2025 TPSR Book Launch (28 Feb 2025)
Last night’s book launch for the 2025 edition of The Polk Street Review was so much fun! Thank you to EVERYONE who participated! You can view videos of the book launch and all the images in the book on our YouTube channel.
Congratulations to all of our Awards Winners:
ARTWORK IMAGES Category:
Artwork Images Category Awards Winners
PROSE Category Awards Winners:
Third Prose: Her Essence Lives by Gail Mehlan
Second Prose: Burden of Responsibility by Norbert Góra
First Prose: Lives Hidden Behind the Secret Veil by Brenda Cox
POETRY/SONG LYRIC Category Awards Winners:
Third Poetry TIE: Morning Song by Nancy Simmonds; Standing In Day’s Doorway by Michael “Maik” Strosahl
Second Poetry: Late Summer Feast by George W. Wolfe
First Poetry: Dear Dorothy, Now That You’re Back by Bonnie Cox Searle
Special Award(s) Category Awards Winners: Donavan Barrier and Maureen Brustkern
Donavan’s poems consistently address difficult but important issues, like oppression and mental health. He does it in an unflinching voice, with poetic grace, and thoughtfulness. We also like that Donavan challenges the reader to look behind the veil, often regarding rather taboo topics, and see things from other perspectives.
Maureen’s set of pieces about her experiences living in the Middle East went far deeper than a travel log. She offered insight into cultural differences and gender disparities with a tone of yearning to understand rather than superiority. Maureen’s nuanced pieces helped the reader peer behind the veil of the lives of women in the Middle East, yet maintained the realization that the veil could never be fully lifted unless you truly lived inside the culture.
Award of Merit (Best in Book) Award Winner: On Memories and Acts of Care by Callie J. Smith
Callie’s piece is relatable and well-written. Childhood memories intersect with present choices. Who cannot relate to visiting a place from our past and, despite the changes, finding it “intangible, vivid, inviting”? Callie weaves together multiple vignettes to form a nostalgia that is sweetly pleasing yet not sappy, and a deep place of continuity and warmth.
Thank you to our sponsors, participants, writers, poets, artists, and everyone who made this year’s book a great success!!
Purchase the 2025 The Polk Street Review by clicking on the Lulu image below for our secure purchase site:
2025’s Optional Theme: Behind The Veil
We always seek your creative responses to our themes, and 2025’s theme is Behind the Veil. The questions below were just to get creatives thinking about the unlimited possibilities evoked by this prompt ~ innermost thoughts, secrets, spiritual insights, beliefs, desires, and so much more ~ it’s always up to YOU to creatively interpret our optional theme!
What lies behind the veil? What has remained hidden for too long and has now been exposed as we draw the curtains back? What’s the excited or nervous bride thinking under her veil? What happens when the veil between life and death thins and loved ones pass beyond? How does a veil shift how we perceive different cultures?
Some of our favorite “veiled” images & quotes for inspiration
Note: veiled females in Art do not always represent a virgin/Virgin Mary/Vestal Virgin, etc. The figure of the veiled lady frequently represented country/culture; for Italian artists that was Italia in the same way as Britannia represented England, Hibernia represented Ireland, and Lady Liberty represented America.
Draw the Curtain by Nicolas Party (click link for art installation that enwraps a circular building!): https://www.flickr.com/photos/gaphiker/52043734252/in/photostream/
“I draw the curtains, and I wait. Actually, I am not waiting for anything, I am merely making myself absent. Scoured, if only for a few minutes, of the impurities which dim and clog the mind, I accede to a state of consciousness from which the self is evacuated, And I am as soothed as if I were resting outside the universe.” – Emil M. Cioran
“Shut the windows, draw the curtains, keep the rumour out!” – L.P. Hartley
New Submissions Information:
In 2025’s book, we added two additional designations, along with our global one. One is devoted to submissions from Northwest Arkansas (NWA) and the other to submissions from Northwest Arkansas’ Native American Nations. Our partnership with The Empowerment Initiative (which is based in Bentonville, AR) has brought the people of NWA into our global family. We’re excited to add these two designations to our TPSR books (https://transwellness.org/trans-wellness-pharmacy/).
Also new, we now accept Oral Histories:
1) Audio or video files accepted. With submission, we strongly urge a Microsoft Word or Google doc English-language transcription be included for the print publication.
2) Audio/video files will be uploaded online on our website on the year’s/edition page for which they are submitted, on our podcast channel, and (possibly) our YouTube channel with appropriate credit given to the person submitting (if audio-only, then we may include some accompanying “generic” imagery for videos).
3) If accompanying transcriptions are not submitted by the 01 November annual deadline, the oral history submission may be included in the print edition as a QR code linked to the online audio file.
Pre-Orders, Patron donations, and Advertising Space buys help us cover project costs.
Each year, we ask that when you submit, please consider pre-ordering at least one book. Note: all pre-orders must be received BEFORE 31 December each year. Books will be shipped/available for local pickup in Februry.
Patron donations can be made with PayPal and Square:
PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=EYUZBTW7297XQ
Advertisers and Patrons
DEADLINE 01 November!
Use the form below or Square link to send in your Advertising Space buys & images. Patrons may also use the form below: