Blue Jade Press

Welcome to my debut book where I give you a glimpse in to my soul. I am Ayanna Johnson, she/they, and write about what tried to break me, what keeps me alive, politics, heartache and topics in between. About my love of nature and ancestors who remind me that the earth and I are both still breathing.

My story has carried me across borders; born overseas in Sheffield England, raised between Europe and the U.S.

 I studied Environmental Studies at Rowan University and pursued my need for environmental action as an environmental educator and full time activist. This book holds the story of me, to be Simply Ayanna. How I managed to manifest strength in fragments, in poems. I love you. If you find yourself in these pages, know you are not alone.

https://a.co/d/0xBjry5

Ray Cicetti’s poems have been published in a variety of journals including: The Galway Review, Platform Review, Deep Wild Journal, Stillwater Review and River Heron Review. His first book, A Forest in His Pocket was published in 2020 (Finishing Line Press). He has also been a featured poet at various reading series. Ray is also a psychotherapist and senior teacher at the Empty Bowl Zen Community in Morristown, New Jersey. He lives in northern New Jersey with his wife, Carolyn.

Songs of Love & Longing is a collection of poems that mix the comfort of intimacy, and connection to the natural world with meditations on everyday life. These poems are both spiritual and worldly. They arrive from the author's relationships, personal experiences and life events, yet touch on universal truths every reader can relate to. The love of a father, of friends and family, yet he achieves something rare: how the mystery of human love and longing can open us not only to a feeling of their value and beauty, but into a state of interconnectedness to something greater than ourselves.

Life is Out to Get You

“Who am I? Why am I here? Why do I feel unhappy? What’s this life all about? These are the fundamental questions we all have.—Roshi Ray Cicetti

"As a young man Ray Cicetti was a social worker and singer in his own band. In mid-life, he turned to Zen Buddhism, became a teacher and chose to guide others seeking freedom and relief from suffering. In addition to teaching Zen he has added two books of poetry and now, this book of dharma talks, adding his own words to transmit the light to others."
— Robert Jinsen Kennedy, Roshi.

www.raycicettipoetry.com

Bruce Colbert is an actor, filmmaker and author. His stage plays have been performed Off-Broadway and in Chicago and Toronto. His newest play Fitzgerald, a biopic on the iconic Scott and Zelda, is now in production. He has appeared on the BBC, ABC, NPR, Discovery TV and in co-star film roles for HBO and Fox. His books include a short story collection, A Tree on the Rift, and three novels: Lombard Street, The Cairo Arrangement and Bosphorus. In addition to his fiction are five poetry collections, most recently Canary in the Dark (Finishing Line 2019).

http://www.brucecolbert.info/index.html

Alma Cole Pesiri’s first published poem was in a Salem High School newspaper. Where she also wrote on the yearbook staff, and co-wrote the class song. At a major glass manufacturing company, she penned co-worker bios and technical articles.  She creates collage-type poems, such as a balance scale, each side holding half the poem. She gained prizes from Cumberland County Older Americans Art Exhibit for photographs.

Short story, “Look at Me” (based on a painful teen-age experience) gained an award from Montclair State College. Publication and readings include  “Singles Scene, in AZ”, “What’s In Atlantic City Magazine,”  “NJ Poetry Society,” “Haddonfield Speaks,” “Paterson Literary Review,” “Chalfont/Steer Wilson Series,” “Frogpond, and Beach Bards Summer Series.”

“Alma Cole Pesiri’s poems often evoke home, whether viewed through the comforting lens of nostalgia (as in “Flowered Dresses—Flowered Hats”) or through the often painful experience of aging (as in “Are You in There?”). Mirrors abound in this collection, and Pesiri often gazes Janus-like both into and out of the glass in poems sometimes humorous, sometimes painful, and often both within the same poem. Indeed, the poet exhibits “Gemini Vision” (“I see both sides, both reasons / both hearts”) and in poems such as “Aged Mermaid” (“soft memories of youth / buoyed here”), she demonstrates how the past and the present are as closely bound as our mirror images are with ourselves. This is a timely and timeless collection of poems.
—R.G. Evans, author of Imagine Sisyphus Happy

https://a.co/d/6dolJIA

Kate is a 40-year-old wife and mother of four magical misfits.

Originally from Millville, N.J., Kate was raised by parents who loved God and each other, and who set a wonderful example of integrity and compassion to her and her sister Megan growing up.

Kate attended Fairton Christian Center Academy from K-12, where she entered and placed in several writing competitions. She then attended Cumberland County College where she met her mentor and now friend, Professor Kevin McGarvey, who helped Kate truly recognize the talent and the passion she had for poetry and writing. She later went on to receive her Certification in the Mastery of the Works of Walt Whitman from Harvard University in 2014.

An active member of the Glasstown Art District in Millville since 2012, Kate owned and operated her first art studio in 2013 at the Village on High, later relocating to The Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, where she still operates today. She attributes her progress as an artist and writer to the unique community of creatives who have become her daily encouragers in all things that are dear to her heart.

Terrified of public speaking for years, Kate’s first public poetry readings took place in 2012 at Bogart's Books and Café, a place adored by Kate and vital to her evolution as a poet. She thanks Rebecca Bonham and the members of Poetry on High for pushing her off the cliff of self-doubt and allowing her to free fall into self- acceptance and transparency. It gave her freedom.

Kate is a four-time published author with several new projects in the works.

http://anabstracthart.com/

Frederick Chamberlain is an average American living in the State of Pennsylvania. A welder by trade and a Mothman by night, Frederick started his writing journey after the end of a long-term relationship. His writing reflects an emotional tailspin that can take hold after the loss of a future planned. His poetry is a reflection of the madness that dwells within his brain, a man wanting to shed his mortal coil and become the midnight butterfly.

Lampshades for Mothmen is a symphony of thoughts, reflections, madness and a true glimpse of the thin line between existence and pain. Frederick's inspiration comes from everyday life and the people he finds within it. A chance glimpse of a lone woman through a window after the loss of her husband inspires poetry, sorrow, and a wistful hope of the two lovers reunited. Lampshades for Mothmen is about, the human mammal, love, loss, despair, and philosophy.

https://a.co/d/1tKaat0

The Arts are alive in Millville! This collaboration between Blue Jade Press and An Octopus's Garden proves it!

As the owner of An Octopus's Garden for the last 15 years, I have represented over 150 artists, painters, sculptors, jewelry makers, poets, and musicians.

This anthology includes fifteen poets, past and present, who have performed, supported, and enriched the Arts community with their work and their voices. Come fall in love with Millville again, through our eyes!- Maryann Kuntz

The Cap City Open Mic is the longest continually running open mic in central Jersey. There are two reasons it has stayed so strong for so long. The first is the host Todd Evans is completely immersed in community poetry and is so hardheaded that he could keep it going through the sheer force of his willpower. The second reason is the family makes up the Open Mic. They make this a supportive place for poets to read their work. New poets, young poets, shy poets and poets tapping into raw and painful incidents in their lives are all welcomed by veteran poets. They do all sorts of work-emotional, academic, political, personal, Christian, beautiful, spoken word, poetry, music, stand-up and even bar trivia. The Open Mic has gone through many changes. It has been held in the back of the bookstore, on the sidewalk, as part of Art All Night and as part of a walking tour through downtown Trenton in honor of Doc Long. It has published its own chapbook and now a second book of poetry that you hold in your hands. Todd jokes that the only thing he hasn't done is do poetry underwater-but knowing him I am sure that is coming soon. Based in Classics Bookshop in downtown Trenton, the Cap City Open Mic regularly meets on the first Saturday of every month at 2 pm. Join us and you can see that I am telling the truth. Eric Maywar- Owner Classic's Books and Gifts

Andrew Condouris is a writer and an English teacher in Trenton Public Schools. He graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University’s MFA program. Andrew has published online and in print in various literary magazines.

Gone Gone All Gone -There is no subtlety in this collection by poet Andrew Condouris. The garish light of day collides with the night, then breaks away. Truth is not something to easily bargain with, yet these poems tease it and even make it blush. The arsenal of textures throughout these works reveal a soul refusing to accept our collective amnesia by turning inwards and accepting whatever monsters he finds.Written during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this collection reveals the persistence of a mind to gravitate between either fear or love, with no stops along the way. The villain or their victim do most of the talking, but it all comes from the same source: the elaborate, almost elegant, anxiety lurking in the American heart.

Strange Motion -Inspired by Franz Shubert's haunting song cycle Wintereisse, Condouris takes a modern look at the potentials and pitfalls of carrying your wound with you long after the injury. As the enigmatic wanderer in Strange Motion relays his experiences in this winter landscape, the journey and destination form despite his drifting spirit. By confronting the isolation of winter with its desolate landscapes and a soul burdened by solitude, Condouris finds within this frozen expanse a narrative of hope, a promise of light amidst the darkness. Only one question remains until the end of this collection: if alienation and despair are all this world seems to offer, how do we work our way back into connection and community? Condouris transcends isolation with unyielding clarity, embraces the scars of solitude, and offers readers a form of resilience. This collection is a testament to the human capacity for growth and redemption, reminding us that the promise of solace exists even in our darkest moments.

https://andrewcondouris.com

I have always had a passion for writing! I loved writing essays, poems, letters and keeping a journal. I like the process of putting thoughts together on paper. Combining both of my interests for writing and rock music has presented a way to put thoughts and conversations together to create written works with the intention for others to enjoy, appreciate and think about.

I currently write for LifeStyles 2000 Magazine www.lifestyles2000.net) which is a family-oriented publication that serves several areas within Northwestern Ohio. (Fremont, Ohio) I also write for The North Coast Voice Magazine (www.northcoastvoice.com) which is an entertainment magazine that serves Cleveland, Ohio and surrounding Northeastern areas.

Other ways in which I keep my interests active and fresh are to attend various gigs and performances by different artists. I am a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. I like to travel, read and meet people who are active participants in their lives and enjoy what they do.

Over the last few years, I have been giving my presentation, “The Long & Winding Phone” at various libraries where I discuss in detail how my journey began to interview rock stars and celebrities.

www.helenrosemarketti.com

Mark was born in Paterson, New Jersey, and moved to Brooklyn, New York at an early age. He holds a BA in Psychology from Richmond College CUNY, and a MS in Counseling from Long Island University. He is a proud member of The Brooklyn Bonnies Boys Club Baseball Hall of Fame. For the last twenty-five years, he has resided with his wife in Montclair and Cedar Grove New Jersey. His first book “Conversations with Myself” was published in 2017. Mark divides his time between family, community, and charity activities. He enjoys being a member of various discussion groups. His other interests include hiking, photography, exercising and exploring towns in and around New Jersey.

“My work is a blend of prose and poetry revealing the inner landscape of an individual without ignoring a much larger universality that we all experience.” Mark Shoenfield

https://a.co/d/5oEeLqx

Aside from his creative writing endeavors, Ryan J. Torres is a teacher, freelance journalist, firewood splitter, typewriter collector, Dungeon & Dragons nerd, and professional brooder. He is the author of two books of poetry (Poem and Other Four-Letter Words and Blessed are the Snakes) and one book of horror stories (A Rustle in the Attic). Torres lives in a creepy house in Doylestown, PA with his wife and pets.

In Nylons for Parachutes, Torres continues to give his readers poetry through the lens of an intense observer of life. Mixed with his iconic dark humor and brutal honesty, he makes us chuckle, question, judge, and mourn. From the simple tasks that we all have to do from day to day, to incidents in his own life that readers may be able to identify with, Torres is able to make one thing clear: we are all strange travelers through an even stranger journey called life.

https://a.co/d/8PQpVbF

The Rest is exactly that: it's the rest of Torres's unpublished works dating back almost two decades. He touches on topics such as love, loss, fatherhood, COVID-19, working in a residential unit, and the overall writing process. This book shows how Torres's style changes over the years and, more importantly, gives us insight into how the man's life changes over the years as his poetry and life philosophy grows with him.

https://a.co/d/5XdU30u

A native of Pennsylvania, Lara Dolphin is an attorney, nurse, wife and mom of four amazing kids. Her debut chapbook, In Search Of The Wondrous Whole, was published by Alien Buddha Press, 2022. Her second chapbook, Chronicle Of Lost Moments, is available from Dancing Girl Press. Most nights you can find her trying to answer the question, “What’s for dinner?”

At Last a Valley is an accessible and imaginative gathering of poems from the mind of Lara Dolphin. In this, her third chapbook, the poetry is surprisingly vibrant and insightful for having been written largely on lunch breaks and late at night. Born out of a desire to transcend the mundane confines of work and home life, the collection stands as a steadfast testament to the principle that anything is possible. Through her signature voice, Dolphin illuminates the human experience in all its jaggedness and beauty while keenly aware that her kids are not the least bit impressed.

https://a.co/d/34GsFqG

Erica Elizabeth Gray is a special education teacher and a thirty-year veteran Firefighter from Montgomery County, Maryland.   In 2015, Erica earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Special Education from Mount Saint Mary’s University and recently completed a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis.  She plans to embark on her next adventure in research and outreach to bring attention to and reduce line-of-duty deaths and suicide in first responders. She currently resides in Shepherdstown, West Virginia with her husband, raising two teenage sons and working on her next books.

In "The Dark Side of the Divine," E. Elizabeth Gray delves into the labyrinth of womanhood. Through the lens of her experiences as a Firefighter/EMT, haunted by PTSD and a dysfunctional childhood, E. Elizabeth Gray unveils a raw and poignant exploration of the resilience of writing through pain. With searing honesty, these poems unravel the complexities of identity, trauma, and longing, while echoing the silent struggles of being a woman. The Dark Side of the Divine is meant to be a powerful testament to the indomitable strength of the feminine spirit, while giving voice to the struggle within the girl who dared to dream outside the lines. The Dark Side of the Divine is not merely a collection of poems; it is a journey into the depths of the soul, a testament to the transformative power of art in the face of adversity. E. Elizabeth Gray fearlessly shines a light on the shadows, illuminating the first step on the path towards redemption and self-discovery.

https://a.co/d/0gn0ZJ3q

Carla Andrejco was born in Trenton, NJ and lived in the Mercer County area until she moved to Alexandria, VA in 2008 where she grew up. She returned to New Jersey in 2013 and lives in Hunterdon County. Her work has been featured in the International Library of Poetry's Perceptions of Infinity and The New Jersey Bards Northwest Poetry Review. She is the proud mother of three children and in addition to writing enjoys music, film and visiting river towns.

"Whispers From Beyond the Void" is a journey through trauma and addiction recovery, and how seeing "through a mirror darkly" colors life experience. As the glass becomes clearer, there are painful revelations, but most importantly, hope.

https://a.co/d/7OeaD2h

Robert A. Geise holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from Stockton University. He was born and raised in southern New Jersey, where he was part of the local Arts and Poetry community for over fifteen years. Bob currently lives in Port St. Lucie, Florida with his family.

"In my years, decades of writing, I have tried to bring out in my work a wider experience of gay men, often both emasculated and over-sexualized within popular culture and their own community. I toil to include a realness in my poetry that is recognized by a wide audience as not just the experience of gay men, but of the human condition in general. Yet these poems, prose and verse alike, are easily identifiable by fellow gays as stories that are important in their laying bare of understanding and connection. Renting Superman will allow you to explore this world and the threads that connect us all." - Robert A. Geise, author of Renting Superman.

https://www.facebook.com/ambivalentpoet/

https://a.co/d/bMswPod

Jennifer Anne Moses is the author of seven books of fiction and non-fiction, including Bagels and Grits: A Jew on the Bayou, Visiting Hours, and The Man Who Loved His Wife. Domesticity is her first published collection of poetry. She is also a painter. She and her husband are the parents of three grown children, and live in Montclair, New Jersey.

In her first collection of poetry, Jennifer Anne Moses takes on death, aging, nature, sex, abuse, Judaism, and family. She deploys language in its lucid, informal and American vernacular, using it as a vehicle to express the human yearning to be in relationship with the Divine.

www.jenniferannemosesarts.com

To Purchase https://a.co/d/awrVtO5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Judith Lynn Antelman is a poet and writer from Passaic, New Jersey. Her passion for travel took her to cities as far away from home as San Francisco and Krakow. When not writing or traveling, Judith plays piano, and wishes she had been a classical pianist. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. The Pugilist’s Daughter is her first collection of poems. Judith lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

From "THE PUGILIST IN TWELVE ROUNDS "When I was eight years old, my father taught me how to box and I have been sparring my way into and out of his corners ever since. In one of the hundreds of boxing articles he imposed on my memory, I once read boxing was like math, calculating angels. I was destined to fail his belovedGeometry because I had it all backwards, he said.I believed in metaphor and meter the way a boxerbelieves in footwork and timing. Boxing, angles, tennisdodged my southpaw. Forty-Love. The pugilistis winning. I don't know how to break his serve. What comprises home? How do we reconcile our past? When do we forgive? With precision and insight, Judith Antelman looks back at the labyrinth that was her childhood. She confronts the personal and collective scars of genocide and war. Through poetic forms, The Pugilist's Daughter harnesses exhilaration and loss. Part celebration, part lament. Travel on this journey that begins in Judith's hometown, and shifts landscapes as far as the west coast, Central Europe, and home again.

The Pugilist's Daughter, by Judith Lynn Antelman, is now available at https://poemingaround.com/

Mark Schardine is a New Jersey resident with a lifelong love of poetry. In 2015, he published a French language book of his poems, entitled Au bord des rêves, and in 2019, it was followed by Vers des horizons lointains, and his first English language book Charm, Elegance, and Intrigue. Previous Publications: Au bord des rêves, Editions Mélibée, 2015 Vers des horizons lointains, Editions Baudelaire, 2019

Under Watchful Eyes - We can easily think of the act of seeing and of being seen as perfectly normal, even banal to the point of harmlessness. Of course, none of us will pass unnoticed, and we must not only use our eyes, but also our imagination, to view the world, aware that at any moment we venture close to treasures, and to dangers. Through poetry, Mark Schardine playfully navigates through dark topics to shed humor and light to compromising situations.

https://a.co/d/d2vVGsb

Charm Elegance & Intrigue - Reminiscent of romantic Victorian poetry, Mark Schardine's collection is filled with intimate snapshots of relationships. Small exchanges that are normally unseen, are revealed by Mark's quick insight. Composed entirely in the Japanese form of tanka, Charm, Elegance, and Intrigue can bring into sharp focus a moment that gives joy, one that leads to sorrow, or one that becomes an instant memory.

https://a.co/d/cPm2lt3

As If in a Distant Dream- In his second English language book, Mark Schardine finds inspiration in the Haiku and Senryu forms of poetry. Mark experiments with these forms in poems that reflect nature, fantasy, and real life.

https://a.co/d/5oPR7Jy

Anthony Roberts is a poet, educator, and veteran. A graduate of The New School in New York City with a Master of Fine Arts degree, he has taught at Fairleigh Dickinson University and Seton Hall University. His poetry has been published in Southerly Literary Journal, The Other Voices Poetry Anthology, and Vox Poetica among others and has been translated into Persian, Italian, Bengali and Czech. His first book, Pigtown, was published in 2017 by Red Dashboard Publications and was selected by Old Dominion University for inclusion in their writing program.

The Clearing Barrel - “Frank O'Hara said that poetry should be at least as interesting as the movies, and in The Clearing Barrel Anthony Roberts trains a cinematic eye on all his subjects” -Mark Bibbins, Lambda Award winning Poet and author of 13th Balloon and They Don’t Kill You Because They’re Hungry, They Kill You Because They’re Full

“This collection conducts a powerful interrogation into the ways we are and are not free.” -Laurie Sheck, Poet and Author of the New York Times Bestseller, A Monster’s Notes, Isle of the Mad: A Novel, and The Willow Grove 

https://a.co/d/aTDcS1n

https://www.instagram.com/varangiwriting/

http://varangiwriting.com

Kevin Pilkington is a member of the writing faculty at Sarah Lawrence College. He is the author of ten collections: Spare Change was the La Jolla Poets Press National Book Award winner; Getting By won the Ledge chapbook award; In the Eyes of a Dog received the New York Book Festival Award; The Unemployed Man Who Became a Tree was a Milt Kessler Poetry Book Award finalist. His poetry has appeared in many anthologies including: Birthday Poems: A Celebration, Western Wind, and Contemporary Poetry of New England. Over the years, he has been nominated for four Pushcarts. His poems have appeared in numerous magazines including: The Harvard Review, Poetry, Ploughshares, Iowa Review, Boston Review, Yankee, Hayden’s Ferry, Columbia, North American Review, etc.

Taking on Secrets -It is 1969 and over the next four years we follow Benjamin Kissel as he is about to graduate from high school through his college years, his first job at an advertising agency and his first experience with racism. It is a humorous, sexy and, at times, emotionally wrenching journey as he makes his way on the path towards maturity.Aside from a business trip to Los Angeles where he has to work with a famouscomedian and a celebrity drug fueled party, its setting is New York City and surrounding suburbs. Just when he thinks he may be navigating his way through the emotional complexities of life successfully, a death and a dark twisted family secret force him to respond to an all together new reality he is being forced to live.

https://a.co/d/a1jY8gO

Rebecca Bonham is a lifelong resident of Southern New Jersey. Her first job (at 9 yrs. old) was working for her Grandparents bookstore, where she would order and display the children’s and adolescent sections. She continues her love of art and literature as co-owner of Blue Jade Press, LLC; publishing local authors of all genres.

Rebecca is an active member of the Millville, New Jersey Art’s District. She hosts “Resurgence, Poetry on High”, a monthly poetry workshop, local author feature, and open mic. She has hosted the open mic portion of the Teen Arts Festival in Millville NJ, 2018-2019. She also performs at various open mics in New Jersey and Washington state. Described as earthy, honest and intense, her work represents South Jersey and personal experience. She was published in local literary magazines “L’Spirit” Cumberland Co. College, 2007; “Disorder III” and “Moving beyond Mars” Red Dashboard, 2017. Her own collection, “Model Poet”, was released June 2021, Blue Jade Press, LLC

S.N. Kirby received a BA in English with a concentration in creative writing from Tulane University in New Orleans and graduated from The New School’s MFA program in Creative Writing. Her creative work centers on the nexus of man, magic, and nature. With roots in magical realism and fables, her creative work infuses magic and mystical transformation into character focused storytelling. Lunatiques is the author’s debut work. The author lives in New York City with her two big dogs and husband.

Here there be Lunatiques in this city made of steel and bones, who wander the streets of New York City with their skins so boiling hot they could slip them off and keep on walking. This debut collection offers classic old-world storytelling paired with a touch of magical realism and surrealism of the modern city.

https://a.co/d/4bG7J5T

www.snkirby.com