Ping-Pong Journal of Art and Literature
Editor in Chief: Maria Garcia Teutsch
Poetry Editor: James Maughn
Fiction Editor: Jessica Breheny
Managing Editor: Dan Linehan
Layout Artist: Jerrold Simon
Logo Design: Gabriel Gandzjuk
Table of Contents
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR / iii
FICTION
22 / Jonathan Ames
Book Tour Diary
55 / Severo Joaquin Granados (tr. James Graham)
Who Are You Anyway? • Falling Down & Waking up in Brooklyn • The Theory and Practice of Crowds
103 / Justin Jainchill
Shift
145 / Seana Graham
The Coper
169 / Richard Lange
Long Distance
NON-FICTION
78 / Brandi Walker
Letters from Southern Sudan
122 / John Moir
Wing Beats of Hope in an Age of Loneliness
183 / Steve Heilig
Big Sur’s Best Ambassador: An Appreciation of Henry Miller’s Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch
186 / Charles Bernstein
Henry Miller on Music: A Recollection by Charles Bernstein
POETRY
1 / Suzanne Ryan
Henry Miller Haiku • The War Machine • Alraune Six • Fauns
13 / Bruce Covey
Compare • Demeter • Ordinary • Marble Counter Tops • Love Poem
18 / H. E. Sayeh (tr. Chad Sweeney and Mojdeh Marashi)
Kayvaan Setarch Bood/Kayvaan was a Star • Geryeh Seeb/Apple’s Cry • Falgh/Red Dawn • Tarh/Design • Soghoot/The Fall • Marg-e Rooz/ Death of the Day • Parandeh Midaanad/The Bird Knows • Geryeh/Cry
29 / Judy Halebsky
The Kite Maker I • The Kite Maker IV • The Kite Maker V • A Breaking Word • Transmission • Bonenkai
34 / Joseph Lease
Night
41 / Anthony Hawley
Productive Suffix
91 / Hugh Behm-Steinberg
September 1 • September 2 • September 3 • September 15 • September 16 • September 17
93 / Fergal Gaynor
Stepping Poems
115 / Sally Van Doren
Deranged, the Brown Rabbit Ate Her Way out of Her Cage, and Started Teaching English • The Distance Between I and Me • The Last Poem About Writing
118 / Ellen Bass
My Father’s Day
120 / Christine Hamm
Monsoon Season • How to Take Urines • Wish You Were
129 / Tom Marshall
Dangling Meaning • Three Love Poems • Museum Pieces
134 / Amethyst Ware
Country Ride • Polyphony • Dream • Her Hair • Her Face is Changing
155 / Sharon Charde
The Radiance of Violation
156 / Simon Friel
Ángeles Caídos
161 / Mark Statman
Celia Cruz Fue la Voz Tropical en Mis Sueños • Fly Fishing • Heredity • Losing Buttons • Kenneth’s Death
166 / Asclepiades, Rumi, and Mirza Ghalib (tr. Ken Bullock)
Skeptical Sequence
ARTWORK
9 / Massimo Conti
Cocoon 3 • Eye Triptych • White Driftwood • White Driftwood Horizontal
35 / Vladimir Kush
Metamorphosis • Music of the Woods • Current • Book of Books • Departure of the Winged Ship • Breech
53 / Jean-Noel Chazelle
L’oeil du Serpent, le Corps Invisible • La Perle qui Structure les Plans de ta Propre Vision
79 / Brandi Walker
Four Photographs
97 / Breda Lynch
Five Drawings
123 / Dan Linehan
Three Photographs
124 / Ken Jones
Two Photographs
141 / Priscilla Ferguson
Four Photographs
159 / Boril Boshnakov
Roses Deep Inside • Silent Shout
179 / Eric Joyner
Robot R&R • The Usual Suspects • Gentle Max
Ping-Pong Journal has always focused on educational outreach programs. In connection with Ping-Pong Journal the EIC has directed poetry festivals for students, poetry readings for our authors, as well as author performances and events.
The artwork depicting a bird using its beak on a stump as if it were a record player was drawn beautifully. It highlights the interesting connection between the music from a record player and the birds’ peaceful chirps that fill the woods with beautiful noise.
-M. S
Alraune Six – Suzanne Ryan
Memories of old
Carefully crafted and sewn
Yet scary to think
-JB
“Ordinary” by Bruce Covey expertly conveys the feeling that its namesake describes. Ordinary, mundane musings ranging from checking our email to wondering about the sports playing on ESPN. This could almost fit in with any song in the indie rock or midwest emo genres in almost any band I’ve listened to in the last five or so years.
Vladimir Kush – Book of Books
Books open one’s mind
Taking you where you’ve never been
So learn somethin from it
The poem “The Last Poem About Writing” tells us the struggles of writing. The writer talks in a way of criticism that one should be accountable of themselves.
Wish You Were- Christine Hamm
This poem brings a lot of emotions, of someone that is no longer here or at least that what I am feeling. While reading this poem it remind me of enjoy every day we have with our love ones before we no longer have them with us.
Tahr/Design
Bent
But not broken
Tamed?
I am not
Nature advances
Reclaims
Leaving our scars behind
Book of Books – Vladimir Kush
Word to word
Page to page
Life to life
Through a book I live another life
-J.H.
Alraune Six – Suzanne Ryan
The poem evokes themes of introspection and vulnerability, symbolized by the skittish deer navigating a forest of memories. The portrayal of characters, meticulously crafted yet misunderstood, reflects the complexity of human relationships. The chessboard metaphor underscores the divisions caused by misunderstandings, leaving one feeling exposed and isolated.
AC
“The Heart of a Woman “ Georgia Douglas Johnson
It portrays a woman’s emotional journey through adversity and heart limitation. The poem makes the suggestion that a woman’s heart may withdraw during difficult times and become imprisoned in strange situations. This allegorically depicted image emphasizes how vulnerable and resilient women are when faced with hardship.
Sitting alone in silence
The heart and mind wander off
Of blessings and curses.
AH
Departure of the Winged Ship- Vladimir Kush
Makes me feel happy because to me butterflies are happiness, transformation, and freedom.
Love poem – Bruce Covey
We found eachother
And a love like lightening
The yin to my yang
-TM
Fauns- Suzzane Ryan
A young boy
Gone to quick
Yet memories left behind
-GS