Welcome to American Writers Review; a multi-genre literary and art journal. Though we've been in print for a number of years, we are still searching for the best work to share with our readers.
Welcome to American Writers Review; a multi-genre literary and art journal. Though we've been in print for a number of years, we are still searching for the best work to share with our readers.
In the coming weeks, we will also share
a few highlights from the issue.
On the main road to a beautiful beach community stands a wreck. Intended to be a luxury hotel/condominium resort, it had been largely sold when its funding collapsed in 2009. Soon, there was no water, electricity, or maintenance, and buyers were left with debts and distress.
What seemed like a great idea, a sure thing, turned out to be a disaster.
As for the back cover: Founded in 1892, Sears, for decades, represented America’s marketplace. Its catalogue and store sales were a symbol of the robust middle- and working-class’s buying power. Many stores featured the prominent stone tower, a reflection of the store’s seeming modernity and stability. From 1973, the Sears Tower dominated the Chicago skyline.
Purchased by another large chain in 2005, its future seem bright…or at least viable.
Yet, the chain failed. By 2025, only five Sears stores remained. While a few of the Art Deco and Modernist stores have been awarded landmark status, others have been destroyed. The people who consulted the Sears catalogue almost religiously moved on to big box stores and the Internet. The Sears Tower was renamed.
In our 2025 issue, we invited comments on the many things that seemed like great ideas, but turned out not to be. We were overwhelmed by the many, excellent pieces and are forever grateful to everyone who submitted.
We hope you enjoy this issue and its many excellent contributions.
It’s been a difficult process, but we have chosen the winners of this year’s contest. Because of a tied score, the cash prize will be split between By Mary K. O’Melveny for In My Dream, The US Department of Fish & Wildlife Still Existed and I Could Read Its Biennial Butterfly Reports and Maryam Imogen Ghouth for The Clearing.
These poems, and the other finalists will be published in American Writers Review 2025.
Thanks to all who entered the contest, and to our judges, Barry Lee Thompson and Margaret McCaffrey.
Again, the finalists are:
The Clearing (Co-Winner)
By Maryam Imogen Ghouth
A Man Grieves for His Car
By Henry Hank Greenspan
In My Dream, The US Department of Fish & Wildlife
Still Existed and I Could Read Its Biennial Butterfly Reports (Co-Winner)
By Mary K. O’Melveny
Failure: Shipboard Meeting, Singapore Harbor 1994
By Joel Savishinsky
From The New World
By Michael Smith
Four Fables Warning How to Fail a Costume Sale
By Andre Wilson
Thank you to everyone who entered the contest.
D Ferrara, Editor
American Writers Review 2025
By
and
D Ferrara, Editor
Wayne Benson, Poetry Editor
Patricia A. Florio, Founder
American Writers Review 2022
www.storycirclebookreviews.org/reviews/americanwritersreview.shtml
Paul Fericano, author “Things That Go Trump In the Night”, Little City Press
Andrew Grell, author “Scapegoats”, Golden Fleece Press
As we readied American Writers Review for press, we asked some of our contributors to tell us their thoughts. Give a look.
With each new issue of American Writers Review, the editors and writers tried to find the best writing to share with their readers.
Patricia Florio
After co-founding the Jersey Shore Writers and the original East Meets West American Writers Review, I found it only natural to save D Ferrara from herself when she blurted out a promise to publish the "jewels" of a writers' retreat in Chianti. We created a wonderful book. We didn't kill each other. We decided to be partners.
d ferrara
I used to think that writing kept me sane. Maybe it did. But with age, came a Vespa - evidence that writing may have other side effects. Then Pat Florio asked me to work with her on American Writers Review. It seemed an even better result.