Chiron Review Literary Journal

CHIRON REVIEW #137

summer 2025

Chiron Review Issue #137 continues its tradition as a vibrant and engaging literary journal that presents a diverse range of voices and styles, curated with sensitivity and insight by contributing editors Sarah Daugherty, Grant Hier, Dave Newman, Al Ortolani, Wendy Rainey, Richard Vargas, and publisher Michael Hathaway. This summer 2025 edition offers a compelling mix of poetry and prose that explores themes of resilience, identity, social justice, love, and the human condition.

The issue opens powerfully with Mark James Andrews’ Gift Gun, a visceral poem recounting a traumatic childhood accident and the complex emotions surrounding violence and survival. Its raw immediacy sets a tone of unflinching honesty that resonates throughout the issue.

Mehreen Ahmed’s Cloud-fields offers a poignant meditation on loss, tradition, and hope amid environmental challenges, weaving personal grief with broader ecological concerns. This grounding in place and memory enriches the issue’s emotional texture.

Daniel Altenburg’s poems, including And When the Footbridge Says in Graffiti, ‘Eat Pussy Not Animals’ and Incognito, navigate the intersections of sexuality, masculinity, and violence with sharp wit and critical insight. These pieces challenge norms and highlight the complexities of queer identity and toxic masculinity.

The issue balances its heavier themes with moments of tenderness, as seen in Daniel Altenburg’s Protochild 6, which beautifully captures the intimate, everyday moments of family and new life. The personal becomes universal in these reflections on love and care.

From Robert Beveridge’s surreal καταιγίδα to the poignant Easter Eggs by Vanessa Blakeslee, which sensitively portrays the challenges of blindness and sibling bonds, the issue showcases a wide stylistic range – from narrative poetry to lyrical and experimental forms.

Several poems engage with current social and political realities, such as Sarah Daugherty’s Window Pain, which confronts the trauma of school shootings, and Kyle Laws’ Flood Watch, reflecting on climate change and societal denial. These works root the issue firmly in the urgent conversations of our time.

The journal does not shy away from humor, often dark or sardonic, which provides relief and sharpens critique. For example, Robert Beveridge’s My Buddy Holofernescombines whimsy with a subversive spirit, while Kenton K. Yee’s The Secret to My Success uses food metaphors to explore deeper themes of desire and loss.

“Ace in One” by T.H. is a reflective piece that delves into the experience of discovering and understanding asexuality. The narrator’s journey from confusion and isolation to self-identification with the asexual community is portrayed with honesty and nuance. The story challenges common misconceptions about asexuality, emphasizing the diversity within the identity and the complexities of intimacy beyond sexual attraction. It is a valuable contribution to LGBTQ+ narratives, offering insight into less commonly discussed experiences of desire and identity.

The short stories in this issue of Chiron Review offer a diverse and compelling exploration of contemporary human experiences – disability, trauma, identity, family, and resilience – rendered with emotional depth and literary craft. They balance intimate personal narratives with broader social and cultural critiques, enriching the reader’s understanding of complex realities.

The one book review complements the issue’s thematic concerns by introducing a poetic work that meditates on spirituality and interconnectedness, providing a contemplative counterpoint to the often gritty and urgent stories.

Together, these works demonstrate Chiron Review’s commitment to showcasing voices that illuminate varied facets of life with honesty, empathy, and artistic excellence.

Michael Hathaway’s editorial hand is evident in the issue’s thoughtful curation of themes and voices. The balance between personal narrative and broader social commentary creates a dynamic reading experience that is both intimate and expansive. The issue invites readers to engage with difficult subjects while also celebrating resilience, connection, and the power of language.

Chiron Review Issue #137 is a rich and rewarding collection that reflects the complexities of contemporary life with honesty and artistry. Its diverse contributors bring fresh perspectives and emotional depth, making it a valuable addition to the landscape of current literary journals. Readers interested in poetry and prose that grapple with identity, trauma, love, and social justice will find much to appreciate here.

CHIRON REVIEW #140

spring 2026 

The spring 2026 issue of Chiron Review delivers a compelling and multifaceted exploration of contemporary poetry and prose, anchored by a provocative poem, “I Don’t Read Poetry.” This issue challenges assumptions about poetry’s accessibility, relevance, and role in modern life, offering a rich tapestry of voices that range from raw personal narratives to experimental forms. The collection is a testament to poetry’s enduring power to capture human experience in all its complexity.

Opening with Mark James Andrews’ stark and insightful piece, readers are drawn into a day in the life of a public librarian navigating the frustrations of helping patrons who misunderstand or undervalue poetry. The vignette is both humorous and poignant, setting the tone for the issue’s interrogation of poetry’s place in everyday life. Andrews’ narrative voice is authentic and relatable, embodying the tension between the desire to help and the exhaustion of repeated misunderstandings.

The issue’s poetry selections are diverse and emotionally resonant. Dmitry Blizniuk’s “Alice” (translated by Sergey Gerasimov) is a haunting meditation on trauma and survival, employing vivid, surreal imagery to evoke the disorienting aftermath of violence. The poem’s fluid metaphors and shifting perspectives create a dreamlike atmosphere that lingers long after reading. Brenton Booth’s “The Last Time I Saw My Father” offers a deeply personal narrative poem that blends the mundane details of a hospital visit with the profound emotional upheaval of confronting mortality and fractured family ties. Booth’s prose-poetry style, with its conversational tone and vivid sensory details, invites readers into an intimate moment of reconciliation and loss.

The issue also includes a thoughtful interview with Robert Yarra, founder of the Golda Foundation, whose reflections on literary luminaries like Gregory Corso, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs provide historical context and personal insight into the Beat generation’s legacy. Yarra’s candid storytelling and literary anecdotes enrich the issue, bridging past and present poetic traditions.

Among the standout poems are Maria Nazos’ Pulse, reviewed within the issue, which delivers a raw, unflinching account of homelessness, trauma, and resilience. Nazos’ work is notable for its lyrical intensity and social urgency, making it a vital contemporary voice. Ryan Wise’s Happy Beasts (aka Pueblo) pushes experimental boundaries with its fragmented narrative and innovative use of color-coded text, offering a layered meditation on eviction, displacement, and ecological interconnectedness. Diane Sahms’ of an octopus: an archite|x|ual awareness of words further expands the issue’s experimental edge with its fusion of visual art and poetry, challenging readers to engage with language as a spatial and sensory experience.

The issue’s thematic coherence is enhanced by a range of poems that grapple with aging, memory, loss, and the search for meaning –- Marge Piercy’s contributions, for instance, resonate with a lifetime of activism and reflection, blending political awareness with intimate moments of survival and hope. Other poems, such as those by Austin Alexis and Ram Krishna Singh, weave social critique and personal vulnerability, underscoring poetry’s capacity to confront both the individual and collective human condition.

Chiron Review 140 also excels in its editorial curation, balancing accessibility with innovation. The blend of narrative-driven poems, experimental forms, and thoughtful essays invites readers from various backgrounds to find entry points into poetry’s diverse landscape. The issue’s design and layout complement the content, allowing the text to breathe and the imagery to resonate. Chiron Review, Issue No. 140, is a powerful and timely collection that speaks to the challenges and triumphs of poetry in the 21st century. It confronts skepticism about poetry’s relevance head-on, demonstrating through its varied voices that poetry remains a vital medium for exploring identity, history, and the human spirit. Whether through the raw honesty of personal narrative or the daring of experimental forms, this issue affirms that poetry, far from being inaccessible or irrelevant, continues to illuminate the complexities of life with nuance and depth.