California Quarterly, Vol. 52, No. 1 (Spring 2026)
Cover photo: "Freedom" by Maja Trochimczyk
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Shameless — David Moreland — 7
Family Mathematics — Ilene Millman — 8
On the Mountainside — David Moreland — 9
This Now — Doreen Beyer — 10
Flopper Wish so Sudden — W. C. Gosnell — 11
Wintertime — James Cronin — 12
Neighborhood in Heat — Anne Stone — 13
Mendocino National Forest – Blue’s Birthday — Anne Stone — 14
Night Ride — Günther Bedson — 15
Rough Magic — Günther Bedson — 16
Connemara — Catherine Fletcher — 18
Muffin Clouds — W. C. Gosnell — 19
Betrayal — Amirah Al Wassif — 20
The Compliment — David Romanda — 21
Sonata Theory — J. Alan Nelson — 22
If I Were a Painter — Lin Wen Chao — 23
What Can Anyone Tell Anyone? — J. Alan Nelson — 24
Bridge of Sighs — Carlo DiOrio — 25
The Last Speech — Lin Wen Chao — 26
Summer and the Full of It — Charlene Langfur — 27
El Encuentro, or A Moth’s Wings Under Glass — Amy Nocton — 28
La Mujer libélula, or What She Could Not Do — Amy Nocton — 29
Samalon Bird — Fhen M. — 30
Mozart’s Final Summer 1791 — Byron Beynon — 31
Cosmic Latte — Gavin Kayner — 32
Unnamed Brook — Russell Rowland — 34
Open Sesame — Amira Al Wassif — 36
Wthout a Womb — Amirah Al Wassif — 38
Death and Godless Lands — Leon Amanda — 40
Brynmawr — Byron Beynon — 43
Rough in the Age of Smooth — Matt Thomas — 38
Ozymandias Remanded — Don Palmer — 44
When Your Mother Dies, Say the Belgians — Laura Walter — 46
Slowly, Slowly, He Was Carrying — Ravi Sonakia — 47
Balance — Matt Thomas — 48
It Beckoned Me, and I Was Lost -- Ravi Sonakia — 49
Converted into Poem — Ravi Sonakia — 50
Given Voice — Doreen Beyer — 53
The Tower’s Shadow — Catherine Fletcher — 52
The Fruit of the Blue Tree — Konrad Tademar Wilk — 54
Contributors in Alphabetical Order — 55
CSPS Contest Opportunities — 55
CSPS Newsbriefs 2026, No.1 by Maja Trochimczyk — 58
Publishing Opportunities with CSPS — 61
2024 CSPS Donors, Patrons, and Membership — 63
Membership Form — 64
EDITOR’S
NOTE
There are some poems, a handful, that
call out to you from the page, and you must come back to them, slowly,
slowly, as if carrying a heavy sense of wintertime. You can hear
their ink as it boils with ideas and feelings. I was dismayed when I glanced at
the verses that I could not hear the words at once. Then I looked again through
the mist of letters and spaces, between commas and periods, and the poems cleared
up with meaning. It was a sign that “This street knows my name.”
A start
then, and then I walked the street of words, between dreams and trees and found
myself looking up the word “frapple” in the Urban Dictionary (a bizarre
cosmic disturbance) – which is what editing any collection of poems really is,
rippling through time and space, just on a smaller scale, that of a page. It
was a tug of war between my soul and my curiosity. One verse eluded me, I had
to hunt the name of the poet down, another verse called me back after I
rejected it, and then I realized I had misread all the lines. There was, as
there always is, a lot of rough magic in such work.
Editing and
selection is by its nature eclectic, but also electric, you will get a shock
every now and then by the juxtaposition of words. It’s also vast, as it takes
you from Japan, through the Philippines to Egypt, in the shadow of the first
tree, through Wales, Virginia and Waco in Texas. I stopped by an Unnamed
Brook in Meredith, New Hampshire, listened to Mozart in 1791, and
realized how loneliness shapes chaos. And then rested, as the final
poems filled the final pages.
In the selection for this quarter, the first of
this year, walk slowly, savor each word, and if necessary, retrace your steps
in case you’ve missed a moment of pure Welsh Spring. It would help if
while you read you kept company with a cup of Cosmic Latte. Enjoy.
Konrad Tademar Wilk, Los Angeles, California
California Quarterly,
2026
ABOUT THE EDITOR
KONRAD TADEMAR WILK
Konrad Tademar Wilk is an American poet living in Los Angeles. His works range from single sonnets to epic poems on themes including current events, myth, and philosophy. In addition to American subjects, his work is strongly informed by international events and history, especially those of freedom and oppression. His early childhood was spent in Poland where he was particularly influenced by the rise of the anti-communist Solidarity labor union. Following his return to the U.S., he studied philosophy and literature at Los Angeles City College where he was president of the Poet's Platform. He then went on to graduate from UCLA. His poetry book Fifty Sonnets, titles like labels only get in the way... is available for purchase on-line. Other poetry chapbooks in Polish and English, listed below are out of print.
He has appeared in Los Angeles venues such as the Onyx, Ground's Zero, Magicopolis Theater, Wilshire Art Gallery, Bolton Hall Museum, and Pig and Whistle. In 1991, he founded the Witching Hour Poetry Gathering which has met continuously for over 30 years. In 2020, he joined the Board of Directors of the California State Poetry Society, as one of the Editors of the California Quarterly. He is also an active member of Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club and was a member of Krak Poetry Group in Los Angeles while it was still active.
Additionally, he is a founding member of the Pecan Pie Organization, dedicated to artistic promotion and stage performances. Mr. Wilk recently served as the artistic director for Warsaw 80/75 performance of poetry, dance and music, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII (German attack on Poland), and the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. The event was held at the Santa Monica Playhouse in September 2019. Personal web site: tademar.com.
Chapbooks: Agrest – and other poems (23 poems , 2001); November Sonnets (22 sonnets, 2002); Mnemonic Sonnets (1997); Belgian Waffles (2001); The Rose Petal (14 sonnets, 1997); Samizdat z Los Angeles (21 sonnets, 2024); Troika (27 poems, 2024).
Books in preparation: Prometheus (a 500-page novel); three collections of poems -Harlequinade, Order of Magnitude, and Anahit and Artemisia, and the second edition of November Sonnets, expanded to over 50 sonnets.
Poems in magazines: Three issues of the Citadel – 1992, 1998, 2006; about 60 poems and stories in Angie’s Diary, sonnets in Poetry Letter (featured poet in No. 1 of 2024), California Quarterly, vol. 49, no. 1, Spring 2023.
THE FRUIT OF THE BLUE TREE
Know truth when it co-mingles with laughter, freely
Like honey added to hot tea, sugar melting —
—in the mouth… white stones to walk on across space-time
For she kisses as if she is gasping for air
And I take the fruit from the blue tree, half dreaming
Half knowing what has befallen me, the clocks stop
I can hear her heart beating, feel her blood rushing
Sense the fire beneath her skin kindling my flesh
There is no water now to quench the thirst, pure flame
It consumes us, and then I hold on to the space
A precious moment lost in between breaths, quiet
Solitude of sacred words, what now do I know?
What do the branches hold? Taste of the fruit lingers
I sit beneath the tree, with the storm raging on….
July 28, 2024 - For “Engarde”
Konrad Tademar Wilk
Los Angeles, California
NEWSBRIEFS No 1 OF 2026, SPRING 2026
by Maja Trochimczyk
The first issue of the California Quarterly in the anniversary year of our great Republic, celebrating its first quarter of the millennium has a suitable cover with a photo of a patriotic balloon floating up into a clear, azure sky (“Freedom” by Maja Trochimczyk). “Liberty” for those who forgot, is the core value listed in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, approved by 13 former colonies on 4 July 1776: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
These words were amended several times. First, to expand the definition of “men” from white land-owners to all men who are citizens, after abolishing slavery (the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, 1865) and expanding citizenship to former slaves. Then, to implicitly add “women” to that definition of “all men… created equal” (the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, 1920). The definitions of rights continue to be honed and clarified as our pioneering Constitution remains the model for the free World, the paragon of freedom. The reality is imperfect, still plagued by corruption and fraud. But real.
At California State Poetry Society, fully independent from any other society as of 31 December 2025, we also adhere to our certain “unalienable rights.” First: the right to publish, read and promote the best poems that we can find in California and elsewhere. Second: the right of the Editor of each issue of the CQ to select poems based on their personal taste and interests, and adhering to their vision of excellence, not political ideology, as the main principle of this choice. Third, the right of our Contest Judges – Alice Pero who oversees all Monthly Poetry Contests and a different Judge invited every year to adjudicate our Annual Poetry Contests – to select and honor the best poems on the basis of their personal criteria of excellence, without undue and unnecessary intervention or influence of the Board, CQ Editors or anyone else.
I described these principles in part in an interview published by Duotrope concerning the editorial principles of the
California Quarterly. In response to a question: “What sets your publication apart from others that publish simi lar material?” I wrote: W
e seek to publish California poets, and to focus on positive, inspirational, and inspired poetry of technical and linguistic mastery, devoid of platitudes, banalities, and silly ideologies, like climate change and other such nonsense. We avoid political themes and seek to celebrate the richness and diversity of human life, with a full scope of emotions and experiences, as well as the joy and beauty of the natural world. If you write rants, screeds, and complaints, please do not submit to us. But if you want to commemorate greatness, describe inspiration, especially with art and the natural world, and if you fondly remember the past, think of the California Quarterly.
Another question, “How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?” received the following response: We are not interested in cover letters, bios, or any background information. Only the poems - they speak for themselves. Each editor has a different taste and picks what they love, so the issues are quite diverse. We have a Buddhist, Catholic. and an agnostic among us, and we also invite guest poets, such as Deborah P Kolodji who filled her issue with various haiku, haibun and related genres. While discussing submissions, I described the three-month submission windows (January-March for issue no. 2, etc.) and explained: We prefer Submittable, though mail, and uploads to our website are also accepted. We receive about 600 poems to pick about 55-57 per issue, so we are quite selective. It is best to have poems that fit on one small page and the lines are not too long, so they do not wrap around. i.e., about 20 lines - the best length, up to 80 lines - acceptable.
Finally, the question “What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?” received the following answer: They submit garbage with profanities, drug/alcohol abuse, or smut. Automatic rejection. Occasional f-bombs may be appropriate, but regular use indicates a definite lack of talent. The poets submit without including names, addresses, and emails and then their work cannot be reviewed. They submit and then withdraw their work, even though it clearly says in our submission instructions that we do not accept simultaneous submissions.
Previously published poems are welcome in our second quarterly publication, the Poetry Letter issued as a PDF attached to an email, posted on our website in PDF format and on the blog in two parts. The Poetry Letter No. 4 of 2025 presented selected haiku by Deborah P Kolodji, a well-known poet and member of the CSPS who edited one issue of the California Quarterly, Vol. 49, No. 4 in the Winter of 2023; she died in 2024. Recently, the California State Poetry Society received an anonymous donation in her memory, for which we are incredibly grateful. Debbie’s haiku were published in different anthologies and journals, they were chosen by her son Sean Kolodji, plus those from the CQ. With her talent, dedication, and ability to nurture others as editor and poetry event organizer, Debbie will be greatly missed.
The other “feature” of the Poetry Letter consisted of poems about classical music, especially piano performances of Chopin and Paderewski. Two poems come from online submission by Brady Rhoades of Fullerton, California, and book reviews rounded up the issue. The illustrations were paintings by Andrzej Kołodziej (d. 2025) whose artwork also graced the cover of the CQ, Vol. 51, No. 4.
PERSONALIA. The Chair and Judge of Monthly Contests, Alice Pero had a poem published in the CA Poets in the Schools anthology "I'm Here to Change the World" and three of her students also had poems in the anthology. Two of her poems were published in Winter 2025 California Quarterly. She resumed teaching at The Fair Oaks School in Pasadena after several months hiatus.
One of our California Quarterly Editors, Nicholas Skaldetvind continues his doctoral studies at the University of New Mexico. His recent publication include articles in Tupelo Quarterly, IYYU Mozaika, and Restless Messengers, and poems in Open Doors Review and The Poet’s Billow. He was recently awarded the Larry Morris Memorial Scholarship to continue researching American poets and their spiritual practices.
CSPS President Maja Trochimczyk was honored with the 2025 Polonia Award by the Polish American Congress of Southern California for 30 years of volunteering in service of Polish American community and its organizations. Her book Paderewski Essays & Poems, published in 2025, includes one of her poems among 52 dedicated to the great pianist, composer, statesman, and philanthropist Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941). These English-language poems were preserved in archives and written mostly in 1890-1940 by poets from the U.K. Scotland, Ireland, Australia, Canada, and the U.S. The book also includes four essays by Trochimczyk about Paderewski’s poetic portraits and two about his reception by predominantly female audiences that worshipped him not just as a celebrity, but an “archangel” and an “immortal.” Trochimczyk’s poems were also published in Pisarze.pl, and the California Quarterly.
Maja Trochimczyk, CSPS President
PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES WITH CSPS
CALIFORNIA QUARTERLY (CQ)
The CQ accepts submissions via Submittable.com and by mail (for poets without email & internet access). Submission requirements:
• Name, address, and email address on every page of every poem;
• One-page poems are best; a two-page maximum for any poem
• Email address or, for mail submissions without emails, SASE with sufficient postage for requested response
• No biographies or résumés, as only the poems are judged
• The poems must be original unpublished work of the poet
• Six poems per submission, max.one submission per quarter.
• Foreign poems with translations are encouraged
Poems are not returned, so keep copies, if mailing! Simultaneous submissions are NOT accepted as of January 1, 2023. Poems considered for a given issue are generally collected during the previous calendar quarter. Upload or submit only one set of six or fewer poems per calendar quarter; poems without names and addresses of poets will not be considered.
Payment consists of one copy of the California Quarterly; all rights remain with the poet. Upload poetry submissions via the Submittable link on our website, californiastatepoetrysociety.org. You may also go directly to: californiastatepoetrysociety.submittable.com/submit, or send poems by mail (if you have no email) with an SASE to: CQ Editors, Post Office Box 4288 Sunland, CA 91041-4288.
CSPS POETRY LETTER
The CSPS Poetry Letter, (Online ISSN 2836-9394; Print ISSN 2836-9408) posted on our website, blog and emailed to poets, is a venue for previously published or award-winning poems that otherwise might not see re-publication due to restrictions on previously published works in the poetry world.
You may submit poems and poetry book reviews to CSPS Poetry Letter through email to Editor, Maja Trochimczyk, maja@moonrisepress.com, or by mail to: CSPS Poetry Letter Post Office Box 4288, Sunland, California 91041-4288
All balloon photos from the International Balloon Fiesta
in Albuquerque New Mexico, October 2025, by Maja Trochimczyk
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