September 2009

Dear Readers.

Welcome to our second issue of CrossBronx. We are pleased to present these wonderful works which showcase our theme of home.

Our first poem, “Home,” by Bernice McWilliams, gives us a true taste of the language and rhythms of the Bronx. Lovers and defenders of the Bronx will nod in time and agreement to her anthem. It’s a celebration and personification of the place we’ve come to know and love, in spite of the troubles. I can’t wait to hear her perform this piece at our event in the fall.

And, although Sima Rabinowitz’ “Sima Rabinowitz Meets Frank O’Hara for Lunch” takes place in Manhattan; a New York attitude is shared. Sima’s Second Avenue could easily be one of our wide streets or avenues, and it puts you in the mood for a kasha varnishke.

We’ve all seen and heard the subway evangelist, as well as the countless commuters who, Bible (or other spiritual writing) in hand, use the morning commute as a moment for prayer or meditation. This has often caused me to regard the subway car as a sacred place. Elisabeth von Uhl’s “Woman with Bible on Eastchester-Dyre 5 Train” shatters our notions of piety with an original view, and we want to know more.

Also startling is Carlo Baldi’s ”ADIDAS,” which combines familiar sounds, tastes, and images (such as the conga players, front stoops and fire crackers, platanos and maltas) with sexy secrets and hilarious revelations. It’s a comic and candid glimpse of “coming of age” in the Bronx.

In a similar gritty mode, Ed Mouzon’s “Ode to the Empty Lots” brings us back to the spoken word mode largely originating on our streets, and, gives us a child’s perspective of fun and survival.

Poetry ends with a photograph. Amy Soricelli’s “Returnings” brings us to a home long ago, perhaps in another country, reminding us of places where our multinational flavors originated. We can almost see the grandfather, and the little dog. The reason? It’s because we all have that same postcard, or one much like it, ourselves at home.

The prose begins with a piece about the neighborhood from my comrade, 2008/2009 Literary Arts Fellow, Sam J. Miller. The story, “Outside the Pack”, makes home feel not quite so homey.

The three short stories, “The Bronx, Here and Now” by Stacey Engels, “Waterbury Park” by Ed Friedman and “23 Blackbirds” by Jeremy Greenfield, all play, in very different ways, with the idea of leaving the Bronx and of life-changing moments.

We sincerely hope that you will enjoy this second issue of CrossBRONX. Come visit us again soon, and keep writing!

Silvia Morales