Here are some excerpts from the issue to whet your appetites:

You want to talk about it,
I heard you ask as your clammy fingers
withdrew like octopus’s arms and I strove
in vain to rise to the blank ceiling surface.

- “IT” | Poetry by Mario Susko

Alice walks the half mile down Donaldson to show Cindy her new breasts.  No sidewalks, the roads paved back when they were used primarily by farmers with their horse trailers and tractors, but it’s a quiet neighborhood with breathing space between the homes.

Though close enough to be taxed like the city, they were what most people in Memphis consider “the country”: a hodgepodge neighborhood of trailers, modular homes, new construction, and farmhouses that grew a bit at a time, like the creek that runs alongside it, wearing away at its banks in a slow expansion.

Cindy lives in the two story brick house that signals the end of the “neighborhood” and the beginning of long stretches of cotton fields and grazing land. She likes to say that hippies grew marijuana in the back fields in the ‘60s. Cindy’s husband keeps it mown, short, so their girls can practice softball on weeknights.

- “Cat Door” | Fiction by Renee Emerson

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Here’s a little sample of our Editor’s Choice in Creative Nonfiction, Lisa Ohlen Harris’s “Keening”:

A student was raped last night. My coffee brews in the kitchen, hissing and dripping, and the sky is just beginning to lighten as I read the email to faculty, sent at 3:15 a.m.

Around dusk she heard a knock, opened her door, and a man in a ski mask and gloves shouldered his way inside. An hour and a half later, her roommates came home and found her, alive and afraid. The roommates called campus security. Campus security called the Newberg police. The chaplain came. There were midnight phone calls to her parents and fiancé.

I feel at once shocked, angry, vulnerable, and protective. This happened on my campus? In my town? I quietly open the bedroom doors to check on my four daughters, one by one, each of them sleeping peacefully. I pour my mug of coffee and step out onto our deck to watch the sun rise.

* * * * *

Our home backs to an acre or so of fir trees and blackberry brambles sloping down to a greenway along Hess Creek. Early dawn is when the birds sing loudest. Barn swallows swoop close as if to land on my shoulder. Our deck is level with the trees, and when I stand there I get the feeling I’m in a cartoon movie with birds singing happy harmony in the background.

One early morning standing on the deck, I watched the outline of a large bird of prey flapping strangely against a top limb of the tallest fir. The hawk looked as if he were holding something in his talons, and I wondered, does he have to finish the kill from the treetop? Then the hawk rose and with a slight flap moved outward along the branch, until I saw what had been underneath him: his mate.

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We asked 6.2 poet David Holper what we should be reading this year, and like a true intellectual he didn’t answer the question. Not directly, anyway.

What should the editors of Relief or for that matter any poet be reading this year? I assume my answer is supposed to provide a guide post for poets and editors alike on the very best poetry for one’s diet so that this year we will turn out leaner and meaner, or at least more insightful because of those books whose spines we’ve so diligently cracked.

Perhaps. But in thinking over this question I recall a talk I once heard Paul Theroux give at a conference at UMass Amherst where I attended graduate school. His argument was this: read indiscriminately. He urged all of us eager young writers in the audience to read the back of the cereal box, the books in the checkout line, highbrow and lowbrow—but read, read voraciously.

It is good advice, and it has served me well over the years. Along with it, I would suggest to read both in an out of your comfort zone. If you find that everything you read you’re in agreement with or you’re able to readily digest, then perhaps it’s time for a diet of stiffer stuff. In addition to many books of poetry that I’ve purchased this year, I’ve also dabbled in fiction, nonfiction, history, education, politics, and even read quite a number of the books that my three children have enjoyed. In fact, a number of the ideas I’ve had for poems have arisen not out of reading poetry but out of something else I’ve picked up. The poem I wrote this afternoon arose out of watching the new Wachowski film Cloud Atlas (then reading the novel after the fact), along with ideas from another novel I finished several days ago called Psalm at Journey’s End by Erik Fosnes Hansen that I happened to find on my office bookshelf over the holidays.

Mine the past. Many of the poets in my creative writing classes (and poets just like them whom I encounter in numerous literary journals) have little idea of anything that rhymes or can be scanned for foot and meter. This lack of literary depth generally produces poems that fall into either the emotional response column or the vivid description column (or both), but few will venture beyond those familiar tropes. So as I have pushed myself, so I push them, too—and not surprisingly the majority of these poets wind up being stronger for reading a variety of forms, as well as learning the art of writing a sestina, a sonnet, a villanelle, a pantoum. If Robert Frost was right that free verse is like “playing tennis without a net,” then I would say that formal poetry helps to inform free verse poets with a keener sense of word choice, line, and form.

So where to find such reading? It’s all around us. It’s easily available with the click of a mouse on website such as poets.org or poetry.org. It’s in the free books that are left in coffee shops, it’s in your public library, it’s in a book group, it’s in the books on your bookshelf that you’ve never read but meant to get around to one day, it’s in the Great Books list that you can find online, it’s in the simple question posed to your friends on social media, “What’s worth reading this year?” In fact, while I was waiting for my oldest daughter recently in a bookstore, I asked my friends on Facebook what their favorite book was in middle school. In about a day, I found more posts on that question than on any other topic I’ve ever posted.

So read. Read more. And with God’s grace, it will not be just in the reading, but in the writing we do as well this year that we’ll find something worthwhile. Good reading and good writing to each and every one of you!

David Holper has worked as a taxi driver, fisherman, dishwasher, bus driver, soldier, house painter, bike mechanic, bike courier, and teacher. He has published a number of stories and poems and his first book of poetry, 64 Questions, is available through March Street Press. He teaches English at College of the Redwoods and lives in Eureka, California, which is far enough from the madness of civilization that he can get some writing done. Another thing that helps is that his three children continually ask him for stories, and he is learning the art of doing that well for them.

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	John Ballenger "Four Loves" "Bent" John lives in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, with his wife and two children. He teaches creative writing and is the Director of Student Success at Mt. Vernon Nazarene University. John’s life and writing are deeply rooted in the Midwest, a place of striking brilliance and brokenness.
	Brett Foster "On the Holy Mountain (2)" "On Calvary's Rock" "On the Church of St. Thomas" Brett Foster is the author of The Garbage Eater (Triquarterly Books/Northwestern University Press, 2011). A second, smaller poetry collection, Fall Run Road, was awarded Finishing Line Press’s Open Chapbook Prize, and is forthcoming. His writing has recently appeared or is forthcoming in Books & Culture, Cellpoems, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Common, IMAGE, Kenyon Review, Measure, The New Criterion, Pleiades, and Shenandoah. He teaches creative writing and Renaissance literature at Wheaton College.
	John Gosslee "He Could Not Count That High" "The Scent of Magdalene's Hair" John Gosslee studied mystical poetry in Turkey. His first book was 12: Sonnets for the Zodiac (Gival, 2011). He has work forthcoming in A Poet’s Quest for God (Eyewear, 2013) and is an AWP 2013 panel member.
	David Holper "Heaven Comes Last" David Holper has worked as a taxi driver, fisherman, dishwasher, bus driver, soldier, house painter, bike mechanic, bike courier, and teacher. He has published a number of stories and poems and his first book of poetry, 64 Questions, is available through March Street Press. He teaches English at College of the Redwoods and lives in Eureka, California, which is far enough from the madness of civilization that he can get some writing done. Another thing that helps is that his three children continually ask him for stories, and he is learning the art of doing that well for them.
	Maryanne Hannan "Dear Simone," "Saint Clare Shares the Gift of Tears" Maryanne Hannan has published poems in Ruminate, The Christian Century, Christianity and Literature, Anglican Theological Review, Windhover, and The Other Journal. Processing life in the context of faith through poetry is a renewable source of joy (as is reading the work of kindred spirits). Her website is mhannan.com.
	Jae Newman "The Apple Seed" "Vacation" Jae Newman lives with his wife and daughters in Rochester, New York. He teaches college writing courses and is currently working towards an MA in Theological Studies at Northeastern Seminary. A graduate of Spalding University’s MFA in Writing Program, his first book of poems, entitled POSTAGE, is forthcoming through Antler in 2014.
	Jennifer Merri Parker "Imprinted" Jennifer Merri Parker is an award-winning writer, editor, and speaker based in Jackson, Mississippi. She studied for her bachelor's in English and American literature and language at Harvard University and for the Master of Fine Arts in writing at Seattle Pacific University. A former teacher and media-librarian, Parker also did graduate studies at the Universities of Mississippi and Alabama and continues to work as a teaching artist in her home state. A multiple-genre author, Parker’s writings have appeared in numerous publications including Christianity Today, Ruminate, Catapult, The Banner, Moody Magazine, Prism, Sojourners, Black Magnolias and The Midnight Diner.
	Susan Delaney Spear "Rainlight" Susan Spear is an affiliate professor of English at Colorado Christian University. She earned an MFA in the Verse forms of Poetry from Western State Colorado University in July of 2012. Her poem “The Lover’s Knot” received honorable mention in the Denver Women’s Press Club’s Unknown Writers Contest in the spring of 2009. Since then her poems have appeared in Academic Questions, The Lyric, Mezzo Cammin, and Relief. She also loves music and serves as a choir accompanist and church organist. She lives on the eastern plains of Colorado with her husband. They have three grown children.
	Mario Susko "The Body of Illnesses" "Too Late to Learn" "IT" "A Summer Afternoon Delusion" Mario Susko is the author of 30 poetry collections, including Closing Time (Harbor Mountain Press, 2008), Epi/Logos (erbacce press, UK, 2011), and Framing Memories (Harbor Mountain Press, 2011). His awards include the Nassau Review Poetry Award, the Premio Internazionale di Poesia e Letteratura “Nuove Lettere” (Italy), the Tin Ujevic Award for the best book of poems published in Croatia, and Relief’s Editor’s Choice. In 2012 he was named by the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association Long Island Poet of the Year. A witness and survivor of the war in Bosnia, he teaches English at Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY.
	Sarah M. Wells "Explaining Easter" "Sunbathing" "What is a Miracle?" Sarah M. Wells is the author of Pruning Burning Bushes (2012), and a chapbook, Acquiesce (2009). Poems and essays have been published by Ascent, Christianity & Literature, New Ohio Review, Poetry East, Puerto del Sol, Rock & Sling, and elsewhere. Sarah's poetry has been honored with two Pushcart Prize nominations. Her essay, "Those Summers, These Days" was named a notable essay in Best American Essays 2012. Sarah serves as the Administrative Director for the low-residency MFA program at Ashland University and Managing Editor for the Ashland Poetry Press and River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative.

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	Lisa Ohlen Harris "Keening" CNF Lisa Ohlen Harris lives in the small town of Newberg, Oregon, where she teaches English as a Second Language at George Fox University and freelances as a manuscript consultant and developmental editor. Lisa’s Middle East memoir, Through the Veil, was a finalist for the 2011 Oregon Book Award. Her second book will be released by Texas Tech University Press in 2013 and is titled, The Fifth Season: A Daughter-in-Law’s Memoir of Caregiving. Contact Lisa or learn more about her nonfiction critique service at www.lisaohlenharris.com.
	Kelsy Vandeventer "Unction" CNF Kelsey Vandeventer is a graduate of Biola University and the Torrey Honors Institute, receiving a Bachelor's degree in Humanities. She was raised and currently lives in Southern California, where she works for a non-profit. In the future, Kelsey plans to pursue a career as a Child Life Specialist, creating a healing atmosphere for children in hospital settings. Meanwhile, she spends time with her family, especially her niece, and learns about the benefits of yoga, friendship, and simpler living.
	Sarah M. Wells "Underwater" CNF Sarah M. Wells is the author of Pruning Burning Bushes (2012), and a chapbook, Acquiesce (2009). Poems and essays have been published by Ascent, Christianity & Literature, Measure, New Ohio Review, Poetry East, Puerto del Sol, River Teeth, Rock & Sling, and elsewhere. Sarah's poetry has been honored with two Pushcart Prize nominations. Her essay, “Those Summers, These Days” was named a notable essay in the Best American Essays 2012. Sarah serves as the Administrative Director for the low-residency MFA program at Ashland University and Managing Editor for the Ashland Poetry Press and River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative.
	Addie Zierman "Jesus Mania" CNF Addie Zierman (@addiezierman) is a writer, mom, and Diet Coke enthusiast. She received her MFA from Hamline University, during which time she filled notebooks with creative nonfiction and had two sons. Her work has appeared in Defunct! Magazine, The Literary Bohemian, and Relevant Magazine, among others. She writes twice a week at the How to Talk Evangelical blog (howtotalkevangelical.com), where she works to redefine faith one cliché at a time.
	Renee Emerson "Cat-Door" FICTION Renee Emerson lives in Rome, GA, with her husband and daughter. She teaches at Shorter University, and her work has been published in 32 Poems, Indiana Review, and Stirring. Her most recent chapbook is Where Nothing Can Grow (Batcat Press).
	Matthew Gesicki "The Virgin Martyrs" FICTION Matthew Gesicki is currently pursuing his BA in English and Religion at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. His poetry and fiction have been published or are forthcoming in The Emerson Review, Calliope, The Mill, Brevity Poetry Review, and elsewhere, and in 2012 he won an award for First Place in Fiction from the University of Mount Union for his work. Much of the religious inspiration for his writing stems from his experiences traveling through Italy, Germany, France, and England for six weeks in spring 2012.
	Michael Shoemake "Uncle G" FICTION Michael Shoemake is a regional author who writes short stories and novels about Texas-based characters. He recently departed the corporate world to begin doing what he'd been wanting to do for a long time, write. He focuses on fiction in order to avoid the nonsense of real life he saw too much of in the corporate world. Michael earned both his B.S. in Journalism and M.A. in Speech Communication from Oklahoma State University. He currently resides in Allen, Texas, just north of Dallas.
	Shannon Skelton "The Unbearable Weight of the Universe" FICTION Shannon Skelton is from Birmingham, Alabama. She studied English at Samford University and earned an MAE from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where her husband is a seminary student and she teaches high school English. She loves reading and running and also enjoys tea, toast, and British television. “The Unbearable Weight of the Universe” was inspired by a sermon on sleep (and by the bouts of insomnia that tend to accompany her summers off from teaching). You can also find her work in Ruminate.

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