First Friday Reading Series - Poetry Night, August 3rd

Join us every First Friday for the

Art Walk in Highlandtown

for live author readings by local writers and poets. Each month will feature a different genre, including Local Flavor, Science Fiction and more. Light beverages and snacks will be provided. Come out and explore the literature growing in your own back yard, and support your local authors, writers, and publishers.

When: August 3rd, 6 – 9PM and every first Friday of the monthWhere: Dennis Moore’s Pottery Studio, corner of S. Conkling and Bank, 21224. Across from Rooftop Hot in Highlandtown.Come celebrate some of the best poetry in the area. Stay for the Q&A at the end of the night. See more info on each poet below.6:00pmMeet and greet6:45pmBorn and raised in Krakow, Poland behind the Iron Curtain of Communism until the age of 13, Ania Milo always felt a great divide between the luxurious, colorful and rich beauty of her native culture and the imposed “sameness” and dullness of the oppressive Communist Regime. She often escaped the dreariness of her every-day life to Krakow’s Old Town Art District where she wandered the halls of spectacular churches and galleries and looked upon works of famous Polish and international artists. Ms. Milo is an extremely prolific painter having created hundreds abstracts, pet portraits, and other paintings in various genres. Being a self-taught artist, she continually explores different painting styles, techniques and mediums. Ania holds a Bachelor Degree in Linguistics with a concentration in Russian. She has earned a Master of Art degree in Leadership in Teaching and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She is a PhD candidate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 7:15pmMegan de Matteo is a writer with more than nine lives. Her first children's book was published in 2016 and integrated into a local fourth-grade class's music curriculum the following year. In 2017, pieces from her graduate thesis won the third place poetry prize in San Francisco's Litquake Writing Contest. She is from the Baltimore area. 7:30pmJulia Friedrich is a German-American poet, and currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland. She holds an MFA in Poetry from the Johns Hopkins University.   8:00pmAmy Saul-Zerby is the author of Paper Flowers Imaginary Birds (Be About It Press 2017) and Deep Camouflage (Civil Coping Mechanisms 2018). Her poetry has appeared in Painted Bride Quarterly, The Chicago Review of Books, The Rumpus, Maudlin House, and Peach Magazine. She is editor-in-chief of Voicemail Poems and author of the Notable Philadelphia column at The Rumpus. 8:15pmJessica Hudgins is a writer living in Athens, GA. Her work has appeared in Indiana Review, Pleiades, The Journal, and elsewhere. She was runner-up for New South's 2016 Poetry Prize, and she has attended residencies at the Albee Foundation and Virginia Center for the Arts.  8:30pm Author Q&A

First Friday Reading Series - July 6th, Women's Empowerment Night

Join us every First Friday for the

Art Walk in Highlandtown

for live author readings by local writers and poets. Each month will feature a different genre, including Local Flavor, Science Fiction and more. Light beverages and snacks will be provided. Come out and explore the literature growing in your own back yard, and support your local authors, writers, and publishers.

When: July 6th, 5 – 9PM and every first Friday of the monthWhere: Dennis Moore’s Pottery Studio, corner of S. Conkling and Bank, 21224. Across from Rooftop Hot in Highlandtown.We are starting these hot summer nights off with Women's Empowerment Night. Come listen to a wide range of authors give their spin on all things lady. Stay for the Q&A at the end of the night. See more info on each author below.

6:30pm

Jean Pula

6:45pm

Laura Hazan

is a Librarian with the Enoch Pratt where she runs the bimonthly Light Street Writers Exchange. She completed her first novel 

Little Boxes 

and is still seeking representation for publication. She has a B.A. in communications from American University, a M.L.S. in Library Science from the University of Maryland and attended the “Your Novel Year” program at Arizona State University’s Piper Writing Center. In addition, her work has been published in 

Natural Bridge, Kirkwood Patch 

and 

Sauce Magazine

. She is a resident of Canton and lives with her son, her husband and their one-eyed dog named, what else, Boh.

7:15pm

Jocelyn Broadwick

is a writer, editor, tutor, professor, and aspiring author, living and working in downtown Highlandtown. Her writing has been published locally, nationally, and internationally- in print and online. She earned her MFA in Creative Nonfiction writing from Goucher College and teaches introductory and developmental reading and writing, as well as college readiness courses, for the Community College of Baltimore County, University of Maryland University College, and the University of Baltimore. For the last 5 years, she's been hard at work on her first book- a memoir of her marriage. Currently, she's writing a collection of essays in which she desperately tries to grow up before turning 30.

7:30pm

Originally from Southern Louisiana (although no one believers her when they hear her lack-of-accent),

Michelle Junot

is a writer, graphic designer, and copy editor living in Baltimore and dreaming of southern California. She is the author of 

Notes From My Phone*

a self-portrait in her twenties,

and of

and the floor was always lava

, a collection of essays

exploring childhood and memory. Michelle earned her M.F.A in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts from University of Baltimore. You can read more about or from Michelle at

michellejunot.com

or follow her on

Facebook.

Instagram

. or

Twitter

.

8:00pm

Joyce Lombardi

is a non-fiction writer and non-profit lawyer based in Baltimore. Her work has been published in the Village Voice, Salon.com, Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Style and a bunch of legal journals you’ve never heard of. She thinks she’s funny, her kids beg to differ.

8:15pm

Mandy May

is a Baltimore MD based writer and designer from Fredericksburg VA. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore in 2016 and is currently working toward her PhD in Interaction and Information Design from UB. Her work can be found in publications such as The Avenue, Baltimore Fishbowl, Welter, Whurk, MoonChild Mag, and more. She believes in ghosts, magic, and the splendor of a body failing. She is the co-queen/editor of Babe Press. She has three cats.

8:30pm

Author Q&A Panel

First Friday Reading Series - June 1st

Join us every First Friday for the

Art Walk in Highlandtown

for live author readings by local writers and poets. Each month will feature a different genre, including Local Flavor, Science Fiction and more. Light beverages and snacks will be provided. Come out and explore the literature growing in your own back yard, and support your local authors, writers, and publishers.

When: June 1st, 5 – 9PM and every first Friday of the monthWhere: Dennis Moore’s Pottery Studio, corner of S. Conkling and Bank, 21224. Across from Rooftop Hot in Highlandtown.This month we celebrate the art of storytelling with Memoir Night. Sharing a little bit about lives makes us all stronger. See more info on each author below.6:15pmLeslie Kain has a B.A. in Psychology from Wellesley College and an MBA from Boston University. She has written much nonfiction throughout her various professions and began writing fiction in 2016. She draws from her careers in psychology, business, high tech, Intelligence and nonprofits to create stories steeped in psychological complexity with multilayered plots and typically dark character arcs. Although occasionally dabbling in memoir, she usually prefers to re-purpose those memories into works of fiction. She has had two short stories published, has completed her first novel (looking for an agent!), and has begun a new novel.6:30pmMaggie Epps began her career as a playwright at age 6. However, it reached its peak at age 8 after her class put on her World War II epic. She retired to focus on her education. After graduating from NYU with a degree in Passion Studies, Maggie explored Washington, DC. She worked on Capitol Hill, and in a variety of childcare and food service jobs. She earned a Masters in Social Work from Catholic University. Afterwards, she worked in community mental health, before venturing out to Mountain View, California to learn web development. These days, Maggie lives in Baltimore, Maryland and works for the Wikimedia Foundation, helping them fund projects like Wikipedia. In her abundant free time, she chases a toddler, and writes speculative fiction and occasionally non-fiction.7:00pmGwen Van Velsor writes creative nonfiction and pseudo-inspirational prose. She started Yellow Arrow Publishing, a project that publishes and supports writers who identify as women. Raised in Portland, Oregon, Gwen has moved many times, from sea to shining sea, now calling Highlandtown her forever home. Her major accomplishments include walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain, raising a toddler, and being ok with life exactly as it is. Her memoir, Follow That Arrow, was published in 2016.7:15pmCija (pronounced Kia) Jefferson is the author of Sonic Memories, a collection of personal essays. Her work has been featured in Yellow Arrow Journal, Baltimore STYLE, HelloGiggles, The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet, and Baltimore Fishbowl. When she is not watching copious amounts of Bravo and HBO, she is reading and, of course, writing. 7:45pmDr. Diane Pomerantz is a clinical psychologist who has been in practice working with children, adolescents, and adults in the Baltimore, Maryland area for over thirty-five years. She has done extensive work in the area of trauma and child abuse and research in the area of personality development of abused children. She currently runs Healing Through Writing groups in her practice. She is a breast cancer survivor and has two wonderful grown children. She and her shaggy dog, Rug, live amidst tall trees on the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland.8:00pmJeannie Vanasco is the author of The Glass Eye: A Memoir. Featured by Poets & Writers as one of the five best literary nonfiction debuts of 2017, The Glass Eye was also selected as a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Pick, an Indies Introduce Pick, and an Indie Next Pick. Her nonfiction has appeared in the Believer, the New York Times, the Times Literary Supplement, Tin House, and on NewYorker.com. She is an assistant professor of English at Towson University and lives in Baltimore. She is working on her second book.8:30pmLisa M. Van Wormer is a memoirist who loves using the alluring poetry form to tell and enhance her stories.  Along with Yellow Arrow, her writing has been included in xoJane, Huffington Post, AMVETS Magazine and Baltimore Fishbowl, among others.  Her work has also been featured as a part of multiple shows on the Baltimore NPR station (WYPR).  Lisa has an MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts from University of Baltimore and is constantly seeking avenues to process and heal through her art.  To find out more, see her website at www.lmvanwormer.com and follow her on twitter @lisavanmark.8:45pm

Cybele (rhymes with What The Hell) Pomeroy is an itinerant artist for hire, for the last it's none of your business, but graduated from Loyola College, before it had grown up and become Loyola University, where she studied writing, literature, education and drama. She never studied costuming, improv or physical comedy but does them anyway. She's written and produced various comedy murder mysteries, a 17-minute interactive limerick operetta called Don Juan The Iguana, the 3 1/2-hour Watergate! The Musical, and was lead writer on a conflict-resolution computer game called Harmony Island. Cybele’s poetry has appeared in Poets Ink, City Paper and Scribble Literary Magazine. She's 5'3", brown-eyed, moderately snarky and writes all her Facebook status in 17 syllables. None of her memoirs have yet been published, unless you count blogging, which she doesn’t.

First Friday Reading Series - May 4th

Join us every First Friday for the

Art Walk in Highlandtown

for live author readings by local writers and poets. Each month will feature a different genre, including Local Flavor, Science Fiction, Memoir, and more. Light beverages and snacks will be provided. Come out and explore the literature growing in your own back yard, and support your local authors, writers, and publishers.

When: May 4th, 5 – 9PM and every first Friday of the monthWhere: Dennis Moore’s Pottery Studio, corner of S. Conkling and Bank, 21224. Across from Rooftop Hot in Highlandtown.May the Fourth be with you! This month we dive into sci-fi with the exception of our final author of the night, Rafael Alvarez. See more info on each author below.8:30pmRafael Alvarez is an author based in Baltimore and Los Angeles. Alvarez went to work for the Sunpapers of Baltimore as a teenager - first in the circulation department and then the horse racing desk in sports - before landing on the City Desk as a utility man and neighborhood folklorist. He was with The Sun from 1977 through 2001. After leaving the paper, Alvarez worked on ships as a laborer before joining the staff of the HBO drama The Wire. He also worked on the NBC crime dramas Life and The Black Donnellys.Among his many books are two short story collections - The Fountain of Highlandtown and Orlo & Leini; a history of the Archdiocese of Baltimore; two anthologies of journalism - Hometown Boy and Storyteller; and The Tuerk House, a history of Baltimore's pioneering drug and alcohol treatment center for the poor. In 2010, he was nominated for an Edgar Award for The Wire: Truth Be Told, an encyclopedic companion to the television series. His latest book,Basilio Boullosa Stars in the Fountain of Highlandtown, was released in 2017. 8:00pmGeetha Stachowiak is a science fiction writer from Baltimore, Maryland. Despite a lot of schooling and college, writing remained her real love, and out of it came two books: ‘The Srin Dominion: The Vahrean Iteration’ and ‘My Bitchy Boss’ (Amazon). Iteration is a space opera about a young woman formerly an alien queen, dealing with repercussions from a murderous past life; My Bitchy Boss is about a young woman trying to survive a boss far more evil than the everyday bitch. Geetha is very interested in film and serialized shows, and hopes to have her screenplays (two based on the books above) produced. She’s on Twitter @scifinutjob, and also has a film review column at reelmama.com.7:30pmA lifetime writer and lover of books, Ariele Sieling delves into the exciting possibilities of science fiction from her home in Baltimore, MD, where she lives with three cats, a dog, and a husband. She is the author of the scifi series TheSagittan Chronicles and the children's book series, Rutherford the Unicorn sheep, and will soon be releasing the first in the scifi YA series Land of Szornyek.7:00pmBorn in North Carolina and a Baltimore transplant, Dara Crawley is an avid writer and reader with a deep love for the magic of speculative fiction. Her passion is especially deep for centering those often on the sidelines. Currently she is attending the UMB School of Social Work while focusing on finishing a collection of southern gothic fiction set in North Carolina and two novels. 6:30pmMatt Galeone was raised in Seekonk, Massachusetts and currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland. He is the author of the sci-fi/adventure books The 15th Chair Book 1: The Journey, and The Champion of Clarendon Ditch Trilogy, as well as the children's books Oberst and Valentine Find Their Human, and A Very Oberst & Valentine Christmas . He is currently working on the next two books in The 15th Chair Trilogy.

First Friday Reading Series: April

Join us every

First Friday Art Walk in Highlandtown

for live author readings by local writers and poets. Each month will feature a different genre, including Local Flavor, Science Fiction, Memoir, and more. Light beverages and snacks will be provided. Come out and explore the literature growing in your own back yard, and support your local authors, writers, and publishers.

When: Every first Friday, starting April 6, 5 - 9PMWhere: Dennis Moore's Pottery Studio, corner of S. Conkling and Bank, 21224. Across from Rooftop Hot.In April we are keeping it local and hosting the following writers of books, essays and poetry about Baltimore.6:00pmJudy Colbert is an award-winning author and photographer who specializes in travel. Her most recent book is "100 Things to Do in Baltimore Before You Die." She’s also authored or co-authored "Peaceful Places Washington, DC", "Chesapeake Bay Crabs" cookbook, "It Happened in Maryland," "It Happened in Delaware," "Maryland and Delaware Off the Beaten Path", "Super Bowl Trivia," and "Virginia Off the Beaten Path". Her current interest is restaurants on the Chesapeake Bay where people can dock their boats.6:30pmAshley Elizabeth is a 20-something year old black poet from Baltimore who draws inspiration from her city, her people, her space, and her body. As a Hollins graduate, she hopes to inspire future generations of writers and literature lovers, but teaching is only one of her passions. She has been featured in online journals such as Rose Water, Passages North, Rat's Ass Review, and For the Sonorous among others. Ashley is also Assistant Editor at Sundress Publications. She habitually posts on Twitter and Instagram @ae_thepoet7:00pmHarford Hopson is a writer from Baltimore, Maryland. In his formative years, he was uprooted and displaced to Pennsylvania, where he was force-fed hog maw by Quakers and made to watch Steeler football. He is the author of the crime drama novel, Amusement Only and his poetry has been featured in End of 83. He describes his work, among many interpretations, as the pulpy romance between unlikely classes in the American race.7:30pmKristina Gaddy is a Baltimore-based writer who focuses on history, culture, and health. The piece "Labors" was a finalist for Proximity Magazine's 2017 Narrative Journalism Prize. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, Ozy, Goucher Quarterly, and UMBC Magazine among others. Her nonfiction book about teenagers who fought the Nazis during the Third Reich will be published by Dutton in 2019.8:00pmEvan L. Balkan is the author of six books of nonfiction, including The Wrath of God: Lope de Aguirre; Revolutionary of the Americas (Univ. of New Mexico Press) as well as many essays and short stories in an array of publications. His novel Spitfire is forthcoming from Amphorae Publishing. His screenplay Spitfire, adapted from his novel of the same name, won both the 2016 Baltimore Screenwriters Competition and a Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund Fellowship; his screenplay Children of Disobedience won the 2017 Baltimore Screenwriting Competition. He is a co-writer for the television series, Wayward Girls. He coordinates the English Department at the Community College of Baltimore County, where he runs the creative writing program, and is an adjunct faculty member in the Johns Hopkins University's graduate Teaching Writing program. He holds degrees in the humanities from Towson, George Mason, and Johns Hopkins universities. The latter degree is in creative writing with a fiction concentration and his thesis project, the novel Root That Mountain Down, won an Individual Artist Award for Fiction from the Maryland State Arts Council and was subsequently excerpted in the Baltimore Review. He has served as a guest lecturer at Yale, Johns Hopkins, Bryn Mawr and many other institutions.8:30pmKaren Hattrup grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. with her parents and brother, devouring books from an early age. At Loyola University Maryland, she studied journalism and spent a semester abroad in Thailand. She went on to become a newspaper reporter, first in Maryland and then in Indiana, writing features and serving as an award-winning arts critic. Karen later studied nonfiction writing at the Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Baltimore City with her husband, daughter, and son.Why:We love supporting local authors and writers. The idea for this series was born out of wanting to add a literary arts component to the art walk. And here we are!How:This series is powered by Yellow Arrow Publishing and Ariele Sieling, residents of Highlandtown.

Yellow Arrow Journal, Volume II, January 2018

We are proud to present the second volume of our biannual literary journal. The theme is Time.Thank you to all the courageous writers who offered their precious time to this edition.To read the journal as a PDF, please click the link or image below. To purchase a hard copy for $7.00 (including shipping), please email info@yellowarrowpublishing.com with your name, mailing address, and preferred payment method. Or, purchase on Amazon for $10.00. You may download the ebook version for $.99 on your Kindle or ereading device.

Journal - Time - January 2018

Cover art by Marie Hassell Doctorchik

First Friday Readings

Free Readings by Local Writers

Come take part in a new writers' series at Highlandtown's First Friday Artwalk. Enjoy live readings by local writers and poets. A variety of genres (including flash fiction and poetry) will be represented in 15 minute segments. Feel free to listen to one or all. Open mic sign-ups as time permits. Light beverages and snacks provided. Come out and support independent publishing. For the evening’s schedule and listing of writers visit YellowArrowPublishing.com.

When: Friday October 6, 2017, 6 - 8 pm

Where: basement of Breath of God Church at 141 S. Clinton St, at Pratt Street

Cost: Free but suggested church donation is appreciated.

Yellow Arrow Journal: Volume I, July 2017

We are proud to present the first volume of our biannual literary journal. The theme is Journey. Creating this compilation was a journey of its own, and we are very grateful for your support and readership.Thank you to all the talented and brave writers who submitted their hearts and souls to this enterprise.To read the journal as a PDF, please click the link or image below. To purchase a hard copy, please email info@yellowarrowpublishing.com

Volume I, Journey - July 2017

Book Review: Sonic Memories

It's happy hour on a Saturday. Cija Jefferson and I order fried chicken sandwiches and pile into a booth at a neighborhood bar in Baltimore. My one year old is diving under the table and over the seat in constant motion. Luckily it's only us and the bartender so she avoids getting trampled.We've come here to discuss writing and being a writer and her book, Sonic Memories. She is a generous conversationalist, always turning the talk back to ask about me and my writing. When I tell her I just want to get honest with my words, she nods furiously.That's because Jefferson's collection of essays is exactly that, a raw and honest account of selected stories from her life. As she takes the reader from childhood to present day, her ability to create scenes and dialog that feel real have me forgetting these were not memories from my own life. Each essay is relatable on such a basic, human level. She is able to tap into those emotions that form our collective experience effortlessly.I was particularly haunted by a chapter in her book about leaving her life behind on the East coast for greener pastures in California. This particular story really captured her experience of living in the moment, of enjoying life despite not knowing what lie ahead, and not really caring what lie behind. It brought me back to that glow of youth and less responsibilities. Cija captures this rare, fleeting feeling beautifully in this story.Another theme Cija handles well is the experience of being an outsider. She writes about attending all white schools and reflects on her identity as it crosses worlds and boundaries as she comes of age. It was refreshing to read a unique perspective on life's ordinary episodes.What I like most about Sonic Memories is the overall tone. This writer never says these are things that happened to me and they are really sad, or happy, or embarrassing. No, she just tells her stories. The reader gets the sense that this is just life, and it's no big deal and also the only deal at the same time. It's a heartbreaking, inspiring, and joyful read.Support independent publishing. Pick up a copy of Sonic Memories by Cija Jefferson here.This review was unsolicited by the author. We just liked her book.Yellow Arrow Publishing is happy to review works of creative nonfiction by female identifying authors. If you have a book that fits this description and would like us to review it, please send an inquiry to info@yellowarrowpublishing.com

Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers and Writers,Yellow Arrow Publishing inspires, supports, and publishes non-traditional, female identifying writers in the genre of creative nonfiction. We seek to target wonderful, vibrant voices seldom heard in the literary community due to barriers such as academic literacy, disability, access to creative opportunities, or English language proficiency. We do this because for every one woman who manages to get published, there are a hundred more with equally important stories to tell.  Yellow Arrow Publishing is focused on knocking these barriers down by allowing women to express themselves however they come to the page. We create a safe space for women to be proud of their work and their lives and their stories, to share without fear of scorn or shame.  Women’s voices are underrepresented in literature, and we are here to be part of turning that tide. Sadly, there is a great deal of collective shaming directed toward female writers. A stern “how dare you?” echoes all around. As women, there are a lot of expectations around taking care of people, holding ourselves back so that others can shine, and keeping quiet. So when we have the guts to say, “this is me,” it is often taken as narcissistic, egocentric or arrogant. Providing opportunities for people to muster the courage to express themselves is deeply important work. We see creativity as an act of service, making this project not just about great literature, but about contributing to the collective voice. It’s about saying, yes, we belong here, too. There is no shame in that, just as there is no shame in singing, in sculpting, or in taking pictures. We must share our voices so that our daughters and our nieces can know that her experience is valuable. So that the little neighbor girl up the street will read our stories and say, “me, too.” Expressing who we are and sharing our experience, strength and hope deepens the understanding of the human condition, allowing us all to better empathize with one another. Along with telling stories, one of my gifts in life is the capacity to inspire others to be brave, to dare to be the best version of themselves. The process of writing has brought me so much joy and purpose over the years, especially after finishing my first book. It became clear that drawing creativity out in others would be a way that I could give back and find fulfillment beyond my own creative aspirations.Join us by submitting your story along the theme of "journey," for our first literary magazine, due out in July. See the submissions tab for more information.Cheers,Gwen

What We Do

Art is a shared experience. You express how you experience the world, sometimes abstractly, with your body, in color and in black and white. We share it with words. Creative non-fiction is just another way of shouting it out, of expressing who we are and sharing that experience. There is no shame in that, just as there is no shame in singing, in sculpting, in taking pictures. Sadly, there is a great deal of collective shaming directed towards female artists. A stern “how dare you?” echoes all around. As women, there are a lot of expectations around taking care of others, holding ourselves back so that others can shine, and keeping quiet. So when we have the guts to say, “this is me,” it is often taken as narcissistic, egocentric or arrogant. We find ourselves stuck telling other people’s stories, or carving our own art down to fit a mold. We at Yellow Arrow Publishing are tired of this. We strive to share who we are, to place our names among the poets, the playwrights, and the painters. We must share our voices, we must join this collective, so that our daughters and our nieces and the little neighbor girl up the street can know that her experience is valuable, too. We allow women the space to be proud of their work and their lives and their stories. To share without fear of scorn or shame. There are so many women out there, doing amazing things that are extraordinary and absolutely ordinary, and have rich value all the same. We share these stories and add to that wondrous shared experience called art.