New edition of ‘Kelsey Review’ online and in print
By Anthony Stoeckert, Packet Media Group
Each year, the “Kelsey Review” spotlights the writing and artistic talents of people who live or work in Mercer County.
Things are a little different for the 2013 edition of the Review, as the editors welcomed submissions from the Mercer County area.
According to Edward Carmien, who’s also a professor of English at Mercer County Community College, the pool of writing talent was opened to counties that are contiguous to Mercer County, including Middlesex County, and even parts of Pennsylvania. The result is that the editors received four times as many submissions as previous years, about 60 to 70, and that doesn’t include art submissions.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the quality of the work inside the “Review.”
”It’s our usual blend of poetry, fiction and art,” says Dr. Carmien, editor of the “Kelsey Review.” “These are all things readers will see when they crack the cover.”
The literary journal is published each year by Mercer County Community College. Funding is provided in part by the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission, and the New Jersey State Council for the Arts. Printed copies were distributed to libraries in Mercer County. It also can be read online at www.mccc.edu/kelseyreview
When asked for pieces that sand out, Dr. Carmien mentions the poetry of Carolina Morales of Trenton, including “Sandy, October 2012,” which includes lines about that storm such as “In late evening, I walked the dog,/ just before her arrival, twigs snapping,/ litter scattered along our path. I turned/ to hear her cold breath.”
Among the fiction pieces are “Come With Us” by Ken Jaworowski of Princeton Junction, about a couple with a heroin addiction, which likely had an effect on their child. It’s a dark story, but it’s powerful and well-written, particularly lines like, “On night I woke to hear Kate in the bathroom, praying to a god she didn’t believe in for a miracle she never got.”
Ms. Morales and Mr. Jaworowski are regulars for the Review, but new writers also made the cut, including George Point of Lawrenceville. His story “Toll Taken,” is about a guy who takes a job off Route 1, and discovers the lack of satisfaction with his work, and the meaningless of the title who once valued. He writes about how “drinking lite beer at some ersatz Mexican cantina with a bunch of guys who just want to shove their iPhones in your face and show you pictures of their kids just isn’t cutting it.”
Another new contributor this year is Tim Fitzpatrick of Hamilton whose cover illustration is inspired by the Assunpink Wildlife Preserve, and his own garden.
Dr. Carmien takes pride in the submissions he receives because the Review isn’t a huge publication that publishes just once a year, and which doesn’t pay for publication.
”We rarely get pieces from full-on professional writers,” he says. “On the other hand, you have to keep in mind that writing is a cottage industry, everyone has a day job unless your Stephen King or another big name. Very few people can make a living as a poet or a short story writers. That being said, we’ve published some very good stuff.”
Other contributing writers are Vida Chu of Princeton; Gail Gasper and Lois Marie Harrod of Hopewell; Robert Hebditch of Princeton; James Hockenberry of Princeton’ Gwen Jones and Lavinia Kumar of Plainsboro; Rice Lyons of Trenton; Wanda S. Praisner of Bedminster; Joe Preneta and D.E. Steward of Princeton. Art was contributed by Avani Palkhiwala and Mimi McBridge of Hamilton.
The Review’s editorial team also includes Roberta Clipper, the fiction editor, and a professor at Rider University, and poetry editors Luray Gross and Ellen Jacko, and art editor Edyta Kuciapa.
Writers who would like to see their name in the 2015 edition of the “Review” have until May 15 to submit their works. Places like doctors offices, bookstores and coffee shops may be considered for displays and copies of the review. For submission and other information, email kelsey.review@mcc.edu or go to www.mccc.edu