifying writers. We need your support now more than ever. We welcome donations that support our mission, especially as we kick off our 2026 programs and publications. Donate today to support our 2026 initiatives!

Kapua Iao 1/6/26 Kapua Iao 1/6/26

Legacy in Bloom: A Conversation with Michele Evans about februaries

With februaries, poet and educator Michele Evans invites readers into a conversation about art, ancestry, and the everyday acts that keep language alive. In her new chapbook, which will be released by Yellow Arrow Publishing in February 2026, she transforms celebration into conversation, weaving the voices of Black writers, the rhythms of the classroom, and the pulse of her community into a lyrical archive. Her work exists in that generative space between teaching and creating, where reflection becomes ritual and the act of writing becomes a gesture of gratitude.

Throughout her teaching career, Evans has cultivated literary appreciation through her dedication to building positive habits and environments for her students, which is highlighted in her involvement in her school’s African American Read-In. In February 1990 the first National African American Read-In was established by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Twenty-five years after the inaugural event, the English Department at Broad Run High School in Loudoun County, Virginia, where Evans has taught for more than two decades, held its first read-in on February 25, 2015, to celebrate Black History Month.

Evans’ second poetry collection, februaries, emerged from these readings, evolving into both homage and self-portrait. The collection extends Yellow Arrow’s mission through a lens that is as intimate as it is communal. You can preorder a copy of februaries at yellowarrowpublishing.com/store/februaries-paperback; the collection will be released February 3.

Evans and Yellow Arrow interviewer, Melissa Nunez, connected to discuss the origins of februaries, the creative lineage of Black women poets, the importance of community and form, and the enduring beauty found in language, legacy, and love.

so when the rain pummels, and the fire burns,
and the wind smacks, and the snow pounds,
and the overseer strikes, this conductor knows
she must be greater than the rest, knows she must
be fearless, boundless, tireless, selfless because
freedom means nothing to one until it means
everything to all.

“≤: less than or equal to?”

Aside from the incredible, notable names already acknowledged in your collection, who are some women-identified writers who inspire you?

In addition to Maya Angelou and Alice Walker who are acknowledged in the collection, there are so many writers that inspire me. Because februaries is a chapbook of poems, I will focus on poets. First and foremost, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for my poetry ancestors: Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, June Jordan, and Audre Lorde. I had the opportunity to meet Giovanni before her death, and I was so awe struck I couldn’t even find the words to tell her how much of an impact her writing has had on me as a black person, a woman, an educator, and a writer. “Changes” and “The Blues” are two of Giovanni’s newer poems from Make Me Rain (Harper Collins, 2020) that really speak to me as an emerging poet. Other living poets who inspire and influence my writing are Rita Dove, Nicole Sealey, Evie Shockley, and Natasha Trethewey.

The concept behind your collection, februaries is resonant and substantive. Can you share the process that brought this collection from idea to completed work?

I am a high school English and creative writing teacher at Broad Run High School. Since 2015 the English Department has hosted an African American Read-In in February to celebrate Black History Month. Taking inspiration from the NCTE event, we invite a published writer from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area (the DMV) to our school to read from their body of work, share anecdotes about their writing journey, and offer encouragement to an audience of young writers. The purpose of the annual program is threefold: (1) to foster an appreciation of literature, (2) to shine a literary spotlight on favorite Black authors, and (3) to create valuable learning experiences that lead to stimulating conversations about literacy and diversity. To that end students and staff are also encouraged to read pieces written by Black authors. For more than 10 years I have written and read an original poem at Broad Run’s Read-In. While I was working on the manuscript for purl (2025), my first poetry collection, I realized I had another collection forming. februaries not only celebrates the literary contributions of Black writers connected to the DMV but also chronicles my growth as a poet.

How did you hear of Yellow Arrow? What inspired you to submit your chapbook?

In early 2023 I was an emerging poet actively searching for a writing community or organization in the DMV when I saw a post from Yellow Arrow on Instagram. As a graduate of Smith, a woman’s college, Yellow Arrow’s commitment to amplifying women’s voices was appealing to me. Later that year I submitted a chapbook manuscript of poems for consideration. Because it was shortlisted, I decided to send “malea,” one of the poems from the manuscript to the submission call for Yellow Arrow Journal ELEVATE (Vol. IX, No. 1). They accepted my poem and took great care preparing it for publication. After ELEVATE’s release, Yellow Arrow invited me to read at their online launch for the journal and also featured me in their .Writers.on.Writing. feature. Since februaries celebrates writers connected to the DMV, I am thrilled Yellow Arrow, a Maryland press, is bringing it into the world.

Can you talk about the cover selection process?

The art on the cover was created by my son Harrison Evans (Instagram @yatsby_harry999). He is a self-taught artist currently finishing a tattoo apprenticeship. In many ways both of us are emerging artists, and I am committed to spotlighting him and his creative gifts whenever I can. Harrison also drew the cover of purl and all the art on my website, awordsmithie.com. I am so appreciative to Yellow Arrow for giving me the opportunity to use his art for the cover and interior pages. Because februaries pays homage to the literary contributions from DMV creatives, I asked Harrison to include something that represents the region. After reading the poems penned for my school’s Black History Month annual event, Harrison drew a landscape of the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Hovering above the buildings in the skyline is a rendering of Aquarius—the water bearer, the zodiac sign for people born from January 21 to February 19 and the figure often associated with intellect and independence, the one pouring knowledge and ideas into the world.

Your poems encompass a broad and intriguing range of historical topics and figures. How did you come to the combination of Rihanna and Maya Angelou for “973.0496”?

I wrote “973.0496” in the first few weeks of 2023. For most of my teaching career, I have maintained a classroom library for my students by purchasing books each school year. To offset expenses I scour library sales, used bookshops, and thrift stores for titles from different genres I deem appropriate for my high school students. In 2023 book bans were on the rise across the country in schools and public libraries, and for the first time in my career, I wondered if my classroom library might be viewed as a liability to some rather than a valuable resource for all. Book banning and the rewriting and erasure of American history were weighing heavy on my mind when I sat down to draft this poem. I often listen to music as I am writing and while I don’t remember the exact moment, I do know that Rihanna’s song “Lift Me Up” from the 2022 movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) was on heavy rotation. The lyrics “lift me up, hold me down, keep me close, safe and sound” were stuck in my head so I scribbled them in my journal. I was torn between using this line and one from Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” for my first attempt at writing a golden shovel, a form created by Terrance Hayes and inspired by Gwendolyn Brooks. In the end I decided to write a double golden shovel to honor both Angelou and Rihanna.

write, they say, what upsets you, threatens you, paper moon scribbles, raising up
me and others like me with bowed heads, clasped hands resisting earth’s choke hold.

“973.0496”

You bring an impressive array of poetic forms to the pages of februaries. What prompted your experimentation?

Even though februaries is my second book, I still feel like I am an emerging poet, one who is still trying to discover a signature voice and style. Because of this I am always experimenting with form. In this collection readers will find many forms including several invented by Black writers: the duplex, skinny, eintou, and golden shovel. Each section in this chapbook includes a skinny poem inspired by the featured read-in writer and a tribute poem that I wrote after the event. I especially enjoyed experimenting with the skinny form, which was invented by Truth Thomas in a Tony Medina Poetry workshop at Howard University in D.C. For each skinny poem, I treated the first and last line like a cento by borrowing a quote or a verse from (most of) the tribute poets. Harrison’s art and the skinny poems are like bookends for each year and section.

Let’s talk about “can I buy a vowel”? What experience would you like this form to awaken in your audience?

In 2019 Broad Run High School invited Camisha L. Jones to be our featured speaker for the read-in. She read several poems from Flare (Finishing Line Press, 2017), her chapbook about her personal experience with hearing loss and chronic pain. I was moved not only by her verses but also by her resilience in the face of what she names an “invisible disability.” My poem “can i buy a vowel?” takes its inspiration from the line “Being hard of hearing is kinda like filling in the blanks / of a Wheel of Fortune puzzle” from her poem “The Sound Barrier.” All the e’s have been removed from lines of my poem, which makes it more challenging to read. By attempting to show on the page how it might sound to someone with hearing loss, I hope readers will remember everyone is battling something. And sometimes those battles are invisible. “can i buy a vowel?” is a reminder to extend grace, understanding, empathy, kindness, and love because we never know what someone is going through. I also hope that those battling visible and invisible disabilities will be encouraged by the poem’s message.

There is an abundance of powerful and lyrical imagery in your poetry. Can you expand a bit on what drew you to the nature imagery in “dark, and lovely, and limitless”?

My children gifted me a small African violet for my birthday the year I wrote “dark, and lovely, and limitless.” Because my birthday is the day after Valentine’s Day, the floral selections in shops are often picked over. The ubiquitous red or pink rose bouquets with baby’s breath have been replaced with plants like violets, kalanchoe, and cyclamen. Little did my kids know their selection was quite appropriate since African violets are the birth flower for the month of February. When I began drafting this poem for my school’s 2022 read-in event, I was sitting at my desk looking at their gift and battling an episode of writer’s block. Instead of picking up a book to read (my normal remedy), I decided to research care for my little houseplant. That’s when I discovered its scientific name, Saintpaulia ionantha. Seeing images of all the vibrant varieties online reminded me of the famous quote from Alice Walker’s The Color Purple (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982): “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.” Although the flowers in the iconic scene when Celie and Shug are walking in a field of purple are not African violets, that image inspired me to include nature imagery in my poem. I mixed in details about plant care with its East Africa origins in some of the lines. Given how much inspiration I gleaned from Alice Walker who was also born in February, it seemed quite fitting that I wrote this poem as a tribute to her.

she hails from purple mountains majesty
east african fields, her mother’s land
draped in amethyst petals, leaves jaded
in velvet, crowns rooted in smoky quartz

“dark, and lovely, and limitless”

Do you have any advice to share with fellow women-identified writers?

Develop healthy reading and writing habits. My students in my English and creative writing classes read a book of choice or write in their journals for 15–20 minutes every class. I call it Daily Pages. One class they write and then the next class they read. For me it’s about helping them create habits, build stamina, develop their voice, and discover favorite genres and authors. Ironically, I should have been listening to my own advice and applying those lessons to my writing life. Octavia Butler (Bloodchild: And Other Stories, Seven Stories Press, 1995) once said this about habits: “First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories [and poems]. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.” A second piece of advice would be to join a writing group, take a class or workshop, and/or apply to a writer’s retreat or residency. Carving out time in your schedule to focus solely on writing and surrounding yourself with other writers has been so helpful to me.

wake up because everything isn’t black or white.
wake up because bad things happen
when you ignore right from wrong.
wake up because only a fool’s mate wastes precious seconds.
wake up because enough is enough.
wake up because a draw won’t do this time.

“run the ‘gambit’”

Are you working on or planning any future projects you’d like to share with our readers?

For the last two years I have spent a lot of time preparing two different poetry collections for publication, learning how to market them online using social media, and calendaring readings, interviews, and craft chats. While it has been nice to be booked and busy, I am excited to slow down a bit and get back to spending time just reading and writing. During the pandemic, I paused working on a long fiction project that has been in progress for more than 10 years. Although it will be nice to read and write without hovering deadlines, I can’t forget what Toni Morrison said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write.”

Thank you Michele and Melissa for such a thoughtful conversation. You can order your copy of februaries from Yellow Arrow Publishing at yellowarrowpublishing.com/store/februaries-paperback and find out more about Michele Evans on her website at awordsmithie.com and follow her on Instagram @awordsmithie.

Melissa Nunez makes her home in the Rio Grande Valley region of south Texas, where she enjoys exploring and photographing the local wild with her homeschooling family. She writes an anime column at The Daily Drunk Mag and is a prose reader for Moss Puppy Mag. She is also a staff writer for Alebrijes Review and interviewer for Yellow Arrow Publishing. You can find her work on her website at melissaknunez.com/publications and follow her on Twitter @MelissaKNunez and Instagram @melissa.king.nunez.

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Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook or Instagram, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.

Guest User 12/5/25 Guest User 12/5/25

Her View Friday

single-author publications
single pieces in journals, anthologies, etc., as well as prizes/awards, book reviews, and podcasts/interviews

You can support our authors by reading this blog and their work, sharing their news, and commenting below or on the blog. Congratulations to all the included authors. We are so proud of you!

Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling.

Author: Ann van Wijgerden

British by birth, Ann van Wijgerden lives in the Netherlands and the Philippines. She’s had nonfiction, poetry, and fiction accepted in numerous magazines, including Orion, Orbis, The Sunlight Press, The Wild Umbrella, and Queen’s Quarterly and is a 2025 Best of the Net nominee. Her debut poetry collection Dear Planet was published by Fidessa Literary, July 2025. Ann cofounded and works for an NGO called Young Focus (youngfocus.org) in Manila.

Where are you from: London, England

Tell us about your main writing space in three words: cozy, quiet, green

Tell us about your publication: This is my debut poetry collection. Dear Planet tracks one Englishwoman’s journey, straddling life between the U.K., the Netherlands and the Philippines; poems are her stepping-stones as she tries to reconcile herself to the reality of different worlds, worlds divided by location, social status, even time.

There are universally relatable themes, such as the loss of loved ones, wrestling with health and aging, getting comfortable with uncertainty, love of nature. But the poetry also speaks from a unique perspective, offering glimpses of a world many may not know; that of the social injustice of extreme poverty and the “Drug War” in the Philippines.

Along the way, there is much hope and tenderness, too. Perhaps you’ll be, as Ann has been, inspired by the resilience of fellow humans, as well as comforted by our kinship with the natural world, with this dear planet.

Why this book? Why now? How did it happen? The poem “Dear Planet,” published by Yellow Arrow Publishing, became the theme and the title of the collection (as well as the first poem). The publisher Fidessa is also now partnering with our NGO Young Focus in the Philippines. You can find out more at fidessaliterary.com/dearplanetproject.

What advice do you have for new writers? Someone with a book that needs a home? Keep looking for a good home for your book. Don’t give up. (It took me almost two years.)

What else are you working on/doing that you’d like to share? Writing reflections/blog posts based on poetry and prompts, especially from the amazing poet Pádraig Ó Tuama and his Poetry Unbound Substack. Also, more poetry for the next collection . . .

Author: Ute Carson

Ute Carson has been a writer since youth. She has published widely and was nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize. She lives with her husband in Austin, Texas. They have three daughters, six grandchildren and a clowder of cats.

Where are you from: Germany

Tell us about your main writing space in three words: cluttered and sun- and moon-lit.

Tell us about your publication: Time Did It was published October 24, 2025, by Plain View Press in Austin, Texas. The memoir is a family saga bedded in a historical context.

Why this book? Why now? How did it happen? The book speaks to the circle of life and the connection of one generation to the other. It also tells about the importance of a historical settling like the two world wars.

What advice do you have for new writers? Someone with a book that needs a home? Young writers need to search and search until they find the nook that is just right for them.

What is your writing goal? My writing goal for the year is writing more stories and poems.

Yellow Arrow (past and present) board, staff, interns, authors, residents, and instructors alike! Got a publication coming out? Let us help celebrate for you in Her View Friday.

Single-author publications: here.

Single pieces as well as prizes/awards, book reviews, and podcasts/interviews: here.

Please read the instructions on each form carefully; we look forward to congratulating you!

*****

Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we BLAZE a path for women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook or Instagram, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.

Yellow Arrow 12/2/25 Yellow Arrow 12/2/25

Meet the 2026 Yellow Arrow Publishing Pushcart Prize Nominees

The Pushcart Prize honors the incredible work of authors published by small presses and has since 1976. And since then, thousands of writers have been featured in its annual collections—most of whom are new to the series. The Pushcart Prize is a wonderful opportunity for writers of short stories, poetry, and essays to jump further into the literary world and see their work gain recognition and appreciation.

The Prize represents an incredible opportunity for Yellow Arrow Publishing to further showcase and support our authors. Our staff is committed to letting our authors shine. Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling. We are so proud of everyone we publish at Yellow Arrow. Without further ado, let’s meet the 2026 Yellow Arrow Pushcart Prize Nominees!

Emily Decker

“Finding Home in a Villanelle”
from *Homing: Poems*
~ i found you once between the creases,
and i’ll find you again, just in pieces. ~

Emily Decker is a writer in Baltimore, Maryland. Her poems have appeared in Yellow Arrow Journal, Full Bleed, Hole in the Head Review, and Campfire Stories: Chesapeake Bay. Her debut collection Homing: Poems is available through Yellow Arrow. She holds a bachelor’s degree in literature and a master’s degree in secondary English education from Georgia State University. When she’s not writing or reading, she is usually out on the Chesapeake Bay, on or behind a stage, or plotting her next adventure. Follow Emily on Instagram @emadeck or at emilydeckerpoetry.com.

Johanna Elattar

“Under the Siren: Alexandria, 1973”
from *Yellow Arrow Journal* Vol. X, No. 2, **KAIROS**
~ The siren taught me silence. But the cake, the song, the mimed applause—they taught me something stronger. Joy doesn’t need permission. It can whisper and still survive. ~

Johanna Elattar is a writer from Brooklyn whose work explores memory, faith, and resilience through intimate, character-driven storytelling. Influenced by early childhood experiences in Alexandria and a life shaped by displacement, survival, and devotion to truth, she writes toward quiet revelations and the subtle moments that define a life. Her writing has appeared in Yellow Arrow Journal, Lunch Ticket, Muslim Matters, and other publications, and she was recently featured in an Oxford University Press anthology. Elattar believes in the dignity of ordinary lives, the endurance of the human spirit, and the duty to bear witness. She currently lives in upstate New York with her rescue animals and is at work on a novella.

Johanna contributed her creative nonfiction piece “Under the Siren: Alexandria, 1973” to Yellow Arrow Journal Vol. X, No. 2, KAIROS, and can be found in the Yellow Arrow bookstore.

Ann marie Houghtailing

“Little by Little”
from Little by Little
~ Even the wisdom was small
Three words
you could fit into the palm of your hand ~

Ann marie Houghtailing has a graduate’s degree (ALM) in American literature from Harvard University Extension. She has delivered a TEDx Talk entitled Raising Humans, and performed her critically acclaimed one woman show, Renegade Princess, in New York, Chicago, Santa Fe, San Francisco, and San Diego. Houghtailing is a visual artist and cofounder of the firm Story Imprinting. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Daily Worth, XO Jane, San Diego Business Journal, Yahoo! Finance, and Thought Catalog.

Ann marie’s chapbook Little by Little was released in April 2025 and can be found in the Yellow Arrow bookstore.

Majiq Vu Mai

“The Metamorphosis”
from *Yellow Arrow Journal* Vol. X, No. 1 **UNFURL**
~ What could small flying creatures like us do after a life shaking fall like that, but take our time? ~

Majiq Vu Mai (magic/they/he/we) is a multiplicity of madness, writing themselves alive. An alchemist of flesh and memory, they write whatever burns inside of them like a searing ache and find relief in giving voice to their truths through language. For Majiq—we write to collect the pieces of ourselves we have lost along the way and to remember our possibilities through the creative act of storytelling.

Majiq contributed their piece “The Metamorphosis” to Yellow Arrow Journal’s Vol. X, No. 1, UNFURL, and can be found in the Yellow Arrow bookstore.

Vic Nogay

“Appalachians”
from *Naming a Dying Thing*
~ I know your hills
are a small bump, emptying, cowing to the weight
of loss, of naming a dying thing. ~

Vic Nogay is a Pushcart Prize and Best Microfiction nominated writer from Ohio. Her work has been published in Gone Lawn, Tiny Molecules, Fractured Lit, Lost Balloon, and other journals. She is the author of the micropoetry chapbook under fire under water (tiny wren, 2022) and is the microeditor of Identity Theory. Find her online @vicnogaywrites or haunting rural roadsides where the wildflowers grow.

Vic’s chapbook Naming a Dying Thing was released in October 2025 and can be found in the Yellow Arrow bookstore.

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Guest User 11/28/25 Guest User 11/28/25

Her View Friday

single-author publications
single pieces in journals, anthologies, etc., as well as prizes/awards, book reviews, and podcasts/interviews

You can support our authors by reading this blog and their work, sharing their news, and commenting below or on the blog. Congratulations to all the included authors. We are so proud of you!

Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling

“Contrafabula” by Nancy Huggett

Genre: creative nonfiction

Name of publication: American Literary Review

Date Released: October 4, 2025

Type of publication: online

americanliteraryreview.com/2025/10/02/contrafabula-by-nancy-huggett/

“verge escapement” by Heather Brown Barrett

Genre: poetry

Name of publication: TELEPHONE.

Date Released: October 10, 2025

Type of publication: online

telephonegame.art/artists/heather-brown-barrett

“Run” by Heather Brown Barrett

Genre: poetry

Name of publication: SciFanSat

Date Released: October 25, 2025

Type of publication: online

scifansat.com/bibi/?book=SciFanSat_Issue_27_Moon_10-27-2025.epub#p=1

Yellow Arrow (past and present) board, staff, interns, authors, residents, and instructors alike! Got a publication coming out? Let us help celebrate for you in Her View Friday.

Single-author publications: here.

Single pieces as well as prizes/awards, book reviews, and podcasts/interviews: here.

Please read the instructions on each form carefully; we look forward to congratulating you!

*****

Kapua Iao 11/25/25 Kapua Iao 11/25/25

Looking Through the Snapshots of Life: Reflecting on KAIROS

Contributors to KAIROS (Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. X, No. 2) were asked if they create through routine, or if they wait for their own kairos moment to find inspiration. Kairos is a Greek word that means “a time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action”; “an opportune and decisive moment”; in modern Greek, also “weather” or “time”; and in ancient Greek, “the right or critical moment.” After cover reveal, we asked Yellow Arrow the community to contemplate the question for themselves. Here are the contributors’ responses. Please feel free to add your own response in the comments. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Stephanie Anderson, “half-bath”

“I’ve tried to have a routine. I would love to have a routine. Creatively, I don’t think I can be anything consistently but restless. A few years ago, my regular writing regimen included keeping myself awake irresponsibly late; now I find my best work falls out of me in the 15 minutes before I am due to leave for somewhere. Everything I write ends up as part of a continual unwinding of my life and that’s an ongoing stew masquerading as inspiration. Sometimes I have no choice but to write something immediately, but more often than not, it needs to simmer.”

Aileen Bassis, “On Seeing Jack Whitten’s Painting, 9.11.01”

“I don’t have a writing routine. I write when something moves me—it can be something I see, a phrase, a metaphor, or a feeling.”

Deepti Bhatia, “Still Here, Still Breathing”

“There are days when I keep staring at the blank paper for hours; those are the moments of creative void and guilt. There also are times when my calm surfaces breach the normed boundaries, usually when I have feelings of retaliation, appreciation, or gratitude. During such times, triggered by the desire of conveyance, I write. So yes, my writings are attributed to certain special moments, when I let my feelings breathe in the open.”

Loretta Cantieri, “The Second Abortion”

“I type daily pages but sometimes I do miss a date. If I am not generating new material, I revise poems. If inspiration comes and I am not in a position to write at that moment I will take notes on paper or on my phone. Inspiration is an elusive critter, sort of like a lynx. It is wonderful if you have a sighting, but you may hike many days without seeing it.”

Roxanne Christiana, “COLONIZING MARS”

“I create through routine: I start my writing sessions at 4:00 a.m. and continue to about 10:00 a.m. During that session I hope to get inspiration, which I usually do. Not always, though, in which case I’ll write down my stream of consciousness and see if an idea emerges.”

Virginia Ottley Craighill, “Last Poem for My Father”

“I have never been good at routine. I might be disciplined for a short time, but that discipline is usually disrupted by some unforeseen event that sends me in another direction. I’ve found that my kairos moment occurs when I am alone, or particularly when I’m out walking. In some ways, walking is a routine that frees the mind to become aware of patterns that break through the finite veil.”

Patricia Davis-Muffett, “Miscarriage, November 6, 2024”

“I do my best to show up for my muse regularly, often in the morning, and try to give myself a little space and a push to write. Twice, I have done a 30/30 challenge, where I created and posted a new poem draft every day for 30 days. That experience taught me that I might be surprised at what is waiting if I stop and listen for a short period every day. My regular routine rarely gives me that kind of space every single day, but I do my best to give it space at least a few times a week.”

Amy Devine, “A poet died today”

“I try to make a habit of creation, scheduling time to write or edit or read poetry on a regular basis. By doing this I give myself permission to take my art seriously, and I create space for inspiration to strike. That said, there is nothing like going about your day-to-day and suddenly witnessing or reading something that has you desperately scrambling to write. I think that you need both the discipline and the inspiration to sustain creative work.”

Johanna Elattar, “Under the Siren: Alexandria, 1973”

“I create through a combination of routine and kairos moments. I rely on consistent writing practices to develop ideas, but often inspiration strikes in unexpected, opportune moments that guide the direction of my work.”

Renee Emerson, “Closures”

“I keep a set writing routine so that when the muse does come looking, she knows where to find me.”

Clara Garza, “The Awakening Aperture”

“Although creation is one of the most important aspects of my life, I rely on patience and my own kairos to find inspiration. I understand that art cannot always be forced. Routine is consistent and reliable, but it is the decisive moment of vision that gives my work authenticity and meaning. In that sense, I create by honoring the moments when inspiration reveals itself.”

Pratibha Kumari Gupta, “At the Community Garden, We Talk of Root Systems”

“I write through a modest routine of reading, reflection, and revision that keeps me close to language. Inspiration often arrives in moments of kairos—unexpected yet timely encounters that transform the routine into finished work. So my practice depends on both: steady rhythm and sudden revelation.”

Taylor Harrison, “Fatherland”

“Even though I am very much a creature of habit, going as far as to schedule a few hours each weekend to force myself to write, I find both inspiration and the passion to create through my kairos moments. My favorite time to create is when inspiration strikes and I am able to drive to a coffee shop and immediately get to work—those pieces seemingly write themselves.”

Elizabeth Hazen, “Past Life”

“I am always trying to stick to a routine, but I think the more honest answer is that I create when inspiration hits. I try to write a little something every day, but my best work happens at times totally out of my own planning.”

Jennifer Randall Hotz, “Prelude”

“I journal most mornings (usually no more than a page, sipping coffee, periodically staring out at the blossoming dawn) and try to dedicate blocks of time to creative work, but I also aim to be alert to emotions/images/phrases that might be the stirrings of a poem-in-waiting. More than once I’ve woken up in the middle of the night and hurried to jot down phrases before they flee.”

Cam McGlynn, “Some Promises Were Meant to be Broken”

“I do both, but I’m a strong believer that you must put in the time and work for your inspiration to show up. I’m not much for actual ‘routine’ as a noun, in the sense of always writing at this time in this spot with this pen and notebook. But I do try to write ‘routinely,’ often and however I can—scribbling notes at the doctor’s office, typing up a poem on my lunch break, poems beside grocery lists across dozens of different notebooks. . . . Both methods can result in a fire, but one is more reliable, if harder work, than the other. If I’m struggling to write, I remind myself what I need for fire: kindling (other poetry, books, memories, news articles, Wikipedia), oxygen (time to write, time to think without other media crowding out my thoughts), and a spark (the most mysterious part, but generally comes if I’m working at it aka writing, rather than waiting for it to happen). The more I write poetry, the quicker it is for the spark to catch. Which is not to say that it’s easy, but it is faster than waiting for lightning.”

Gloria Ogo, “Two Familiar Strangers”

“My process lives somewhere between routine and kairos. I try to keep a steady rhythm of writing because showing up to the page keeps the words moving, even on days when inspiration feels far away. But then there are those rare kairotic moments, when a line or image arrives so suddenly it feels like it’s been waiting for me all along, and I have to drop everything to chase it. Routine keeps me grounded; kairos reminds me why I write in the first place.”

Rebecca Hart Olander, “The Last”

“I haven’t always practiced writing on a regular schedule, but I have been steadfast in my attention to poetry over time. I used to think some muse had to hit me over the head to grace me with an idea. Now I know it’s necessary to, as Emily Dickinson famously said in a letter, go ‘out with lanterns looking for myself.’ For me this means cultivating fertile ground and creating sparks, such as engaging in the poetry community, spending time in artistic spaces or in nature, responding to prompts to get myself generating, and reading the work of others.”

Giulia Paglione, “At the post office”

“All my poetry happens for, within, about, and because of kairos. I wait for those moments when something shifts. Sometimes I chase them consciously, trying to capture an emotional truth as it unfolds—but the best poems arrive unannounced. They can strike anywhere: in a Byzantine church or while folding laundry in my living room.”

Danielle Salerno, “Meet Me at Burning Man”

“I try to create from routine, or at least, give myself the opportunity to do so, though oftentimes I either don’t like what I’ve come up with, or I don’t manage to come up with anything. But I do think the more writing and creating is a habit, the easier it is to have those moments of kairos to find inspiration.”

Darah Schillinger, KAIROS guest editor

“I used to always wait for inspiration to strike to write but since graduating from my writing program I often find that kairos escapes me. Being inspired felt effortless when my main job was being a writing student and now it feels more like an errand after a long day of work than a need. When I fall into these moments of lackluster I usually look for inspiration in other pieces or poets I admire and see if a word or phrase stands out. I also have been forcing myself to write for the sake of writing by carving out intentional time, which is less productive than when I wait for inspiration, but keeps the muscles moving.”

Hillary Smith-Maddern, “Intake Form After the 2024 Election”

“I have a writing routine. Or rather, I really attempt to maintain a writing routine in which I do some sort of daily writing-related task. My most visceral, sticky ideas tend to come naturally but I’m the kind of person who needs to have some sort of order in her life. I use my notes app to jot down any kairos that titillates my brain.”

erica r. such, “In Defense of Career Suicide”

“Being a college student in a writing major, I am grateful for a structured routine to write where I am assigned a wide variety of modes and prompts to explore. However, when I am not in classes, I still see inspiration for my craft everywhere I go. I keep a running document on my phone of ideas for when I feel motivated to start a new project. Sometimes, I don’t know I experienced a kairos moment until years after I experienced it. I’ll have a kairos within a kairos moment of epiphany where I realize a long forgotten event was crucial to the person and writer I am today.”

Vivian Walman-Randall, “Quilting”

“I do attempt to create my own routine, as I find that my inspiration is often there yet my urge to actually write is less. I tend to need the structure to get me to sit down and do it.”

Kathleen Weed, “Blue Jacket”

“While I admire writers who create through sticking to a routine, I find inspiration in being attentive to my wandering mind. I am inclined to write when a phrase or puzzling perception persists in my thoughts. I don’t write because I have something to say. For me, writing is an act of discovery.”

Katharine Weinmann, “Right On Time”

“Crafting and editing poems for my forthcoming collection, Skyborne Insight, Homemade Love, I developed a routine, writing with a silent Zoom group early weekday mornings. When I blog, I also typically set aside Sunday evening for a Monday drop and later in the week for a Friday poem posting. Now it’s been an occasional response to inspiration’s quiet nudge, knowing that the extraverted, exuberant energy of the all-too-short Alberta summers demands I take advantage. I’ve come to trust that once home and settled from my annual autumn travels, I’m ready to cocoon in my small studio and create. I’ve come to know that this seasonal pattern is a surrender to the wisdom of kairos, coming easier with age, where I need more quiet, more stillness, and intentional slowing down to notice and to settle a nervous system agitated by so much outer strife in the world.”

Audrey J. Whitson, “In Sharp Relief”

“I set aside time for writing on a regular basis. At times this has been daily (at one point I wrote on the bus to work), but often it has been on weekends or on occasional retreats. I journal sporadically, usually at the end of the day. I also have bursts of insight, ideas, and words while ‘averting my gaze’ from the page, especially when I walk in nature. I carry a notebook with me at all times. My maxim: write everything down.

Keri Withington, “Southern Summer #5”

“My process includes some of both. I like routine in a lot of ways, and I think that having a writing routine helps me to actually make the time to write. I am busy with work, family, gardening, and other commitments beyond writing and so it is easy for writing to be the thing that is always put off for more urgent concerns. I have started adding writing to my to-do lists and trying to schedule time for a writing routine to make sure that I actually write, even if it’s only for a few minutes. At the same time, my writing brain is always running in the background, like a crockpot that’s just kind of cooking, even when I’m not paying attention to it. I don’t always know when things will suddenly click. I also can’t predict when something will spark a new idea. With the poem ‘Southern Summer #5,’ for example, I started writing it on the back of a receipt on my steering wheel while I was stuck in traffic by the lake. I jotted down a few lines and images for it, in a moment of inspiration, then I came back to those lines later to revise and build on them.”

Chelsea Yates, “Jill”

“It’s a mix of both. I find it essential to carve out regular writing time—even just a few minutes of freewriting each day—because if I wait to ‘find time,’ it never happens. I often turn to prompts to generate ideas (I especially like Lynda Barry’s creative techniques and prompts, such as those outlined in her book What It Is—they’re great for sparking memories to explore through writing.) Most of my freewrites don’t go anywhere, but occasionally they lead to something worth developing. A few of my recent essays grew from that process. At the same time, inspiration sometimes arrives unexpectedly—through a song, a book, or, as with my essay ‘Jill,’ a conversation with a friend.

Kristin Camitta Zimet, “TIGERS”

“I trust myself to create, and I don’t feel a need to make myself write on schedule. I am just always listening in case the ghost of a poem stirs, and I fling the door open to it. If a poem is coming in, everything else has to wait. So I am never without pen and paper. (This includes when I am driving, when I am sleeping, and next to my beach shoes when I swim.) I know that tigers can yawn. Poems can leap out with the least provocation. When my little shoulder bag gets to feeling heavy, I empty it out. Last time, I found that I had squirreled away 20 pens.”

Where do you find your time to create?

Paperback and PDF versions are now available from the Yellow Arrow bookstore. Discounts are also available (here) if you would like to purchase copies for friends and family (minimum purchase of five). You can also search for Yellow Arrow Journal on any e-book device or anywhere you purchase print and electronic books, including Amazon and most other distribution channels. Discounted bundles of both our 2025 issues are also available from our bookstore.

*****

Kapua Iao 11/18/25 Kapua Iao 11/18/25

Meet the Yellow Arrow Publishing 2026 chapbook authors

From 2020 to 2025, Yellow Arrow Publishing has had the privilege of publishing 17 chapbooks (for information about the creative minds behind these collections, visit yellowarrowpublishing.com/publish-with-us). Some of our authors published their first books with us while others had gotten their feet wet in the past but wanted to dive into something slightly different and more intimate. Several are from the Baltimore area while others are from all over the United States, with one author (shout out to Roz Weaver . . . are guinea pig and first chapbook author) from England. We’ve learned so much over the years and grown with each writer, figuring out with each book how to best support our authors. With 2026, we were looking for collections that made us laugh and made us cry and for authors that it would be an honor to work with.

In two rounds over several months, we read through the beautiful submissions we received, creating a longlist, then shortlist, and eventually selecting the three authors we would love to work with in 2026 while adding a fourth earlier in the year from our 2024 submissions. It was difficult to email submitters to let them know our decision (writing an acceptance email is as hard as a decline as you never know how either message will be received), but the process is done, and we are so excited to work with the four chosen.

So, without further ado, let’s meet the 2026 Yellow Arrow chapbook authors!

**Michele Evans**

*februaries*
coming February 2026

Photo K. Evans

Michele Evans is the author of the debut poetry collection purl (Finishing Line Press, 2025), which was nominated for the 2025 Maya Angelou Book Award. She is a fifth-generation Washingtonian (D.C.), writer, teacher, and adviser for Unbound, an award-winning Northern Virginia high school literary magazine. This Watering Hole Fellow studied English at Smith College, King’s College London, and the Graduate School at the University of Maryland. Her poems have appeared in Gargoyle, Mid-Atlantic Review, Porcupine Literary, Spoken Black Girl Magazine, Welter Magazine, Zora’s Den, and elsewhere.

She lives online at awordsmithie.com.

About februaries: Composed over a 10-year period, februaries celebrates the contributions and achievements of Americans often showcased only during Black history month. Inspired by the African American Read-In, an event established in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the poems in februaries pay homage to literary legends Maya Angelou and Alice Walker alongside lesser-known gems Dr. Joanne V. Gabbin and E. Ethelbert Miller. februaries also draws inspiration from an assembly of established and emerging writers with ties to the DMV (Washington, D.C., area) region. The poems within this chapbook honors the idea that Black history should be “celebrated, appreciated, or narrated” well-beyond the annual 28-day celebration.

When did you first realize that words have power?

I wrote my first story when I was six years old. It was called “A Christmas Memory.” My brother helped illustrate it, my mother typed it, and my father bound it with the stapler we kept in the kitchen junk drawer. The moment I showed my self-published book to my kindergarten teacher was the moment I first realized words have power. Most of the memories from my elementary school days are fragmented and incomplete—except this one. I remember my teacher’s smile when she read my written words. I remember her walking me down the long hallway to the school library. I remember the librarian giving my book a call number, gluing a pocket on the last page to house the checkout card, and placing my book of words in circulation. I remember how it felt to see my book on a low shelf accessible to me and my peers whenever we visited the library.

At six, I was too young then to really understand how powerful words can be, especially to young people, to young writers, and to those who are finding the courage to share their voice and stories with the world. I will forever be grateful to my family and my first educators for teaching me a valuable lesson on the power of words. It is one of the primary reasons I became a high school English and creative writing teacher. In many ways, I think I have been trying to recreate a version of that core childhood experience for the students in my own classroom.

What made you decide to submit this chapbook to Yellow Arrow Publishing this year?

When Yellow Arrow selected “malea,” one of my purl poems, for publication in Yellow Arrow Journal ELEVATE in 2024, I had the opportunity to work with a poetry editor for the first time. Since I was an emerging poet at the time and someone who suffered from bouts of imposter syndrome, I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with the Yellow Arrow team.

Because februaries celebrates poets from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, I hoped to work with a local publisher. When Yellow Arrow chose my chapbook, I was thrilled. From scheduling a release date that did not conflict with the launch of my first book purl to using my son’s art for the cover and interior pages, Yellow Arrow has been accommodating, patient, and so incredibly supportive.

With the efforts to silence and censor artists from diverse backgrounds, I appreciate their commitment to amplify women’s voices. Now more than ever it is important for artists to create and for their stories to be shared. I am so proud to be part of the Yellow Arrow family and hope my collection will shine a spotlight on the incredible work they’ve been doing for over a decade.

**Dana Knott**

*Girl, Drowning*
coming April 2026

Born in Chicago, Dana Knott (she/her) resides in Delaware, Ohio, and works in Columbus as Director of Libraries at the Columbus State Library. She occasionally teaches a course she designed on storytelling and social justice at Antioch University. Dana holds a MA in English, a MA in Library and Information Science, and a PhD in education for organizational leadership. She wrote the poems contained in Girl, Drowning during the COVID-19 lockdown, a disruptive yet surprisingly creative time when Dana also launched tiny wren lit, which publishes micropoetry online with downloadable zines for each issue. She is a lover of beautiful, tiny things. tiny wren also publishes tiny chapbooks in print and thematic anthologies. She has a sizable collection of various, old editions of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and a growing collection of Edward Gorey signed books, first editions, and ephemera. Her work has appeared in Yellow Arrow Journal’s EMBLAZON issue, Bitter Oleander, One Art, Feral: A Journal of Poetry and Art, The York Literary Review, right hand pointing, Dust Poetry Magazine, Ethel Zine, Minerva Rising, Cosmic Daffodil, East Ridge Review, and Moss Puppy Magazine. Her micro chapbook Funeral Flowers was published by Rinky Dink Press in 2024.

About Girl, Drowning: The poems in Girl, Drowning were inspired by Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal (1829–1862), a preRaphaelite model, muse, poet, and artist. Much attention rests on Siddal’s fame as the model for John Everett Millais’ Ophelia (1851–1852), her laudanum addiction, and the exhumation of her corpse years after her death for her husband Dante Gabriel Rossetti to retrieve a poetry manuscript he placed in her coffin. The poems within Girl, Drowning intend to amplify Elizabeth’s voice and fill in other details of her life, including her aspirations as a poet and artist and her desire for autonomy.

When did you first realize that words have power?

I have sat with this question for several days. I am fascinated with words. I love diving into the Oxford English Dictionary to explore the etymology of words, and I even keep a list of words that captivate me. I often pull from this list to add magical sparks to my poetry. Words have the power to convey beauty, delight, and awe. When I first read Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself,” I was so struck by his words that I had to stand up and read his poem out loud like some poetry street preacher. There are poems and passages that I return to often to reconnect with the emotions and thoughts certain works have evoked: Madeline Miller’s Circe, Isabel Allende’s House of the Spirits, Jane Hirshfield’s “For What Binds Us,” which I read as my wedding vow. Yet, words have the power to inflict harm, to scar, to diminish or dismiss a person’s identity. Words require responsibility, empathy, knowledge of often problematic origins. Words require sensitivity to people’s humanity, emotions, and experiences. I am also horrified by words, more specifically the irresponsible and insensitive use of words to “own” others. Each day I try to think carefully about the words I use in conversation, in emails, and my creative work. I sometimes do not use my words wisely. It takes energy and self-awareness and an openness to criticism and growth. It takes personal interrogation of privileges and prejudices and the dark web of mind and soul. I fear that my response does not adequately capture my relationship with words and their power. I think we all recognize that key moment when we first spoke the word “No” to assert our will and autonomy. I am not one to hold my tongue; out of a sense of righteousness I must say my piece, which smacks of privilege, but I hope that my words center empathy, care, compassion, and connection rather than wound.

What made you decide to submit this chapbook to Yellow Arrow Publishing this year?

I was drawn to Yellow Arrow because it uplifts the voices of those who identify as women and acknowledges the intersection of gender with race, ethnicity, class, and ability, etc. We have shared experiences as women, but also uniquely individual experiences shaped by the many facets of identity and our place in systems that privilege or oppress. My chapbook gives voice to one specific woman, her ambitions and art, and I know that Yellow Arrow will treat this passion project of mine with the utmost care.

**Minyong Cho**

*Wall Down Ramallah*
coming July 2026

Born and raised in Seoul, Korea, Minyong Cho was 16 when her family immigrated to California. Soon after, her father was incarcerated for a month for physically assaulting her, and then she went to MIT on a full scholarship. By the time she moved to Ramallah through her PhD program at the University of Michigan, she had been analyzing her memories of child abuse every day for 13 years. Two chapters of her first and upcoming chapbook, Wall Down Ramallah, were published in LIT magazine and Ponder Review in June 2025.

About Wall Down Ramallah: In 2007 a 32-year-old Korean woman went to Ramallah to finish her dissertation in Islamic art history. While there, she sifted through her memories from being a child in Seoul, to answer one question that gnawed at her: why did her parents abuse her but not her sister? While in Jerusalem, she experienced a kind of psychosis that made her homeless for days and unable to sleep. After leaving Jerusalem under suspicious, troubling circumstances and somehow making her way to New Jersey, she felt free from her memories for the first time in life. Wall Down Ramallah explores this painful moment in her life and how she migrated in time and space to take down her personal walls to become content with the idea of permanently being outside of any “home.”

When did you first realize that words have power?

Coincidentally, a chapter in Wall Down Ramallah describes when I first realized that words have power. When I was five, a stranger walked into our unlocked house and sexually assaulted me. As soon as my parents returned a few hours later, I told them everything. To my surprise, it agitated them so much that my mother even called my college-educated aunt for advice. I was in awe. I didn’t know my words could galvanize them. From then on, I quietly decided I would tattle on everyone, forever.

What made you decide to submit this chapbook to Yellow Arrow Publishing this year?

I had always wanted to write a nonfiction prose about the clear turning point in my life in 2008, when I left Jerusalem. I tried a number of times over the years but didn’t really start until 2024. When I finished it this year, I felt that this was going to be my greatest accomplishment. I searched for a publisher who could understand what this memoir means to me and to the readers, rather than its profitability. Yellow Arrow stuck out as a nonprofit with ample experience publishing books by women of color and promises to provide support even after publication. I applied in a heartbeat, and here I am.

**Matilda Young**

*Drift*
coming October 2026

Matilda Young (she/they) is a writer with a MFA in poetry from the University of Maryland. They have been published in several journals, including Anatolios Magazine, Breakwater Review, and Entropy Magazine’s Blackcackle. She enjoys Edgar Allan Poe jokes, haphazard suburban birding, and being obnoxious about the benefits of stovetop popcorn.

About Drift: Water is always moving and so are we. As we move through time, we navigate love, loss, a whole lot of disappointment, and even more delight. Through different voices and occasions, the poems in Drift try to speak to this movement with humor, tenderness, and gratitude. Water is always moving, and so are we.

When did you first realize that words have power?

My mother would sing folk songs to me as a lullaby—“Streets of Laredo,” “Red River Valley,” “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” Their words to me meant comfort and adventure and family. When I could read, I would pour over my mom’s book of folk lyrics. These were some of my first poems, and I learned that they were connection—something sacred to be shared.

What made you decide to submit this chapbook to Yellow Arrow Publishing this year?

I went to my first Yellow Arrow event in Patterson Park many years ago, before the pandemic, where writers and friends and family gathered on picnic blankets to enjoy each other’s work. Since then, Yellow Arrow has continued to be a bright spot in my writing life, and I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to collaborate with the team and the great writers they work with. I love this community, and I love how this community shows up for each other and for Baltimore.

Over the past few months we’ve been working with Michele on februaries and can’t wait to work with Dana, Minyong, and Matilda next year to put out there incredible collections. We would also love to acknowledge all the wonderful collections we received this summer. Thank you to everyone who submitted and shared. In particular, we would love to give a shout out to both our longlisted (part of the top 30) and shortlisted authors (part of the top 15).

Meet our shortlisted authors:

Rebecca Brock

Camille Carter

Maryah Converse

Noriko Nakada

Mari Ramier

Neha Rayamajhi

Cat Speranzini

Shelley Stoehr

Cherrie Woods aka Cherrie Amour

Ariel Zhang

Meet our longlisted authors:

Jacquese Armstrong

Trish Broome

Susan Carroll

Alyx Chandler

Roxanne Christiana

Hillary Gonzalez

Jamie Hennick

Beth Kanter

Candice M. Kelsey

Sandra Levy

Cathlin Noonan

Kavitha Ratha

Mary Adamitz Scrupe

Elizabeth Sine

Bethany Tap

Thank you to everyone who took the time to send your words to us. Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling. We are so proud of everyone we publish at Yellow Arrow.

Kapua Iao 11/15/25 Kapua Iao 11/15/25

Why Fundraising Matters and Why I’m Glad to be a Part of It!

By Emily Ross

When I joined the board at Yellow Arrow I already knew how transformative their work was for women-identifying writers. I have thoroughly enjoyed being involved and hearing from our writers and program participants about how unique and community-minded Yellow Arrow is. And Yellow Arrow does it all! From publications to workshops to the writers-in-residence program, and community partnerships, I’m always amazed by how wide-reaching and deep-meaning Yellow Arrow’s programs are.

But as powerful as the programs are, they do not run on passion alone. It takes staff, web hosting, author stipends, workshop instructors, and marketing costs, among many other things to make this work possible. Fundraising is how we make it happen. Unlike a for-profit business, any revenue we generate, from chapbook sales or workshop fees, must go back to serving our mission. This leaves a gap between our generated revenue and the costs associated with our programs. Donations, grants, and sponsorships are how we close that gap and allow Yellow Arrow to stay sustainable and grow.

I see both the fundraiser and fund-giving side of this equation every day. As a grantmaking professional, I talk with prospective grant applicants, read applications, and coach organizations to become better grant writers. At Yellow Arrow, I help write and submit grants for our programs. This perspective has taught me how vital it is for nonprofits to diversify their funding, communicate their impact clearly, and build relationships with funders who share our values.

Fundraising is more than just the money. It’s about building a community around a mission, creating opportunities for people to invest in something they care about, and amplifying voices who might otherwise go unheard. When a donor, foundation, or workshop participant supports Yellow Arrow, they’re not just keeping our lights on, but helping us provide free or sliding-scale submission fees for first-time writers, expand our residencies, and partner with other local arts organizations to reach new audiences.

Serving on the board at Yellow Arrow has shown me that every dollar fundraised, every grant, every donation, every membership translates directly into more space for women’s stories in the literary world. I’m passionate about fundraising and grateful to the Yellow Arrow community that makes it possible! Together, we’re not just publishing; we’re creating a more inclusive, empathetic, and vibrant literary community in Baltimore and beyond.

Join our 10-year anniversary campaign now as a donor to help us keep writing change into the world together. What we can do in the next 10 years is BOUNDLESS—but it starts with you.

Ready to write our change into the world? DONATE TODAY.

Emily Ross (she/her) is an arts and humanities professional with expertise in museum education, social work, and grantmaking. Working at the intersection of culture and human services she champions collaboration and community voices in her career. She holds a BA in art history from the University of Virginia and an MSW from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She currently works as the program officer for grants at Maryland Humanities. Based in Baltimore, she enjoys trips to the Renaissance Fair, New England beaches, and art museums.

*****

Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we BLAZE a path for women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook and Instagram, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.

Kapua Iao 11/11/25 Kapua Iao 11/11/25

Time, Memory, and Snapshots of Life: Yellow Arrow Journal (Vol. X, No. 2) KAIROS

Now, I try to remember.
Not just her
but who I was
before I learned
that time can fold in on itself.

“Two Familiar Strangers” by Gloria Ogo

KAIROS, the just released issue of Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. X, No. 2, guest edited by Darah Schillinger, explores the aftermath and aftereffects of catalytic moments, forged from either small flash fires or conflagration. Kairos is a Greek word meaning an opportune and decisive moment. We are honored to have had the opportunity to work with the team, the authors, and the cover artist as we weaved together this issue, especially at a time when such personal, poignant stories are so vital. We are also privileged to be able to share it (and them) with you. In the issue’s introduction, Darah adds:

“. . . as I reread each piece within the issue, I am struck by how deeply personal and yet widely resonant they are. In these pages, you’ll find contributors who are navigating memory, grief, identity, and change—not to relive the past but to better understand how it informs who they are and who they could become.”

Darah Schillinger (she/her) is a writer based in Lexington Park, Maryland. Her poems have appeared in AVATAR Literary Magazine, Yellow Arrow Journal, Maryland Bards Poetry Review, Empyrean Literary Magazine, Grub Street Magazine, and Eunoia Review and on the Spillwords Press website. In October 2024, her poem “An elegy for the Pompeii woman the Internet wants to fuck” was named a finalist for the Montreal International Poetry Prize. Her first poetry chapbook, when the daffodils die, was released in July 2022 by Yellow Arrow Publishing. Her second collection, Still Warm, is a work in progress.

KAIROS features Stephanie Anderson, Aileen Bassis, Deepti Bhatia, Loretta Cantieri, Roxanne Christiana, Virginia Ottley Craighill, Patricia Davis-Muffett, Amy Devine, Johanna Elattar, Renee Emerson, Pratibha Kumari Gupta, Taylor Harrison, Elizabeth Hazen, Jennifer Randall Hotz, Cam McGlynn, Gloria Ogo, Rebecca Hart Olander, Giulia Paglione, Danielle Salerno, Hillary Smith-Maddern, erica r. such, Vivian Walman-Randall, Kathleen Weed, Katharine Weinmann, Audrey J. Whitson, Keri Withington, Chelsea Yates, and Kristin Camitta Zimet.

The cover art is called “The Awakening Aperture” and created by Clara Garza. According to Clara, “The circle (inspired by the aperture of a camera, or the lens that captures a fleeting fragment of time) is composed of pieces of the diary of a fictional college student experiencing college life, from the day she is accepted to the school to her graduation. Her initial doubt is reflected by the moody outer rim of the circle, and as she opens herself to the brightness of college, she starts to appreciate her life more fully.” Thank you, Clara, for sending us your artwork and for letting us showcase it to our community. You can learn more about Clara in an interview with Darah at yellowarrowpublishing.com/news/spotlighting-clara-garza-yaj-kairos.

A huge thanks to the Yellow Arrow team for helping to shape this issue: guest editor Darah Schillinger and creative director Alexa Laharty, along with the KAIROS editorial team, Kapua Iao, Annie Marhefka, Hannah Bishoff, Jill Earl, Jennnifer M. Eyre, Meg Gamble, Siobhan McKenna, Leticia Priebe Rocha, Kait Quinn, Nicky Ruddell, Mel Silberger, Beck Snyder, and Avery Wood.

We hope you enjoy reading KAIROS as much as we enjoyed creating it. Thank you for your continued encouragement of Yellow Arrow Publishing and the creatives involved in KAIROS.

*****

“Intersection” by Kay Smith-Blum

“The Arrival of Angst” by Heather Brown Barrett

Emily Decker

~ i found you once between the creases,and i’ll find you again, just in pieces. ~

Johanna Elattar

~ The siren taught me silence. But the cake, the song, the mimed applause—they taught me something stronger. Joy doesn’t need permission. It can whisper and still survive. ~

Ann marie Houghtailing

~ Even the wisdom was smallThree wordsyou could fit into the palm of your hand ~

Majiq Vu Mai

~ What could small flying creatures like us do after a life shaking fall like that, but take our time? ~

Vic Nogay

~ I know your hillsare a small bump, emptying, cowing to the weightof loss, of naming a dying thing. ~

“Contrafabula” by Nancy Huggett

“verge escapement” by Heather Brown Barrett

“Run” by Heather Brown Barrett

Where do you find your time to create?

Michele Evans

Dana Knott

coming April 2026

Minyong Cho

coming July 2026

Matilda Young

coming October 2026

~ i found you once between the creases,
and i’ll find you again, just in pieces. ~

~ Even the wisdom was small
Three words
you could fit into the palm of your hand ~

~ I know your hills
are a small bump, emptying, cowing to the weight
of loss, of naming a dying thing. ~