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Scroll down to see our Honorable Mention book from the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Awards.

Warning: Do not be left thirsty on your long journey through life.

Read like your life depends on it.

Choeofpleirn Press sells digital copies (pdf) of our magazines and poetry chapbooks through this webpage. Select which digital journal or poetry chapbook you would like to purchase from the Paypal Add-to-Cart shopping basket. Each digital magazine issue costs $6. Each digital version of the poetry chapbooks costs $6, but the cost of the digital nonfiction books will vary by book. Beginning with Rushing Thru the Dark, Autumn 2023, our magazines should be available wherever you buy books--online and in your local bookstore.

Remember to email us at choeofpleirnpress@gmail.com so that we know to which email address you wish us to send your digital magazine or book. If you have any problems with the Paypal portals, please email us directly at choeofpleirnpress@gmail.com to let us know, so we can deal with the issue for you as quickly as possible.

Amazon sells print copies of each magazine and our books, as well. Certain books, such as Crevice by Anna Redsand, Angora Panties by Tracy Robert, Trail Magic by JoDean Nicolette, Jacquelyn Shah's Limited Engagement, Amy Lerman's Orbital Debris, and Ruth J. Heflin's Pitiless Bronze: A Postpatriarchal Examination of Prepatriarchal Cultures, are now also available wherever print books are sold. Check your local bookstore!

NOW AVAILABLE

2025 Winner of the Jonathan Holden Poetry Chapbook Contest

Christine Andersen's poetry chapbook, To Maggie Wherever You've Gone, adopts a persona in order to examine what happens inside a family when a beloved young adult commits suicide. From the anger the adults express at the young woman's self-destructive tendencies through the grieving process, including self-recrimination for not having done more to the realization that we can only do so much even for loved ones in the throes of trauma, Andersen leads us to a place where healing can occur. For those who have known deep personal pain, this book will befriend you.

2024 Winner of the Kenneth Johnston Nonfiction Book Award

Anna Redsand, in her collection of memoir essays, Crevice: A Life Between Worlds, examines what it is like to grow up in a place your family and culture are aliens in, but where you, as a child, still feel like you belong because you grew up there. This phenomenon, what Redsand calls "home/not home," is at the heart of each of the essays in this anthology.

Mrs. Nash is only available digitally at Amazon through Kindle.

From the Jonathan Holden Poetry Chapbook Contest for 2024

Winner

1st Finalist

2nd Finalist

From the Kenneth Johnston Nonfiction Book Contest for 2023

WINNER

FINALIST

Angora Panties: The Afterthoughts of Loss is Tracy Robert’s memoir. As a young child, Tracy experienced her first sexist and sexual abuse when a construction worker asked her to pull down her angora panties, after which he exposed himself to her. Thus began her life of loss. After reporting what happened to her to her parents, they never again allowed her to wear the angora panties or to go topless; to Tracy, the event triggered a steep loss of freedom.

It was just the start.

Carefully crafted through reflective essays and prose poetry exposing the wisdom she gained, Robert examines many such moments in her life when being female restricted her freedoms, when trying to live up to her parents’ exacting standards meant severing ties and losing her sister.

Some losses stay with us forever. Others we learn to mitigate.

Tracy shows us how.

Trail Magic, JoDean Nicolette's memoir, takes readers on a decade-long journey north along the Appalachian Trail, beginning just after she completed her residency as a physician. The Trail tests Nicolette, allowing her to relive, deal with, and learn to heal herself with biophilia, a concept she then goes on to teach to her medical students and residents. By the time Nicolette reaches Katahdin, the last northern mountain on the Trail, we know we have not only witnessed her journey, but have navigated one of our own.

From the Jonathan Holden Poetry Chapbook for 2022

The voice behind the collection of poems, The Truth Is, knows well the complicated relationships children have with their parents, especially the relationship daughters have with their mothers. In poems that span the years from being a child to being an adult, from the time her mother “carries me off/to put on pajamas,” until the poet understands that her mother must “make the voyage alone/while we remain at shore,” we are privileged to see how the poet taps into memory with fact and image, how she values both past and present, how, like the poet Yevtushenko, she shows us that “no life is uninteresting” and she, too, makes her “lament against destruction.” For the poet’s mother at the end of life, words “don’t make/ sentences the way they used to/…and veer off into distant rooms.” The words in these poems are precise, poignant, and poised between sadness and joy. They return us to our own distant rooms, allowing us a chance for exploration.

Anita Skeen, 2023 Judge

Author of Never the Whole Story; The Resurrection of the Animals;

Outside the Fold, Outside the Frame; and Each Hand a Map

_____________________________________________________________________________

Linda Enders’ brilliance, in Consider the Gravity, is in the way she weaves the elements of the natural and human worlds. Her

observations and articulations are breathtaking, taking in so much, giving so much; illuminating the dark, traversing the physical, the material, and the symbolic. Enders inhabits the spirit and gravity of poetry while bringing her individual voice to her poems. To wit: The body fortifies itself to avoid the final call.

Joseph Zaccardi,

Marin County, California Poet Laureate, (2013-2015)

_____________________________________________________________________________

In Wildflowers of Wichita, Beverly Strouse takes readers wildflowering through several public parks in Wichita, Kansas, showing readers what wildflowers they might see on such treks, as well as offering advice on the best times of day and year to see such wildflowers.

As a child, Jacquelyn Shah recognized she could not count on anyone else for her needs, so she developed the attitude to "expect nothing" in order to avoid being disappointed. Then, in college, deep thoughts and literature led her to believe living was useless, so she attempted suicide. Amazed to still be alive, Shah develops a taste for living in a purposeful way. "I wanted to live my years however I chose, and I think I wanted to be, was being, a little, wild. But I was definitely not lost."

Limited Engagement is a memoir by Jacquelyn Shah describing her life choices from childhood through adulthood, showing how her feminist consciousness developed, despite growing up in a dysfunctional family, to influence her writing, her living, her perspective on others, and her eventual formation of WAVE, Women Against Violence Everywhere.

Shah explains why she chose to write Limited Engagement for the Rice Feminist Forum (right click link to open in a new window).

Print copies are available wherever books are sold.

Best of Choeofpleirn Press, Winter 2022

Finalists and Winners of the Ben Nyberg Fiction Contest, Phil Heldrich Nonfiction Contest, Derick Burleson Poetry Award, Susan Hansell Drama Award, and the Mary Cassatt Art Contest for 2022.

Carolyn AdamsCathy BarberTammy BarnardBrian C. BillingsSteve BrisendineKaryn M. BruceDeniqua CampbellJoe Cappello WINNER of the Susan Hansell Drama ContestElizabeth ChellG.W. CliftKaren ColstromBrian DaldorphJim DanielsSusan DonahueJeffrey FeingoldJames FowlerGeorge FreekElizabeth Gauffreau WINNER of the Ben Nyberg Fiction ContestK.J. Hannah (Channie) GreenbergJanet Ruth HellerTim HildebrandtLydia HostE.H. JacobsLouise Kantro WINNER of the Derick Burleson Poetry AwardMarty KuglerAmy LermanEleanor LermanLindaAnn LoSchiavoMiriam ManglaniG.M. MonksLorraine PancieraSherrie PestaDave PowellAnn PrivateerMarge PiercyKenneth PoboStephanie PritchardCarlos ReyesMichael RiordanStan Sanvel RubinRikki SanterJacquelyn “Jacsun” ShahAlix Shepard Schulte WINNER of the Mary Cassatt Art AwardFran SchumerSky SemenukJames T. StemmleSheridan TurtonGerald UyenoMarilyn WhitehorseBuff Whitman-BradleyHenry Lansing Woodward WINNER of the Phil Heldrich Nonfiction Contest

Honorable Mention in the

Eric Hoffer Book Awards

for 2023, Listening for Low Tide

Weight explores what it is like to matter in a physical sense—we step on a scale and a number represents us—and to matter in ways that defy measuring. What forces tie us to our loved ones and to our existence? In this volume, Fran Schumer addresses those questions in direct and always readable prose. In embracing what is free in herself, in her children and on our planet, she reminds us that we do matter. All of us have weight.

Orbital Debris by Amy Lerman

Winner of Jonathan Holden Poetry Chapbook Contest 2022

Winner of the Jonathan Holden Poetry Chapbook Contest

Laura Read’s Comments for selecting this chapbook:

I admire the way this collection is organized in three sections: Ground Control, Breathing Space, and Outer Space, and how the space motif, emphasized by the opening epigraph from Carl Sagan, provides unity for this collection. This unity is also created through the repetition and alternation of various themes, including memories of childhood, snapshots of a marriage, and elegies for friends lost, children not had, time going by. Each poem is well-crafted with attention to imagery, so I felt like I was a part of the speaker’s world; for example, in one of my favorite poems in the collection, “Living Below Sea Level,” the speaker describes their longing for hurricanes for “that chance/ to masking tape our windows in ‘Xs’,” which is such an exact image that captures a child’s mind and the experience of living in a particular place. I also love the poem’s ending: “So often, though, no winds/ ruptured palm fronds, no storm eye quieted, no school/ got cancelled, in spite of our loyalty, our sacrifice,/ our willingness to monitor, that taping and alarm naught,/ our only celebration some early morning chocolate milk/ and extra bowls of Alpha Bits.” These lines capture something I really like in this book: each poem is a small moment that contains something bigger when observed and described closely, a small piece of orbital debris.

Rushing Thru the Dark Autumn 2022

Suzanne AllenChristine AndersenBrian C. BillingsDmitry BlizniukPaul BowmanJenny BoyarSteve BrisendineJoe CappellloKaren ColstromBrian CronwallTAK ErzingerJohn GreySusan HansellJanet Ruth HellerTim HildebrandtAnita HowardArnold JohnstonTracy KalterLouise KantroMarty KuglerTom LavagninoLindaAnn LoShiavoKatharyn Howd MachanJoseph D. MiloschJody OakesLorraine PancieraDeborah Ann PercySherrie PestaMarge PiercyJacquelyn ShahDaniel SklarBeverly StrouseGerald UyenoBuff Whitman-BradleyMardiosa Yañez

Glacial Hills Review, Summer 2022

Tammy BarnardSteve BrisendineMary BruceRegina BuccolaJulia BurkeMichael CannistraciAlyssa CarradJim DanielsSusan DonahueJeffrey FeingoldFrank William FinneyGeorge FreekCarol HamiltonDuane L. HerrmannLydia Host & Sky SemenekSusan JohnsonKate LaDewDave LarsenVic LarsonG.T. LyonsMiriam ManglaniShannon MarzellaBob McNeilLorraine PancieraDave PowellMichael RiordanAlix Shepard SchultePatty SomloPam VapBuff Whitman-BradleyHenry Lansing Woodward

Coneflower Cafe, Spring 2022

Carolyn AdamsCathy BarberRiley BennettChuck BoyerSteve BrisendineKaryn M. BruceEric BurgoyneLily CamdenDeniqua CampbellLorraine CaputoYuan ChangmingElizabeth ChellMark ClarkeG.W. CliftMarion Deutsche CohenDouglas K. CurrierBrian DaldorphWilliam DergeRebecca T. DickinsonJames FowlerElizabeth GauffreauWendy GermainGreg GolleyWendy GouineK.J. Hannah GreenbergJohn GreyRoger HartJ.L. HiggsLenore HirschE.H. JacobsKate KrautkramerMarty KuglerLee LandauEleanor LermanSheryl LoefflerJacquelyn MarkhamJoseph D. MiloschG.M. MonksCecil Morrisayaz daryl nielsenDan O'ConnellLorraine PancieraMarge PiercyKenneth PoboDave PowellStephanie PritchardAnn PrivateerTom RaithelCarlos ReyesStan Sanvel RubinFran SchumerHillary Smith-MaddernCharles SourceJames T. StemmleMara ThygesonVincent J. TomeoSheridan TurtonBrad VickersMarilyn WhitehorseAndrea ZawinskiLynn Zhang

Contributors to Coneflower Cafe

Spring 2021

Christine AndersenL. Shapley BassenKaryn M. BruceBelinda BrunerJennifer CampbellJames CooperDaniel CoshnearBrian DaldorphDavid DillDeborah H. DoolittleFrancis FernandesJohn GreySheryl GuterlCarol HamiltonRajah HillC.T. HolteDiane KendigEleanor LermanRichard MarrancaRoberta I. MayesKatharyn Howd MachanGary MetrasJohn Q. McDonaldK.A. McGowanGreg MogliaDave MorrisonTim J. MyersJennifer PhillipsDiana RaabZack RogowCarl ScharwathSharon SchollPatty SomloDon StinsonHilella WeberAlyson Gold WeinbergBuff Whitman-BradleyCheri WilliamsMadeline WiseMaryann Wolfe

Contributors to Glacial Hills Review

Summer 2021

David P. AndersonJenifer DeBellisDonna BecharZan BockesHarland CooperDeborah H. DoolittleAnna GiocondoJohn GreyRuth J. HeflinWill HemmerRajah HillPeter HugginsThomas JohnsonWilliam LuvaasTim Louis MacalusoKatharyn Howd MachanRoberta MayesJohn MeansGary MetrasLorraine PancieraRonald J. PeliasLori RobinsonEllen RogersRikki SanterMarian Kaplun ShapiroSherfar'atLauren SkaggsAloysius TiernanVincent J. TomeoHilella Weber

Contrib. to Rushing Thru the Dark

Autumn 2021

Rita AndersonGrey Atlas CreedL. Shapley BassenBonnie BilletApril BogartSteve BrisendineB.J. BuckleyKylie ChesserRick ChristmanJames P. CooperJane CostainGeorge FreekMikki GilletteRuth J. HeflinGeorge HeldJoanne HoldridgePaul HostovskyDavid JamesArya F. JenkinsLouise KantroJudy KlassJohn LawsonMiriam ManglaniEd MeekGary MetrasPeter NemenoffSherrie PestaCharles RammelkampWilliam RouthierStraton RushingSydney ShafferShoshauna ShyMargaret D. StetzBeverly StrouseMara ThygesonMark VogelLeon VolkEmily WeltyBuff Whitman-BradleyYvonne

Winners

Derick Burleson Poetry Prize

Tim Louis Macaluso for "Missing Jeans"

Alyson Gold Wieinberg for "Dieffenbachia"

Ben Nyberg Fiction Award

John Q. McDonald for "The Spike"

Phil Heldrich NonFiction Award

Ellen Rogers for "Human Contact"

Susan Hansell Drama PRIZE

Sherrie Pesta for "Beach Umbrella"

Mary Cassatt Art Award

Leon Volk for "High Plains, Fall Colors"

Finalists

Poetry

Christine AndersenSteven BrisendineBJ BuckleyBrian DaldorphFrancis FernandesCarol HamiltonDiane KendigKatharyn Howd MachanMiriam ManglaniGary MetrasArya F. JenkinsSharon SchollBuff Whitman-BradleyDeborah H. DoolittleJohn GreyZack Rogow

FINALISTs

Fiction

Madeline Wise

Eleanor Lerman

NonFiction

Lauren SkaggsZan Bockes

Drama

Peter NemenoffJudy Klass

Art

April BogartHarland CooperMarty KuglerRoberta MayesLorraine PancieraCarl ScharwathBeverly StrouseMara ThygesonCheri Williams

Pitiless Bronze is $18.00 per digital copy

Get Your Copy Today!

Dr. Heflin's much anticipated book, Pitiless Bronze: A Postpatriarchal Examination of Prepatriarchal Cultures will soon be available at your local bookstore in hard copy, but, in the meantime, we will be offering the ebook edition here for $18. You will need Adobe Reader (free online) to fully utilized the hyperlinks within the book.

The book is a re-examination of ancient symbols and literature through gynocentric eyes, instead of the traditionally biased androcentric view. Dr. Heflin pinpoints when and how humanity must have verified that males have a biological role in procreation, after which males made themselves transcendent in religion and society, even elevating themselves to god-kings, giving rise to full on patriarchies. She reinterprets The Iliad and other epic ancient stories to demonstrate how humanity was originally gynocentric (female-oriented) before we were forced to become androcentric (male-oriented), illustrating with specific examples how positive ancient religious roles for women became things associated with evil in order to allow men to paint themselves as spiritually superior to women, making us believe religion demanded women (and all things feminine) submit to male "superiority."

Follow Dr. Heflin into the time of Pitiless Bronze.

Other Books Published by Choeofpleirn Press, but sold only on Amazon

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