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The BellaOnline Mused Literary Review offers poetry, short stories, artwork, non-fiction works, plays, and interviews each quarter. The magazine is offered in ebook format for free! This gorgeous, formatted PDF is a delightful way to enjoy each season of the year. Mused is published on each solstice and equinox.

F E A T U R E D I S S U E

Winter Solstice 2016 - Volume 10, Issue 4

Sometimes it seems as if winter quotes make winter out to be a necessary evil which exists only for us to appreciate the subsequent warmth. Shelley: "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" Shakespeare: "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this sun of York." Hugo: "Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face."

But winter is far more than a down against which to compare the subsequent ups. Winter is a powerful, magical time. It is a season of strength. Of looking inward and finding focus. Bob Seger stated, "I write probably 80 percent of my stuff over the winter." Terri Guillemets reminds us, "The color of springtime is in the flowers; the color of winter is in the imagination." The Winter Solstice is a time to embrace the mysterious. The endless possibilities. The sense that we already have, within ourselves, boundless creativity and opportunity. We simply have to still ourselves and listen.

In artwork, Mark reminds us again of just how stunning the tiniest of creatures can be. Slowing down and becoming mindful of the life around us allows us to treasure every aspect of nature. Kim's cat highlights how precious our smaller family members can be.

For poetry, Chani presents an unusual take on the seasons. Rather than summer fields slumbering under a layer of white snow, she envisions a humid August afternoon where it's frost which is lurking, waiting, knowing its chance to thrive is coming soon. Craig treasures the joy that comes with swirling snowflakes.

In fiction, Carol follows a woman from the warmth of Hawaii to the chill mountains of Vermont, where women celebrate the beauty of life in a swaying, traditional dance. Rosanne creates a scene with Christmas Eve representing a fresh start.

Non-fiction is always our most poignant. Candice shares her work with prison inmates - truly a place of self-investigation and introspection if ever there was one. James relays the story of a survivor of the Fukuyama bombing in WWII. The boy's family heeded the warnings of the US Air Force and fled long before the attack. They were safely in a rural farming village by the time the bombs fell.

Winter is a powerful season. It gives us that space to look back and learn from our history. To look forward and envision what we wish to become. To be fully mindful of the present and be aware how each day has potential for us to speak out and impact the way our world proceeds. To move us toward peace, fulfillment, and an appreciation of what each of us has to offer.

Happy Winter Solstice.

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Autumn Equinox 2016 - Volume 10, Issue 3

The autumn equinox, that balance point of light and dark, is closely tied to the moon. In China the Moon Festival happens around the autumn equinox, celebrating gratitude and the warmth of good friends and family. This year it was Sept 15th. Our last eclipse of 2016 was a penumbral lunar eclipse on Sept 16th. It fell in conjunction with the full harvest moon, also a symbol of thankfulness and appreciating those who care about you. The autumn equinox is a perfect time to add to those celebrations. It's a wonderful moment to treasure all we have and to share warmth with those who support us.

Mused's art draws us in to that natural world. From thundering stallions to pensive moths, from delicate bees to hungry tortoises, we are intricately entwined with every living creature which shares our Earth.

Poetry paints rich images. There are mugs of steaming cider, purple mums dancing in the wind, woodpeckers tapping on birch, and ivy-shrouded windows.

Fiction draws us into new worlds. Burdened children find comfort in the orderly marching of ants. A man resigned to a hard life of fishing still dreams of painting in France. We view a dying woman's days through the gaze of her beloved dog.

Non-fiction opens our eyes to the struggles of our fellow travelers on this big blue marble. A woman finds a way to move beyond her unhappy childhood. Two separate stories share unique views of the trauma of a miscarriage. We hear of a childhood in Tehran and a family's new start in New York. A woman, at long last, is able to reconnect with her love of reading.

We all have so much we might take for granted. Often it is something we overlook that another person desperately craves. Take time each day to give thanks for what you have in your life. Even if it's as simple as the food on your plate, the clothes on your back, and the roof over your head, think of all of those who desperately dream for those things.

Treasure every day. For every day is precious.

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Summer Solstice 2016 - Volume 10, Issue 2

For many people, summertime is the perfect time to explore creativity. Plein air artists bring easels to gardens and beaches, showcasing nature's colors in oils, acrylics, and watercolors. Photographers ferret out a million sights to immortalize. Poets and writers stretch languidly beneath a shady oak tree, listening to the gentle buzz of insects, and constructing entire worlds out of the ether.

Our art celebrates the beauty of nature. The grand opening of a sunflower. The delicate wings of a tiger butterfly. An orange lily glistening with summer rain.

Poetry delights us with its rich vision. A playful squirrel tumbles down a tree. Rainbows shimmer out of thin air. The moon waxes and wanes.

Fiction fills us with emotion. One grandmother has playful fun at her last birthday. Another goes on a longed-for trip. One becomes lost in the past while another strives to treasure every day remaining.

Non-fiction takes us into others' lives. One walked right into John Cusack's apartment! Another bids a poignant farewell to her ailing mother.

Our play reminds us that a tree can be precious, when paired with the right memories.

Enjoy the creativity of our community of artists - and then explore your own! We'd love to see your works for upcoming issues!

PDF and Print Versions of Summer Solstice 2016

Spring Equinox 2016 - Volume 10, Issue 1

The spring equinox is a moment of balance. A time of celebrating the renewal that nature offers us. In China one tradition is to put out fresh seed for the birds, to thank them for their part in the cycle of life. The Great Sphinx, built a staggering 4500+ years ago, was aligned to face directly into the sun on the Spring Equinox. It marked the start of a new year of crops and health. Indeed, in many parts of the world the Spring Equinox was the New Year celebration. It was time to clean the home, feast, and embark on new projects.

What will this new year hold for you?

Mused offers a wealth of springly rebirths for your heart and soul. Beautiful flowers curl and open. Shore birds explore the sand and water. Tiny bugs remind us that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

Poetry reminds us to treasure what is precious. The touch of a loved one's hand. The poignant memories of those who have passed. The tenacity in a tiny seed. The mindfulness that every moment offers something to appreciate.

Fiction takes us into fresh outlooks on life. A struggling writer seeking that first break. A lonely woman hoping her ex might at last return to her. A man who knows he was meant for the bright lights of acting.

Non-Fiction lets us walk, for a few moments, in another's shoes. A young woman in Madrid has a night to remember. A sixties-era student's school assignment haunts her until this very day. A woman, back to visit her family in Iran in 1993, finds that the changes in the culture are powerful and pervasive.

Join us in celebrating this new year - and best of luck to all of your hopes and dreams!

PDF and Print Versions of Spring Equinox 2016

A R C H I V E

2017 Mused Literary Review Issues
2016 Mused Literary Review Issues
2015 Mused Literary Review Issues
2014 Mused Literary Review Issues
2013 Mused Literary Review Issues
2012 Mused Literary Review Issues
2011 Mused Literary Review Issues
2010 Mused Literary Review Issues
2009 Mused Literary Review Issues
2008 Mused Literary Review Issues
2007 Mused Literary Review Issues

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