Welcome to Channillo!

Diana Fitzgerald Bryden

Diana Fitzgerald Bryden is the author of a novel, No Place Strange, and two books of poetry, Learning Russian and Clinic Day, as well as numerous essays and short stories. No Place Strange was shortlisted for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award and longlisted for the Impac Dublin Award. She has recently completed a second novel. 

Briana Bryon

Sometimes it's hard to write because your brain hates you. It's just science. That's why this section isn't very long.

Jae Mazer

Jae Mazer is a Canadian who was born in Victoria, British Columbia, and grew up in the prairies and mountains of Northern Alberta. After spending the majority of her life in the Great White North, she migrated south to Texas. Now she enjoys life as the mom of a toddler, a musician, and a connoisseur and creator of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. A rampant love of reading led her to believe she could weave a good tale herself, and is now the author of six published novels available on all platforms world wide. 

If you like one or both of her series, or have any critiques or suggestions, please don't hesitate to join the discussion, or contact  jaemazer@gmail.com 

Kerriann Curtis

Kerriann Curtis despises author profiles. After about three years of writing for Channillo that much hasn't changed. While life has shifted this reluctant desert dweller away from poetry to paint, the creative process is still alive and well with her. You can follow along her journey with The Domesticated Poet, read some older poetry with her series Waiting, and check out her art via redbubble with the link at the bottom of the page. 

If you need to know more, don't be afraid to ask.

Philip Barragan

Philip C. Barragan, II is an author and activist born and raised in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley. He has been published in The Blade Magazine, The Big Ad, and Two Hawks Quarterly, an online literary journal.

Following a career of delivering social services to individuals living with HIV/AIDS on the front line, Philip now spends his days as a healthcare analyst working to improve the healthcare delivery system for disenfranchised residents of Los Angeles. 

Philip's life was changed forever when he returned to school in 2006 at the age of 39 to complete his education and earned his B.A. and M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Antioch University L.A. 

Choosing life as a fat man, Philip has been an advocate for people of size for as long as he can remember. He believes that everyone should be comfortable in their own skin, whatever size that is. But most importantly, Philip believes in the elimination of fat shame. It does nothing but hold you back from living the life you want. In accepting ourselves and our beautiful bodies, whatever the shape or size, we can learn to accept the differences in others and embrace diversity as a wondrous thing. And in the end, we move one step closer to true happiness and total fulfillment by living an authentic life. 

When not challenging the status quo, Philip works with his husband, Mason Arrigo, on the upcoming graphic novel Fatizen 24602. Messages from Delilah are available on her blog at www.delilahsdiaries.com. 

All artwork associated with Fatizen 24602 is provided by Mason Arrigo. The eighteen full page illustrations to be included in the novel as well as the cover art are but a small preview of Mr. Arrigo's brilliant artwork.

Stay tuned for the upcoming graphic novel of Fatizen 24602 available for mass consumption in mid 2016.

Daniel J.Flore III

Daniel J. Flore III's poems have appeared in many publications. His first two books are Lapping Water  and Humbled Wise Men Christmas Haikus. Both are Amazon bestsellers from GenZ Publishing.

Praise for lapping water-

“Dan Flore’s first book of poetry, lapping water, presents the voice of that quiet, nature-attuned man who observes without judging his own changes and the changes of those closest to him. These are unassuming and personal poems that do not partake of the ironic, subversive, rootless postmodern, but instead look to romanticism, imagism, and even further back, to the timelessness and transparency of such emotive lyrical poets as Po Chu’i and Tao Ch’ien a thousand and more years ago. …Flore is a regular contributor to The Critical Poet, and this reviewer has seen the development of his poetry toward increased power, structure, and confidence over a period of several years. He has written that he has been ‘born and bred’ on poetry workshopping boards, which are becoming alternatives to academic publishers and provide a freedom to experiment and grow without pressure or any insistence on the current fashion; and Flore is an example of the kind of young writer who flourishes in such an environment.”
-New York Times bestselling author-Pamela O’Shaughnessy, Triggerfish Literary Review, Issue 10, November 2012.


"Once in a blue moon, a poet will come along that can express the magic and longing we feel there – at that juncture of dreams + reality. The skilled poet takes our hand and gently guides us back to our memories of love and childhood with all the longing, awareness and sadness of the adults we have grown to become. There are no stark slaps of jaded sentiments, no bitterness that lingers unsavory on the fringe of our thoughts — even while whispering of loss, despair and anguish: the True Poet will magically manage to articulate our own sadness, our own struggles and yes; even our desperate clinging for hope — and allow us to grasp once more to our ever-slipping faith. Dan Flore, at his best moments, is such a poet.
Poets like Flore, when we have the great fortune to cross their paths in verse — remind us that we aren’t alone in our struggles and experiences in matters of the heart, the folds of memory, in the grip of our loss — and our silent prayers and meditations alongside our spiritual quests. His newly released poetry book, Lapping Water, is filled with the echos of a soul that speak not only for himself – but for many."
-Allehsya Hawk
latenightpoetsblog
 

"Be happy that Lapping Water, this wonderful collection of poems by Dan Flore, has settled on your shores. Like a romantic message in a bottle from times gone by, a sweet elixir guaranteed to cure, or an intoxicating pull of fine scotch aged to perfection, this mix of memory, moments and magic is a poetic delight."-Poets~of~Lates, Editors

“The title of Dan Flore’s first book of poems, lapping water, may be a bit misleading. When I think of lapping water, I think of peacefulness and drifting summer days. And yes, there are such images, such conjuring, in this book. But now think of that ‘lapping water’ as all the water in the world brought together in a great tsunami, strong enough to move the earth. In this book the images of water are preternatural, able to cool a fever or capsize a ship, to etch into concrete or fill the senses with the taste of a lover. Lapping water by Dan Flore is an astounding first book, and heralds the promise of a brilliant future, perhaps even greatness.”

-Dan Maguire,
author of Somewhere Between and Finding the Words.

The title of Dan Flore’s new book of poems lapping water beckons to the reader like a first invitation to the ball, happy to be asked, yet unsure of what might happen… This first book is an inspiration, with complex universal themes any reader can relate to. They leave me with a mix of feelings including foreboding, strength, and endurance and the title ‘lapping water’ offers truth with resilience, something we could all use more of in our lives. I for one am glad to have these poems by my side. They are like a life raft I can return to over and over again.”

- Lisa DeVuono,
poet and workshop facilitator.


“The world is polarized. This country is eating itself alive –and perhaps it is the inevitable numbing that makes those of us who can’t escape, hungry to read someone who feels! I found that in lapping water. It is honest. In ‘something stole my desire…’, ‘bee of good cheer’ and a few others, I was reminded of Leonard Cohen. A few poems I felt I should have written myself. The reader always inserts themselves into the work, so I don’t know if the degree of pain Flore felt in childhood came from him or from me. But what a beautiful accomplishment, making me wonder – having such a close collaboration with a reader. And then love and loss. I don’t understand NOT feeling the intensity Flore conveys, but either it’s rare to feel, or writers are rarely honest. I felt it all. I have felt it all. As a woman in her sixties, I know loss...

-Sally Maria Renata,
writer and folk artist, 2009-2010 poetry fellow, South Carolina Arts Commission.


" ...Opening poem ‘tap water’ announces the aquatic imagery that recurs in many of the subsequent poems, as well as showing that Flore can present us with a striking image: ‘I am only the dash / between years on the tombstone / a fear tumor’. Fittingly, water imagery in this collection flows between different associations. It can be playful and tactile, as it is at the end of ‘I would like to wake up in the ocean’: ‘I’d just like to be a wave / climbing up her thigh’. Or it may invoke water’s traditionally expiatory function, like in ‘to Red’ (‘may I wash my blood from your feet / so you could dance / through the years between us?’) or ‘upon seeing my father’s blood’ (‘the rain can only wash away what it can touch’)”…”Ultimately, the most compelling feature of lapping water is its intimacy. The danger for the lyric ‘I’ to lapse into solipsism is averted in Flore’s collection because his poems frequently reach out to draw a ‘you’ into their imaginative space.”

- Ian Chung,
editor of Eunoia Review.

Praise for humbled wise men Christmas haikus-

"We all come to holidays with our own set of expectations, memories, joys and sorrows. Dan Flore, one of Late Night's Favorite Poets, has put together a charming collection of his own American take on Holiday haikus. In his insightful, sensitive style he turns his eyes and his heart to the Christmas spriit.It's a generous gift for all."-Twylytzne-Late Night poet's blog

Praise for home and other places I've yet to see-

"In Home And Other Places I’ve Yet To See, poet Daniel J. Flore III reveals himself to be a writer with every inch of his being, with every moment of his day, and with each temporal reminiscence. At it’s best these earnest poems frame thoughtful moments and deep contemplations sparked by mundane, human-scale moments. A shared meal might become a meditation; the creaking of a family  home may be heard as a whispered prayer; or an evening fire becomes a love note as timeless as the universe.”-Brandon S. Grahm author of Good For Nothing

 Dan Flore’s second book. Home and Other Places I’ve Yet to See, is an intriguing collection of poems that feel genuinely linked together by one pervading theme; searching for the intangible in the tangible. Although,practically speaking, home would seem a very real and physical dwelling to most,as the title suggests, home becomes... a personal journey for Flore not found just yet, nor on any road easily traveled. In fact the journey we are on with Flore can only be truly reached through the heart. And so what begins as a personal quest transcends to the universal. We can’t help but be drawn into his longing to explore what seems at first illusive though perhaps only slightly out ofreach. You will discover elements of faith and love throughout this book, as in the poem, ‘The Virgin Mary Cuts my Hair’ demonstrated in the following lines; as I rested my head in the sink/ her little fingers slowly rubbing in the shampoo/the pop music on the radio melted into a hymn/ and all I could do was stare upat the fluorescent light above her/ like a man looking at the sun for the first time. You will also find sparks of determination that are both endearing and complex, as shown so eloquently in the poem: Broken Banjo Prayer; though I am old fruit/ in your forever ripe kingdom/ though you are the current/ and I am swimming against you. There's a commanding sense of authenticity in Flore’svoice as he leads us on his pursuit, making the ordinary feel extraordinary.Dan’s deft use of imagery throughout these poems gives them a lyrical dimension that invites us to follow along in the very same journey and though we may be traveling through places ‘with currents of unknown seas’ we are undoubtedly onan enlightening trip, one that is indeed beautiful and homeward bound.-Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas author of Hasty Notes No Particular Order

 

"Sensitivity, expression, loveliness: these are the things I see when I read Daniel Flore's poetry. Heappreciates "the moon-- /still dipped in daylight." He is "thirsty for a poem of 'high clouds." He writes from the heart, and we must read from the heart. Daniel writes, "I love us most when we're praying over hot dogs," and, also, "make me feel like I am still the person that you once knew." "Her sweater," he writes, "smelled like an orchard." Let us all be inspired by Daniel to be more sensitive and appreciative  of the heart. For what is poetry but prayer; and what is prayer but the speaking of the heart?" -Melanie M. Eyth publisher- Ceremony

“In his first volume, Lapping Water, Dan Flore III, introduces himself as an honest poet.While some work at clever, wrapping themselves in metaphors. bending words in remarkable ways, Flore is upfront and accessible but no less impressive.Dan Flore’s target in this new volume, is himself and the worlds around him. He bravely unzips his past and without sentimentality, shows us his old haunts – the places he goesto find nourishment, his constant spiritual search, his falls into and emergence from life’s mud. Then too, he reaches out beyond present and real, with humor and imagination.We gravitate towards poetry for various reasons. Personally, I lean towards work thatsteps over a line, is courageous. In the end, I want to read a volume, feel I have gotten to know the poet, and that he/she has given something to me. Home and Other Places I’veYet to See gave me that, through many moments of reflection.” –Sally Arango Renata –writer and folk artist

“ There is nothing “traditional”about the work of Dan Flore III as we learned in his first book “Lapping Water”…Just a fresh approach. An unusual look at the most usual of happenings.Dan has you viewing things and situations you thought you had “seen” before, from some very unique angles. It’s worth a read to know there is more to see then your quick scan shows you.Slow motion imagery captures all the details of those snapshot moments. LIFE happens in the little things.HOME AND OTHER PLACES I’VE YET TO SEEpoems by Daniel J. Flore III (for Jamie) is yet another great collection of the poetry of life from Dan’s point of view.”-Late Night Poet’s blog

Christopher Waltz

Christopher Waltz was born in Indiana in 1987 and promptly began writing once leaving the womb. While this is a complete lie, Christopher did begin writing around age eight at which point he penned and illustrated a sequel to the film "Jumanji," and later, many short stories based on the TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Since that time, Christopher has continued writing and obtained a degree in secondary education from Indiana University's School of Education in 2011. He currently works as a middle school English teacher and Young Adult and Horror author.

His debut novel, Ivy League, has been reviewed as "dark and gritty" and "unique YA," and is available now. The sequel to Ivy League, Old Habits, is also available.

You can visit follow Christopher on Twitter: @christoph_waltz.

Learn more about Christopher's newest project, Dead Oaks: A Horror Anthology Podcast at www.deadoakspodcast.com

Clancy Weeks

Clancy Weeks(b. 1960) is a composer by training, with over two-dozen published works for wind ensemble and orchestra, and an author only in his fevered imagination. Having read SF/F for over fifty years, his life took a sharp u-turn whe he published his first novel, Sleepers. He has lived his entire life in Texas, and lives there still with his amazing wife and above-average son.

Mark Harms

Mark is an author of science fiction and fantasy stories.  He lives in Illinois with his wife and three kids.  He loves talking about the SFF genres almost as he loves writing within them.  So feel free to use the discussion link when you read any of his work here.

J.K. Wood

J.K. Wood is a fiction writer, author and blogger. She has published two books from her series, The Lucy Chronicles. She is also a writer for Channillo.com, where you can find her other works. 

As long as she can remember, writing has always been her passion. She was born and raised in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in Canada. She now lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

For more about her, check out her webiste or follow her social media.

Erin Armstrong

Erin Armstrong received her MFA from The University of Arizona in 2011. Her work has appeared in The Blue Guitar, FoundPolariods, Marco Polo Magazine, The Museum of Americana: a Literary Review, InkinThirds,Harmony Magazine, Flash Fiction Fridays, The Poet's Billow, and is forthcoming in Fiction Southeast, Black Heart Magazine, and The Truth about the Fact. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

Suzanne Grieco Mattaboni

Suzanne Grieco Mattaboni is a blogger, fiction writer and corporate PR consultant based in Pennsylvania. Author of the middle grade novel Taco Girl, her latest manuscript was selected as a finalist in the 2016 #FicFest competition. She has been featured in the anthology “Chicken Soup for the Soul - Miraculous Message from Heaven.” Suzanne’s work has appeared in Seventeen, Newsday, The Huffington Post, Mysterious Ways, Guideposts.com, Child, 50 Word Stories, SixWordMemoirs.com. Turtle, Humpty Dumpty’s, The Best of LA Parent and a host of high tech trade magazines. She is a past winner of Seventeen magazine’s Art and Fiction Contest. Originally from Long Island, New York, she has a B.A. in fiction writing from the University of Pittsburgh and is currently working on women's fiction, new adult and young adult projects. 

C. B. Ash

C.B. Ash spends his days going in several directions at once ... surprisingly, he tends to thrive that way! Software architect by day, he is also a very hard working writer by night. His first humble attempt, Kinloch, arrived in May of 2004. After that, was the first book of his Tales of the Brass Griffin Steampunk series, Red Lightning, in 2009. Then comes Deadly Dispatch, the first of the fantasy-western Solarpunk series Wayfarer League in 2016.

C. B. has kept quite busy over his life. With degrees as a Physical Scientist, Mathematics, and Computer Science, it seemed only natural that he started out rather young teaching martial arts. Well, it made sense to him. Beyond that, he’s spent his time also working in the IT industry, as a lab technician, a consultant, a software engineer, and last a software architect. Because, variety is the spice of life, and indecision is a horrible burden.

Through all of that, he’s kept fingers to the keyboard - or pen to notebook - writing. He does promise that he actually sleeps. Usually that would be between the hours of one and three am, or at least that’s what he admits to. Otherwise, people might start to wonder about him.

Dan Fecht

Dan Fecht is a Cultural Journalist at DC Life Magazine who writes about food, music and media as it intersects with business, society and the overall human experience. He is a lifelong world traveler and an accomplished chef (he still has all ten fingers) as well as a bbq master. His past leadership skills in national bbq battles in Washington, DC have been used to raise money for U.S. Service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

When he's not writing, he's cooking. When he is not cooking, he's writing. When he's sleeping, he's dreaming. When he's not sleeping, he's dreaming with his love. It's the most beautiful rinse, wash and repeat story you'll ever know.

Khalid Mukhtar

Khalid Mukhtar spends most of his free time writing classical poetry or experimenting with traditional forms and meters. In addition to poetry, he is an aspiring novelist, having completed two unpublished manuscripts of fiction drama. He is presently working on his third novel, which is gradually shaping up to be a work of fantasy fiction/adventure. You can follow his progress on his blog at khamuk.com.

Khalid lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and four children.

Dina Paulson-McEwen

Dina Paulson-McEwen is a poet, essayist, and flash fiction writer. Her chapbook manuscript was a 2017 finalist in the Finishing Line Press New Women’s Voices Chapbook Competition and is forthcoming in their New Women’s Voices Chapbook Series. Her work appears in Flash Fiction Magazine, FlashFlood, Minola Review, Dying Dahlia Review, The Ham Free Press, The Hungry Chimera and elsewhere, and has been exhibited at Hudson Guild Gallery in New York City. (Some work appears under her maiden name, Dina Paulson). 

She is assistant managing editor at Compose | A Journal of Simply Good Writing and editor at Flash Fiction Magazine. Dina holds a B.A. in Writing & Rhetoric from William Smith College and an M.A. in International Educational Development from Columbia University. She lives in Detroit. You can connect with her on Twitter @writeandsea.

Christina Bevan

Christina Bevan grew up in a relatively sheltered mining town in South Wales obsessed with TV and dancing. Sheltered didn’t suit her one bit, so she suppressed her need to write and uprooted herself to Edinburgh for four years. Having apparently picked up a Scottish twang, Christina realised that the world of interpreting and translation wasn’t for her.

With far too many ideas floating around, Christina began to focus her energies on writing, enrolling on an MA Scriptwriting course in Cardiff where she began to produce her mockumentary series, Flat 666, developed an adaptation of the little mermaid and wrote her first piece of theatre.

Aspiring to the likes of Once Upon a Time and Scandal, Christina’s goal is to produce character driven, thought provoking drama that combines the realms of the paranormal with the human emotional journey. 

Duke Pierce Reade

Duke Pierce Reade finds inspiration in the cooling sound of a fountain in the park, the warm smell of old books from top shelves of granite libraries, and the passion of forty thousand baseball fans jumping to their feet at once.  He experiences all of this and more while writing from his room high above the streets of Chicago.