Kathie Collins: As co-founder and creative director of Charlotte Lit and editor-in-chief of Charlotte Lit Press, I’m part of a small but mighty team dedicated to sharing our devotion to the worlds of reading and writing with the community. Working with our staff and a fabulous group of astute readers to curate this issue of Litmosphere has been an enormous privilege. Huge thanks to each of you for the many hours and creative energy you put into this process, with a special shout out to writer and photographer Amy Hart whose exquisite photographs grace these pages. The quality of story and poem submissions was outstanding, which made choosing among them a challenge. What this issue’s selected pieces share is a remarkable sense of voice and a striving for awareness. As a lifelong student of Jungian psychology, I find myself pulled by narratives and images that explore the depths, whether personal or existential. The shadowy themes and images in this issue’s stories and poems—from watery womb to flickering void to Ouija board—have captured my imagination. I hope they will capture and inspire you, too!
I earned my graduate degrees in mythological studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute, where I also served as adjunct faculty. I’m the author of Jubilee (Main Street Rag), and have poems appearing or forthcoming in Jackdaw, Kakalak, Literary Mama, Pedestal Magazine, Santa Fe Literary Review, Susurrus, and others. I’m a 2023 Pushcart nominee, and a finalist in both the Iron Horse Lit Review and Palette Poetry 2023 Chapbook competitions.
Paul Reali: Of the many hats I wear for Charlotte Lit and Charlotte Lit Press, reading for Litmosphere is one of the most consistently surprising and rewarding. It’s a privilege to experience the words and ambitions of 300 writers each issue—and while I always feel a little like an Olympic judge, trying to put a score on a piece of art, I’m confident that in our selections we’re bringing you a great read. When I’m not doing this, I’m the co-founder and executive director of Charlotte Lit and the managing editor and designer of Charlotte Lit Press. I also write—primarily fiction these days—and have been fortunate to win the Doris Betts Fiction Prize, the Elizabeth Simpson Smith Short Story Award, and the Ruth Moose Flash Fiction Award. My most recent story, “How to Get Struck By Lightning,” appeared in North Carolina Literary Review. You can learn more about my writing and read that story at paulreali.com.
Sarah Archer’s debut novel, The Plus One, was published by Putnam and optioned for film. As a screenwriter, she has developed material for MTV Entertainment, Snapchat, and Comedy Central, and been recognized by the Black List, the Tracking Board, the Motion Picture Academy, and the Austin Film Festival. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous journals and been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize. She has spoken on writing to groups in several states and countries, and interviewed authors around the world as a co-host of the award-winning Charlotte Readers Podcast. You can find her online at saraharcherwrites.com. “The writers who submitted to this issue made my job as a reader both enjoyable and difficult–there were so many strong pieces from which to choose. Congratulations to our published authors. What a wealth of creativity in these pages!”
Born and raised in Western Michigan, Bruce Bailey is a retired Sales/Marketing professional now residing in Charlotte, North Carolina with wife Dee and son Jordan. He is a graduate of the Michigan State University School of Business and had a long career in the iron and steel foundry industry which has served as inspiration for much of his writing. When not drinking coffee with a cat in his lap you will often find him tramping along the greenways near his Charlotte home.
Vivian I. Bikulege is a poet, essayist and Pushcart Prize nominee. Publications include The Fourth River, Broad River Review, and the North Carolina Literary Review. Vivian holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from Queens University of Charlotte, lives in Brevard, North Carolina, and is a contributing writer for The Transylvania Times. Reading for Litmosphere was an opportunity to experience new literary talent in poetry and nonfiction. Each creative effort was clearly a labor of love.
Justine Busto lives in a house full of books in Charlotte, NC. If she ever goes missing, start with the bookshelves. Find her now at justinebusto.com
Emily Copp graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She is passionate about the art of literacy and book making, and is experienced in the writing, editing, and marketing of bi-annual periodicals and trade novels.
Morrow Dowdle (they/she) is the author of the chapbook Hardly (Bottlecap Press, 2024), the forthcoming chapbook Missing Woman, and the forthcoming full-length debut poetry collection I No Longer Want to Be Heartsick. After a 20-year hiatus, they have recently started writing fiction again and are currently helping a delightful older gentleman write his memoir. A creative writing MFA candidate at Spalding University, they live in Durham, NC. See more on Instagram @morrowdowdle or morrowdowdle.com. They are grateful for the opportunity to read poetry for Sunspot Literary Journal, Good River Review, and now Litmosphere, as it provides a window into the worlds of other contemporary writers.
Olga Dugan: Cave Canem poet, literary scholar, playwright, and Lindback professor of English from Philadelphia, Olga’s continued growth in faith and a love for the arts inform her writing. Nominated for Best of the Net and Pushcart prizes, Olga’s award-winning poems appear or are forthcoming in many literary journals and anthologies including Amethyst Review, The Write Launch, Cathexis Northwest Press, Litmosphere, Kweli, and Relief. Literary criticism on drama and poetry appear in The Journal of African American History, The North Star, and Emory University’s “Following the Fellows.” On reading for Litmosphere, Olga says she enjoyed pieces providing conversation that welcomed minds to dance.
Karen Garloch is a first-time author and an award-winning journalist. She worked for the Cincinnati Enquirer before moving to the Charlotte Observer, where she spent thirty years as the health reporter and was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting. Her novel, Stray Voltage, won the Petrichor Prize for Finely Crafted Fiction from Regal House Publishing in 2024. A native of Indiana, Karen graduated from Ball State University, where she is a member of the Journalism Hall of Fame. She and her husband live in Charlotte, North Carolina.
AE Hines is the author of Adam in the Garden (Charlotte Lit Press, 2024). His debut collection, Any Dumb Animal, received honorable mention in the North Carolina Poetry Society’s 2022 Brockman-Campbell book contest and was a da Vinci Eye finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award. His poems have won numerous prizes, and are widely published in anthologies and literary journals, including more recently: The Sun, Rattle, The Southern Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Rhino, Ninth Letter, Poet Lore, I-70 Review and The Greensboro Review. He resides in Charlotte and Medellín, Colombia. Online: aehines.net.
Ally Pelkey: I’m a senior English major at USC Upstate and an intern with Charlotte Lit. Being a part of the review process for Litmosphere has been such a fun experience because it’s given me a behind-the-scenes look at how a literary journal comes together. I loved discovering new voices and finding pieces that made me pause and read a line twice. When Paul isn’t keeping me busy behind the computer or at the studio, I’m usually reading, writing, or cooking something ambitious. After graduation, I hope to pursue a career in publishing and editorial work.
Mary Robbins is a poet and civil rights paralegal from Raleigh, North Carolina. Her work has been published in Turning Leaf Journal, Plorkolgy, and South Carolina Review.
Joan Ruark has participated in Charlotte Lit’s Authors Lab since 2018, where she has been regularly invited to critique manuscripts for fellow writers. Her engineering background informs her analytical approach to craft, and she is drawn to fiction that offers a distinctive perspective with solid structure. She was grateful for the privilege of reading the submissions and was impressed by the diversity of voices and the care and effort evident in each piece. She is currently writing a contemporary family saga with a touch of magical realism.
Michael Sadoff’s stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Gulf Coast, South Carolina Review, Sixfold, and other journals. A two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and recipient of the 2024 Lit/South Award for Fiction, his current project, The Hotel Motel: 13 Stories, is about people in urgent need of connection. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and holds an MFA from Queens University of Charlotte. Website: michaelsadoffwriter.com. “Dedication and passion came through in every story I read, and several pieces blew me away. As a previous contributor to the journal, I appreciated the chance to help shape the current issue.”
Anne Schmitt, from Charlotte, has an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University. She has taught creative writing through Queens’ summer youth programs. Her publishing credits include the National Philanthropy Journal, Charlotte Magazine, Charlotte Taste Magazine, and Stroll Magazine. Anne was a finalist for Charlotte Lit’s 2023 Lit/South Awards.
Kristin Donnalley Sherman lives in Charlotte, where she works as a writer, editor, and writing coach. She’s published both fiction and nonfiction and is currently at work on two novels. Her work has appeared in Brevity, Barrelhouse, Silk Road, Main Street Rag, Flashquake, and others. She completed the Book Development Program at Queens University of Charlotte.
Richard Allen Taylor is a founding editor emeritus of Kakalak Anthology of Poetry and Art and author of four poetry collections including Letters to Karen Carpenter and Other Poems (2023) from Main Street Rag Publishing Company. His next book, Geography of One, is slated for publication this year. Richard Allen Taylor, Poet. “Helping to choose poems for Litmosphere 2026 was a gratifying experience. It reminded me of past times when I was on the Kakalak staff. Today, as then, there are so many excellent poems that ought to be published; so few pages available to accommodate them.”