Issue of December 22, 2025

Shakti's Essence: Innate and Infinite by Chitra Gopalakrishnan — Cover story fiction

Music, they say, gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, love to the heart, flight to the imagination, and joy to life: Basundhara baulani, the wandering mystic minstrel's songs do just this and transform the people who listen to them. They are no longer the people they once were. And the baulani is no longer a wayfarer but one of their own.

Personal Time by Nancy Tomich — Essay

Yes. Exactly.

Kid Stuff by Harvey Silverman — Essay memoir

How a name can identify us and our times...

Fungo Business by William P. Adams — Fiction

Fungo, a specialized, lightweight, baseball bat used by coaches for training players -- some need it more than most...

Une soirée mémorable by Christine Benton Criswell — Fiction life

Christine Benton Criswell is a writer and physician in San Antonio, Texas. Her hobbies include tai chi, reading, and watching 'Project Runway.'

Making <b>I</b> Contact by P.S. Perkins — Poem

"There is nothing but my EYES left to see..."

The Magic of Rekindling Her Love of Reading by Ndaba Sibanda — Poem

"...it’s a hope-giving experience..."

Crush the Hell on Earth: A Prayer in 10 Parts! (8) by Pranab Ghosh — Poem unrhymed

"That night was and was not the same..."

Kings by Darrell Petska — Poem unrhymed

"...He moves. I move...."

Mathematicians, Scientists, Poets by Charlotte Cosgrove — Poem unrhymed

"Archimedes jumped out of the bath..."

The Multitude Within by Supatra Sen — Poem unrhymed

"When I speak, Mother surfaces..."

Why My Mother Needed the Garage Sale Rooster by Cheryl Heineman — Poem unrhymed

"Because of rust, she stopped...."

Ngongo Chronicle: Copper: A Memoir 07 by Ron Singer — Serial fiction

What led to President-for-life Batakoudou's replacement?