
Bramble: Fall 2017 print issue is now available.
Greetings from the Editor
When my son Scott was three, he would tell me about his day at daycare, and his stories would usually take a turn toward the fantastic: “Then my boots became rockets and I went round and round the tree….,” evidencing the magical joy of a child mind. This issue of Bramble explores “the Magic of Everyday Life.”
How and when do minds experience the magic of inspiration? What is the process by which thoughts turn toward the fantastic, the science fictional, and the surreal?
When I chose the theme, I wanted to examine the connection between image —a representation of something real, imagination—a fantastic re-creation of experience, and magic—the recognition that there are powers beyond normal human control.
Sandra Lindow
Guest Editor
The Grandmother
C.J. Muchhala
five feet tall, was a giant. Her head scraped the sky,
her hair was a cloud. When she spoke, lightning
crackled around each word, and her arms held all the family.
Read More

Mom in the Garden by Karen Peugh
Jamming in the Monroe Avenue Kitchen
Debra Monthei Manske
Early morning, I stand in a tiny kitchen
knowing there is barely room
to spread my elbows, and feel a momentary loneliness,
Read More
Lingering
Elmae Passineau
The house is a hundred years old
Shadows of ghosts hover in the attic,
the real ones having long since moved on
Read More
How the Chinese Do It
Jan Chronister
Painting my front door red,
doing what my feng shui friend said,
I eagerly coat my back door too
Read More
Don't Hang Up!
Eileen Mattmann
I smooth my hair, clear my throat, reach
for the door to welcome my callers,
all strangers to me, yet intimately tied
Read More
Tree Tower Dream
Elizabeth Tornes
for Larry Levis, poet, teacher, friend
You called me to come
to a town hall meeting
of architects & engineers
Read More
Bus Stop Magic
Elizabeth Harmatys Park
Waiting at the bus stop
is all about magic
If looking up the street
Read More
Mum's the Word
Laurel Devitt
It took a day or two
for me to realize the mums
on the dining table
Read More
The Bus Stops Here
Laurel Devitt
I sit on the bench
At the bus stop.
An old man, odd
Read More
first beer with same windows
B.J. Best
i can say the water stops the soul.
you can instead lots of the same songs
and the sky was on the way to dinner.
Toeing the Line
Michael Belongie
Read More
Momma J Brings Whiskey to the Weight Watcher's Meeting
Sylvia Cavanaugh
Momma J brings a half-empty
bottle of Jack
to the Weight Watcher's
Read More
Accept the Miracles
Jeffrey Johannes
Two thousand years go
a prophet spoke
in parables,
Read More
the flames behind my eyes
Amber Scarborough
the girl i babysit tells me the
squiggles and loops behind my eyelids
are cotton candy dragons.
Read More
Rabbit in the Road
Angela Voras-Hills
Blood spooling away from its head,
the threads collecting in a pool
on the center line. There was nowhere
Read More
escape of the giants
Erik Richardson
let me paint a doorway here on the wall
let us step through
to a landscape with a crystal blue sky
Read More
Peter Piper
Estella Lauter
As we have known since childhood,
he must have been a politic
judicious man who took advantage
Read More
Flipped Lid
Mary C. Rowin
Isn't that a lid just off the sidewalk
next to the yellow Turtle Crossing sign
posted for Spring? -- Gold, five inches
Read More
The Upside-Down Man
Georgia Ressmeyer
The upside-down man
made an appearance again
today.
Read More
The Eagle Has Landed
Bill Gillard
Want to hear a true story?
After last night's bike ride
around the neighborhood with
Read More
Everyday Magic: Vision & Imagination
Photography by Jeannie E. Roberts
Words by Sandra Lindow & Jeannie E. Roberts
Link to printable PDF Slideshow.
Sandra Lindow is guest editor. See "Greetings from the Editor."
Jeannie E. Roberts writes for both adults and children. Her fourth book, Romp and Ceremony, a full-length poetry collection, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. She is the author of Beyond Bulrush, a full-length poetry collection (Lit Fest Press, 2015), Nature of it All, a poetry chapbook (Finishing Line Press, 2013), and the author and illustrator of Let's Make Faces!, a children's book (2009). Her work appears in books, and in print and online literary journals and anthologies, including An Ariel Anthology, Blue Heron Review, and Conversation: The sacred art, Practicing Presence in an Age of Distraction (Skylight Paths Publishing. In 2007, her poem, "La Luz," won first place in the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra’s statewide poetry contest. She has a B.S. in secondary education and M.A. in arts and cultural management. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jeannie lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where she works, writes, draws and paints, and often photographs her natural surroundings. Learn more about her at www.jrcreative.biz.

Jeannie E. Roberts