Jay Dougherty

Jay Dougherty attended the universities of Maryland, Connecticut, and Berlin (TU, Germany). He has taught literature and writing at five universities and one international high school. In the late 80s he created, edited, and published two literary journals in the paper-based world: Clock Radio and Ten Million Flies Can't Be Wrong. Featured in those journals were well-known contemporary and avant garde poets and fiction writers, including Charles Bukowski, Tom Clark, Gerald Locklin, R. Evan Pitts, Douglas Goodwin, and many others. Among Jay's many publications are literary essays on Bukowski, T.S. Eliot, Wallace Stevens, and D.H. Lawrence; hundreds of articles on technology written for newspapers around the world; poems, short stories, book reviews, and interviews with contemporary authors.

He is also an avid photographer and contributes regularly to PhotoCamel.

Desiree Wright teaches Advanced ESL ( English as a Second Language) classes to adults in her adopted state of Arkansas. She grew up as military brat, or gypsy, and spent many of her formative years in Spain. After marrying and half shaping her own brood, she attended Arkansas Tech University. She majored in Education, and was also actively involved in theatre. During her time at school, she appeared in many stage productions. She was the milkman's wife ( Golda/ Fiddler on theRoof). She was the queen of the fairies ( Titania / Midsummer Night's Dream), and she was Tom Joad's mom ( Ma Joad / The Grapes of Wrath). The third earned her a best actress award. Also during that time, she was published in the Nebo Literary Journal, which was, and still is, the school's publication.

After graduation, Desiree began working as a teacher and continued to be active in both theatre and writing. To date, she has acted in over thirty productions and directed three. Writing wise, she has published in some small publications, but the majority of her work can be viewed at the Alma Latina Cafe and at the Poet's Place, both of which are web sites. Desiree, or helen, as she is known elsewhere, likes to publish electronically because she enjoys the interactive environment. There is the goal of a book in her future, but she has always been a late bloomer; so for now, she is content to grow.

Milner Place, an Englishman, has led a vagabond life, with jobs from stocking supermarket shelves, barman, nightwatchman, to underground surveyor, farm manager, consultant to international hoteliers... For eleven years he was a captain of working sailing vessels and sailing yachts. He has lived and worked in South Africa, South America, Canary Islands, Mexico, Spain, apart from countries visited while working at sea. He now lives in Huddersfield, UK, with his wife, Dorothy.

His first poems were written in Spanish when he was in his mid forties. He took to writing in English in his late 50's (1987). Seven collections of poems published in the UK, one in Spain. Widely represented in UK poetry magazines, and for seven years he ran Creative Writing Workshops on a weekly basis. He has done a fair number of poetry performances with musicians, including commissioned works for festivals, as well as work for radio and once for TV. He has two new collections on publishers' schedules, Autumn 2006 and Spring 2007. He regards poetry as his greatest adventure.

Lynn Doiron graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with a B.A. in English, Creative Writing.  As a student at Sac State, she won the Dominic J. Bazzenella Award for her entries in the fiction and expository prose categories.  Her prose and poetry have appeared in various literary magazines and anthologies.  After several years of tunnel vision wholly unconnected with writing, Lynn was asked to edit a novel for an unpublished friend.  Words drew her in (or drew her out) and she once again picked up her pen in 2004.  Since then, she has seldom set it aside, completing one novel, starting a second, and in the midst of working on memoir--she writes everyday.  hand wording, Lynn's first book of poetry is expected to be in hand by July, 2006. 

Lynn has worked as an editor on The American River Literary Review, and in close association with Constance Warloe, editor of two anthologies of letters written to our mothers and fathers, (Pocket Books, and Story Line Press). 

Lynn's other interests are all things garden, all things hand-worked--from wire art to textile art, oil painting and beadwork.

Vasile Baghiu (b. 1965, Romania) has published in his country six books of poetry, a collection of short stories, a novel and several articles, reviews and essays. He also launched the so-called Poetical Manifesto of Chimerism, which theorizes on a trans-national perspective in poetry. Member of both the Romanian Writers Union and PEN-Club, he is one of the new poetic voices in Romania.

Some of his poems and essays have been translated and published in magazines and anthologies from abroad such as Serta (Spain), Um Etwas Zeit Zu Retten (Germany), Abgenutzter Engel – Zehn rumänische Dichter (Germany), Dichtungsring (Germany), Buchkultur (Austria), Appagiatto ad un libro fiorito (Italy). 

Somehow according to his poetical manifesto, he also writes poems in English, which he considers as a real adventure. Some of them has appeared or are forthcoming in magazines & e-zines from the USA, the UK, Canada and New Zeeland, including Poetic Diversity, The Blue House, Subtle Tea, Flutter Poetry Journal, Scorched Earth Publishing, The Orange Room Review, Art With Words, Magma Poetry, Stellar Showcase Journal, Southern Ocean Review. He is also included in the American anthologies Chorus of Voices (TJMF Publishing), L.A. Melange (Sybaritic Press) and is a co-author of the poetry book Transatlantic Crossings (TJMF Publishing).

He has translated into Romanian and introduced to the Romanian readers in literary magazines in his country many American and British poets.

Awarded a few „writers-in-residence“ grants, in Germany (Heinrich-Böll-Haus Langenbroich - 2002, Künstlerdorf Schöppingen - 2003), Austria (Kulturkontakt Austria - 2006), Scotland (Cove Park - 2006) and Switzerland (Künstlerwohnung Chretzeturm - 2006). Featured at the International Poetry Festival Bredevoort (Netherlands, 2003).

Having graduated a sanitary high-school and a post-secondary medical school, he has successively worked as a nurse in a TB sanatorium, a laboratory and a private consulting room, and finds that this experience has enriched his literary vision. He often likes to say that poetry is rather a matter of life than art.

Vasile lives with his wife Iuliana and their two children Ioana and Stefan in Romania, working in the health education area and completing his studies in Psychology.

Further information can be found on www.freewebs.com/vasilebaghiu
 

Rick Stansberger grew up in a steel mill town near Akron, Ohio, USA, far enough away so he wouldn't have to smell the perpetual stench of rubber from the tire factories, but close enough to see dirigibles, which he loved exorbitantly, and still does.

Though his town specialized in football (23 times state highschool champs). Rick, unlike most other baby boys, was NOT given a tiny football at birth (they must have run out -- it was the 1950s' Baby Boom, you see -- many children all at once), and so he went out of town to a private school and became a poet. 

In college, thanks to the generosity of the Elliston Poetry Foundation, Rick was able to study with Wendell Berry, Denise Levertov, and William Stafford, when those worthies were imported to the University of Cincinnati.  Robert Bly, whom he had not met, once pointed to Rick across a room and said, "That guy has poetry coming out of his ears." 

What did Rick do with this wealth of instruction?  Darn little, becoming a high school teacher, losing most of his connections in po-biz, and then teaching part time at a college in New Mexico, publishing two books in 29 years, and a swarm of individual poems hither and yon. 

Following his misspent youth with a misspent middle age, Rick is currently unemployed, though he is looking for work, really he is.  He is also putting together a book of poetry, editing an anthology of work poems,  and hoping to find a photographer for collaboration on a book of local color.  He reads locally produced poetry every morning on a local radio station, and is currently negotiating with a business owner to sponsor the show. 

He lives with his wife, Kate, who is an award winning quilter.

Lavonne Westbrooks was born Lavonne Morris in Savannah, Georgia. Daughter of a girl from London, England and a boy from Ochlocknee, Georgia, who met and married after five days. Her father was a printer and as a baby she spent many days nestled in the bottom drawer of a chest in the print shop.  Ink is in her blood.  She attended college briefly until another path called.  Two children, one husband, and a career as a graphic artist ensued.  She spent eighteen years as a youth leader with Camp Fire USA (a venerable institution.)  Today her pursuits include event planning, craft and greeting card design, and wedding cake design and of course, poetry.

Hi

I am new here but already enjoying the diversity and high standard of the poetry at the Circle.  I think the concept of the site is dynamic and interesting.  Having said that I am still finding my way around the various
halls and chambers of this forum.

Best wishes to you all

Eric Ashford

Thank you and WELCOME!

Dear Jay

I see you are a Charles Bukowski admirer.......

Do you perhaps know my friend here in Holland.....Joan Levine Gannij.
Joan is known for her many photos of Bukowski as well as for her own writing.

Sorry for posting this personal note here but private messaging does not
seem to function on this website for me and my apple computer....and
your email is not listed.

a warm smile
silent lotus

Michelle Beth Cronk is almost 36 (June) and lives in Southern California with her husband and children. 

She’s a stay-at-home-mom, going on eight years now, and is currently a junior at Cal State Fullerton working toward a Bachelor of Science in Child and Adolescent Development.  Then she will work toward a Multiple Subject Credential to teach elementary school.  Then she will attempt to get a job and then go back to school to get a Masters with a Reading Specialty (and typing all this is making her more tired than she already is).

Reading is her first and foremost love after her family.  Her dream is to make sure all children not only can but want to read. 

Her delightful children are eight years old (daughter) & five (son) – and of course, they both read.  A lot. Just like their mother. 

Michelle has a smattering of poems published online:  Loch Raven Review, Eclectica, Tryst, elimae, and a few on a  blog at 7beats.com.  She might have more to include in that list if she had taken the time to send any out this year (*sigh*). 

She loves words and questions.  Have any?  Feel free to ask.

   i've been bouncing around the poetry scene for nearly forty years now.  my first book came out in 1970, and since that time i've been lucky enough to publish 2 novels, 15 books of poetry and am currently closing in on 1,000 poems published in magazines around the world.  i'm proud to say that at times my poetry has been taught at both the high school and college level, as well as being preserved in several university special collections.
     i live in pennsylvania with Kathy, my wife of 33 years, and our brand new Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Abby.