Vocal Expressions

Author Bio: Bill Holst was born in Port Jefferson, New York, in 1952 and raised in Smithtown, where his early interest in politics led him to engage in student government and even speak with Robert F. Kennedy during a 1964 campaign visit.  He attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy before earning a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from New York University. Bill later graduated from St. John’s University School of Law.  From 1975 to 1978, he served in the United States Army as a reporter and photojournalist, earning both the Thomas Jefferson Award and an Army Commendation Medal for his work. Following his military service, Bill worked as a litigator and broadcast counsel for CBS in Manhattan and later held several governmental positions on Long Island, including serving two terms in the Suffolk County Legislature.  He and his wife, Laura, have been married for forty-seven years and have two children and three grandsons. Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you...

Poet’ s Bio: Cherrie Amour aka Cherrie Woods is a Baltimore-based, award-winning poet known for her candid, narrative verse exploring love, identity, relationships, and the layered complexities of belonging. Her work is featured in her poetry collection, Free to Be Me: Poems on Love, Life and Relationships.   She is the creator of the Words, Wine & Wings Poetry and Open Mic Show and has been featured by FOX45 News, The Baltimore Beacon , and Baltimore City Paper . Her poetry has appeared in Paterson Literary Review , Understorey Magazine , Poet’s Ink , The Pen Woman , The Fire Inside: Collected Poems and Stories from Zora’s Den , America’s Future Anthology , Yellow Arrow Journal , and Maryland in Poetry .   She is currently submitting her new poetry chapbook manuscript, Sit Comfortably Elsewhere , to publishers—a deeply personal collection exploring her life and perspective as a double immigrant.   Deliah Lawrence: When did you first realize poetry was a p...

Poet’ s Bio: Buddah Desmond aka BDEZ (he / him / they / them) is an award-winning author, poet, artist, and singer based in the DMV. His writing shares lessons from adversity to triumph and offers messages of hope, love, faith, and persistence. He ’ s the author of multiple poetry collections, including the most recent releases  Everything I Miss(ed) At Home  (2023),  Coming Up From the Downside: Finding Joy in Our Song  (2024), and  Exotic Shifter: 11th Anniversary Edition  (2025).   His writing has appeared in  Creative Currents ,  Rebel ’ s Zeitgeist ,  Liquid Cat Quarterly ,  MelaNation ,  Mixed Mag , and  The Sound of the Collective Pen: A Poetry Anthology by Emerging Voices . He served as a healing leader in the DC-based arts + faith + social justice organization, The Sanctuaries. He ’ s currently a National Board of Trustees At Large Member (Beta Chapter) for the professional arts fraternity, Gamma Xi Phi. ...

This was my first time reading a novel by Lucia Jordan, and she definitely kept me intrigued—especially with that ending. Her writing style is engaging, playful, and perfectly suited for a seductive, fast-paced read. The story introduces us to Chardonnay Selby, who—at the urging of her roommate Cecily—agrees to go on a blind date with Cecily’s “hot” coworker. The instructions are simple: meet at the hotel restaurant and look for the man holding a white rose. But when Chardonnay arrives, she finds two men with white roses—one casually dressed in jeans and a sport coat, the other impeccably styled in a finely tailored suit. It turns out the sharply dressed man is Stephan Hale, and from the moment he appears, he commands the room—and the date. Stephan is confident, dominant, and deliberate in every move he makes. Though Chardonnay promises Cecily she won’t sleep with her blind date, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Stephan’s magnetic presence. When he whisks her away to Aria for an...