Finishing Line Press

https://mirrorspectator.com/2026/06/04/poetry-and-music-bring-people-together-at-la-public-library/

Poetry and Music Bring People Together at LA Public Library - The Armenian Mirror-Spectator VAN NUYS — The Los Angeles Public Library held a program featuring poetry reading and musical performances on Thursday, May 28, organized by the REAB (Racial Equity Action Board). Its […]

New from Finishing Line Press: Morning Grift by Alex Missall

On SALE: https://finishinglinepress.com/product/morning-grift-by-alex-missall/

Wild fox runs in eternal circles that never complete themselves. An uncle is lost to brain cancer, but there is only trandescence on the other end of the phone to heaven. In the collection Morning Grift, the poet explores Fox Zen philosophy while trekking and camping places around Ohio. On the Buckeye Trail, and its 1440-mile path that outlines the state, the author finds himself lost while following the Steve Newman Worldwalker Trail. Later, he finds himself lost once more when footing through the caves at Hocking Hills State Park. Finally, Morning Grift passes into the beginning of the end as a man walks down a dawning sidewalk while having forgotten his pants.

Alex Missall studied creative writing at the University of Cincinnati. His work has appeared in many publications, including Superpresent, Unleash Lit, and Pictura Journal. His debut poetry collection A Harvest of Days is available through Finishing Line Press. He resides in Ohio with his family, three dogs, and a bunny named Boy #3.

PRAISE:

In Morning Grift, poet Alex Missall explores the natural and the philosophical in quiet, searching rhythm. Set against the shifting landscapes of Ohio, from wooded trails to open paths that seem to circle back on themselves, this collection follows a solitary voice navigating loss, memory, and moments of subtle transcendence. Guided by a loose thread of Fox Zen, these poems do not seek fixed answers but instead dwell in the spaces between knowing and unknowing. A man walks, pauses, listens, sometimes grounded, sometimes disoriented, as the physical world mirrors an inner searching that never fully resolves. There are echoes of grief here, but they are not heavy; rather, they move gently through the work, giving way to reflection, stillness, and occasional clarity. The landscapes become more than a setting; they are companions in thought, shaping a journey that is as much inward as it is outward. With restraint and quiet precision, Morning Grift offers a contemplative experience, one that lingers, like a path revisited, or a question left open just long enough to matter.
–Lateef Akinleye, Literary Consultant

“A reflective and quietly compelling collection. Morning Grift finds meaning in small landscapes and fleeting moments, offering poems that are both meditative and deeply human.”
–Ottessa Moshfegh, My Year of Rest and Relaxation

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A Poem by Susan Dworski Nusbaum

https://paddockreview.com/2026/06/04/a-poem-by-susan-dworski-nusbaum/

A Poem by Susan Dworski Nusbaum ….. This poem is from the chapbook SIGN LANGUAGE by Susan Dworski Nusbaum (Finishing Line Press), and can be found at Born in Rochester, NY, Susan Dworski Nusbaum received her BA from Smi…