### Nine Issues. 43 Poems. 26 Poets. And one more issue to go for 2023! *The Pierian* is looking forward to crowning its debut year with a final web issue set for October, and a marvelous print omnibus of all ten issues at year-end. We’ll keep you in the loop on how to order your own copy, and as well as preview as to its contents and highlights. In the meantime, enjoy our fantastic September issue featuring new work from __Zachary Daniel__, __Philip Dunkerly__, __Beth McDonough__, and __Lilith Morgan Elliot__. [photo credit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hole-in-the-Wall_Falls)

### September Featured Poet: Lilith Morgan Elliot For the second month in a row, we are thrilled to be highlighting a professional educator as Featured Poet. Lilith Morgan Elliott teaches high school English Language Arts in Georgia. She studied English and earned an M.A.T. at Clayton State University. Lilith was also published in *The Pierian*’s inaugural issue in 2022. In Lilith’s own words: “Her work often explores the role of language in shaping identity and draws from her experiences as a transfeminine woman.”

### August Featured poet: Paul Jaskunas This month, we feature a poet who shares our commitment to the availability of excellent literature. Paul Jaskunas, a professor of creative writing and literature at the Maryland College of Art, is founding editor of *Full Bleed*, a journal that explores the fruitful connections between art and literature. (Explore it at www.full-bleed.org.) Paul’s poem in this month’s issue is also a multi-layered exploration of poetry and art, as he interweaves allusions to Auden and Bruegel with his personal recollections. Paul has published poetry, fiction, and essays, including the novel *Hidden*, which received the Friends of American Writers Award, and two books forthcoming in 2024: *The Atlas of Remedies* (fiction) and *The News from Norway* (poetry). His writing has appeared in numerous periodicals, including *America*, *TAB: The Journal of Poetry & Poetics*, *The Windhover*, and the *New York Times*.

### June/July Featured poet: Zeyu Ma One of the great delights of the classical tradition is its multiplicity and variety. Depending on your geographical and cultural origins and your education, the word "classical" may first bring to mind Beethoven, Aeschylus, the Bhagavad Gita; even, perhaps, architectural styles, or forms of dance formalized in the reign of Louis XIV. Each tradition has its own rhythms and patterns, its own stylistic ornaments; here at *The Pierian*, we celebrate these varied traditions by juxtaposing them. This issue, our poems engage with traditions from China, Israel and Sumer, among others. The richness of the classical Chinese literary tradition comes to the fore in the poem we print this issue by featured poet __Zeyu Ma__. Ma, whose parents immigrated from China to California, studies at UC Berkeley. He admires classical poets Du Fu and Li Qingzhao. In his own words: *Zeyu Ma enjoys exploring the world through culinary adventures in his tiny kitchen, if he's not busy practicing his Beijing Opera.*

### Summer Reading Period Now Open! We're opening up our magazine for simultaneous submissions all summer long with the promo code SUMFUN23. We usually respond within a few weeks, so why wait? Offer expires soon! [Summer Submissions](https://www.thepierian.org/solicited/SUMFUN23)