The Desert Nights, Rising Stars
Writers Conference

Join editors and contributors from The Literary Review (TLR) for "The TLR Share Project," a mixed reading of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction on Friday, February 22, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. Published since 1957, The Literary Review (TLR) publishes the best new fiction, poetry, and prose from a broad community of international writers and translators, both emerging and established, whose commonality is literary quality and urgency of voice and artistic conviction. It is this genuine community of readers, writers, and publishers that distinguishes us. Featuring Jennifer Battisti, David Pischke, Heather Lang Cassera, and Cody Wilson.

TLR Share is a curated section of our website dedicated to the reinforcement of our literary community. Through weekly features of stories, poems, or lyric prose published in other small magazines, the TLR Share Editors endeavor to extend the life and reach of individual literary publications by republishing selected works in full. In additon to reading, editors will also be on hand to answer questions about literary magazines, submitting, editing, publishing, or other thoughts the audience might have.

While encouraged, RSVPs are purely for the purposes of monitoring attendance, gauging interest, and communicating information about parking, directions, and other aspects of the event. You do not have to register or RSVP to attend this event. This event is open to the public and free.

About the Readers

Jennifer Battisti, a Las Vegas native, studies creative writing at Nevada State College. In 2019 she was named Las Vegas' Best Local Writer. Her work has been anthologized in Legs of Tumbleweed, Wings of Lace, Where We Live, an anthology of writing and art in response to the October 1st tragedy and is forthcoming in The Good Fight. Her worked has also appeared in The Desert Companion, Minerva Rising, The Citron Review, FLARE, Helen: A Literary magazine,The Red Rock Review, 300 Days of Summer and elsewhere. She is a contributing writer for Las Vegas Woman magazine. In 2016 Nevada Public Radio interviewed her about her poetry. She is the coordinator and a participating Teaching Artist for the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project in Clark County and was the recipient of the Helen Stewart Poetry Prize for 2018. Her first chapbook, Echo Bay was released in 2018 (Tolsun Books).

Heather Lang Cassera holds an MFA in Poetry with a Certificate in Literary Translation. In 2017 she was named Las Vegas' Best Local Writer or Poet by the readers of KNPR’s Desert Companion. Her poems have been published by or are forthcoming with The Normal School, North American Review, Pleiades, South Dakota Review, and other literary journals, and have been on exhibit in the Nevada Humanities Program Gallery. Heather curated Legs of Tumbleweeds, Wings of Lace, an anthology of literature by Nevada women, funded by the Nevada Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts. She serves as World Literature Editor and book reviewer for The Literary Review, Faculty Advisor for 300 Days of Sun, and Co-Publisher for Tolsun Books. At Nevada State College, Heather teaches Composition, Professional Writing, World Literature, and more. www.heatherlang.cassera.net

David Pischke is the co-founder and Art Director of Tolsun Books. He has recently edited the short-story collections Fluoride, by Chad Meadows, and (Intentionally Blank), by Thomas Mundt, and his artwork can be found on the covers of pungent dins concentric, by Vanessa Couto Johnson, and Why I Didn’t Go to Your Funeral, by Colin Pope. David’s own stories have appeared in Digital Americana, Reaching Beyond the Saguaros, and Driftwood Press, among others. His micro-poem collection, In cahoots with the rock and the hill, was published by Rinky Dink Press. He lives in a suburb of Phoenix with his wife, two boys, and two dogs named Hilda Doo and Huckleberry.

Cody Wilson teaches English and Creative Writing in Arizona. He has an MFA from Queens University of Charlotte. His chapbook, Nobody is Ever Missing, was published by Tolsun Books. Some of his work appears at Juxtaprose, The Southampton Review, Juked, Emrys, New Ohio Review and ARC.