Once and Future

Greetings dear reader!

Welcome once again to confetti.

       As we continue to bring poetry and prose from our backyard and from around the world, we are keen to share wonderful works and happy news! For the past five years, we’ve had the honor of showcasing the work of more than 200 poets, writers and artists!

       A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported confetti by submitting their work, spreading the word, and taking the time to read and enjoy the offerings of the human spirit within our virtual pages. Your engagement and enthusiasm make this endeavor all the more worthwhile and meaningful.

Spring Featured Author, Poet, and Highlights

       We are proud to showcase one of our own writers group members, Subrata Das, who has published his first novel. Journey of a Freedom Fighter is a work of historical fiction based on the life and writings of the author’s family, and promises to transport readers to the turbulent time when India struggled to free herself from colonial rule to her rebirth as an independent nation. Phases of social and political movements, resistance and conflict serve as the profound backdrop for the personal lives of characters who find themselves caught in this momentous era of India’s fight for freedom. Journey of a Freedom Fighter is more than just a story; it is a journey through the heart of a family and a nation. The past comes alive in Das’ storytelling and the reader is transported to a time of passion, sacrifice, and unyielding hope.

       Our featured poet is no stranger to the pages of confetti. Nick Romeo captures our attention with every submission of his poetic escapades. Hidden beneath his often playful, whimsical and pithy poems, rife with alliterative lyrics, choice and humorous diction, are deep and poignant observations of modern life.

       We’d also like to highlight one of our non-fiction submissions. In his memoir I Have Outlived Myself, Marty O’Malley takes readers on a raw and unflinching trip through the aftermath of a life-altering car crash. Marty’s world was forever changed when he crashed his 1996 Saab convertible into a tree at 100 mph. He miraculously survived, but the accident left him grappling with severe injuries and a new reality. This harrowing experience marked the beginning of a long battle with disability and addiction, as Marty struggled to reconcile the person he was before the crash with the person he had become. Be sure to check out Marty’s excerpts in our non-fiction section.

       This edition’s cover art is contributed by Manfred Hauben, whose kaleidoscopic “Chrysler Building Reflections” projects a modern, surreal perspective of human edifice. Don’t forget to check out our back cover, a stark comparison to our front page—Brian Michael Barbeito’s “Crestfallen Car of the Far Fields” is a somber look at the broken, the forgotten, the decayed. His photo compels us to ponder the story behind a thing once useful, elegant, and ingenious, now in ruins. Yet, even in its decay, it somehow exudes a new, albeit mournful, beauty.

“Once and Future”

Science Fiction Special Edition!

Looking ahead—We are excited to announce a Special Edition of confetti. For fans and writers of science fiction, our 2025 Summer Special is a fantastic journey into the universe, multiverse, microverse, metaverse and even the omniverse!

Click or tap here to see submission details for our special Sci-fi Edition.

We will publish our regular Fall Edition and continue our call for those submissions which started March 2 and continues to September 1.

From all our selectors, our agile and astute webmaster, and on behalf of Westchester Writers Workshop and the Somers Library, I would like to thank you for your submissions, your readership, and your support.

Enjoy confetti and keep on reading!

~Gabriel Sebastian

Editor-in-chief, confetti

May 2025