A Literary Magazine
dogeeseseegod
What Does it Mean to Be Human?
Summer 2023 // Issue #1
As the Goose, I have never been a human. I've only ever grown up a goose, so I don't fully understand what it means to be human. This question seems so crucial to your way of life, so won't you please explain it to me? Through your stories and your poems, your essays and your art, please show me what it means to be human.
Letter from the Editors
Dear Reader,
We would first like to thank a few people. A HUGE thank you to Brad Aaron Modlin for advising us through this process and for believing in the project from the first HONK. To Dr. Dawn Simon and the University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Undergraduate Research Program, thank you for your support of this project! Thank you to Nikkita Cohoon from Ritual Morning Studio for consulting us through the design process. A final thank you to everyone who submitted to Issue One, to our contributors, and to anyone else who supported this project along the way. The Goose thanks you all.
The first issue of Do Geese See God asked, "What does it mean to be human?" And we received writing from authors all over the globe answering that question. From love to family, from growing up to reminiscing, therapy to just another day in the park watching geese, all of the literature in this issue has shown The Goose what it means to be human. Though it isn't always pretty, it's the highs and the lows in life that make us human. The Goose sees that now. They look forward to reading and rereading and catching any subtext they missed the first time through. After all, there is no correct way to be human. But the more we know about each other, the better off we'll be.
We hope these pieces resonate with you. We hope this nest feels like home.
Enjoy!
Kenny Mitchell and Coleman Riggins
Founders and Co-EICs of Do Geese See God
Fiction // Richard Weaver
Post-Covid, Richard Weaver has returned as the writer-in-residence at the James Joyce Pub. Among his other pubs: conjunctions, Louisville Review, Southern Quarterly, Birmingham Arts Journal, Coachella Review, FRIGG, Hollins Critic, Xavier Review, Atlanta Review...
Visual Art // Irina Tall Novikova
Irina Tall (Novikova) is an artist, graphic artist, illustrator. She graduated from the State Academy of Slavic Cultures with a degree in art, and also has a bachelor's degree in design. The first personal exhibition "My soul is like a wild hawk" (2002) was held in the museum of...
Poetry // Christina Ellison
Christina Ellison (she/her) is an MFA candidate at Sam Houston State University, an Editorial Fellow at the Texas Review Press, and managing editor of The Measure. Her stories appear in HUMID 14 and 15. She lives in Spring, Texas, with her best friend, air conditioning.
Creative Nonfiction // John Janelle Backman
John Janelle Backman (she/her) writes about gender identity, ancient spirituality, the everyday strangeness of karma, and occasionally wildflowers. Janelle’s work has appeared in Catapult, the tiny journal, Tiferet Journal, Psaltery & Lyre, and Amethyst Review, among other places. Her essays have made the shortlist...
Poetry // Kushal Poddar
Kushal Poddar, the author of Postmarked Quarantine has eight books to his credit. He is a journalist, father, and the editor of Words Surfacing. His works have been translated into twelve languages, published across the globe.
Poetry // Julie Allyn Johnson
Julie Allyn Johnson is a sawyer's daughter from the American Midwest whose current obsession is tackling the rough and tumble sport of quilting and the accumulation of fabric. A Pushcart Prize nominee, her poetry can be found in Star*Line, The Briar Cliff Review, Phantom Kangaroo, Haven Speculative...
Poetry // Arushi (Aera) Rege
Arushi (Aera) Rege is a queer, Indian-American poet who simultaneously attends junior year in high school. In their free time, they can be found drinking coffee, stressing over college, and attempting to be a normal teenager. They tweet occasionally @academic_core and face the perils of instagram @aeranem_26...
Poetry // Zoe Davis
Zoe Davis is an emerging writer and artist from Sheffield, England. A Quality Engineer in advanced manufacturing by day, she spends her evenings and weekends writing poetry and prose, and especially enjoys exploring the interaction between the fantastical and the mundane...
Fiction // Yash Seyedbagheri
Yash Seyedbagheri is a graduate of Colorado State University's MFA fiction program. His stories, "Soon,” “How To Be A Good Episcopalian,” "Tales From A Communion Line," and "Community Time," have been nominated for Pushcarts. Yash’s work has been published in SmokeLong Quarterly...
Poetry // Joshua Zeitler
Joshua Zeitler is a queer, nonbinary writer based in rural Michigan. They are currently pursuing an MFA in poetry at Alma College, and have interned with Scoundrel Time. Their poetry has previously appeared or is forthcoming in Cutthroat, Black Fox, Dark Onus, The Bluebird Word, and Wireworm.
Creative Nonfiction // Marc Isaac Potter
Marc Isaac Potter (we/they/them) is a differently-abled writer living in the SF Bay Area. Marc’s interests include blogging by email and Zen. They have been published in Fiery Scribe Review, Feral A Journal of Poetry and Art, Poetic Sun Poetry, and Provenance Journal.
Fiction // Joseph Bullock
Joseph Bullock is a 24-year-old writer, film critic, and photographer from Suffolk, United Kingdom. He has had essays published by 3:AM Magazine, PN Review, Film Daze, and One Room With A View.
Poetry // August Fritton
August Fritton is a poet and writer originally from Overland Park, Kansas. They are currently a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They are currently studying English and Women's & Gender Studies. August also serves as the Vice President of the UNL Slam Poetry Club...
Poetry // Sam Calhoun
Sam Calhoun is a writer and photographer living in Elkmont, AL. He is the author of one chapbook, “Follow This Creek” (Foothills Publishing). His poems have appeared in Pregnant Moon Review, Westward Quarterly, Offerings, Waterways, and other journals.
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Poetry // Johanna Haas
Johanna Haas lives in the hot middle of the United States, in a cottage with three lions. From there she writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry with a focus on magical realism...
Fiction // Ben Nardolilli
Ben Nardolilli is currently an MFA candidate at Long Island University. His work has appeared in Perigee Magazine, Red Fez, SLAB, Quail Bell Magazine, Elimae, The Northampton Review, Door Is A Jar Literary Magazine, The Minetta Review, and Yes Poetry...
Visual Art // Francheska Ativo
Francheska (or 'Cai', as people may call her) is a 21-year-old casual and traditional artist from the Philippines. She's currently in her 4th year of college, taking BS Architecture. She uses art as an outlet to express herself, her ideas, and her emotions, making her grab every opportunity at school where she can make art...
Poetry // Hanna Denton
Hanna Denton is a student at McNeese State University where she studies English literature, Latin, and ancient Greek. She lives and writes in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Fiction // Edward Ahern
Ed Ahern resumed writing after forty odd years in foreign intelligence and international sales. He’s had over four hundred fifty stories and poems published so far, and seven books. Ed works the other side of writing at Bewildering Stories, where he sits on the review board and manages a posse of eight review editors.
Poetry // Dane Lyn
Dane Lyn (they/them) is a neurodivergent, genderqueer, disabled, educator, poet, and glitter enthusiast in a love-hate relationship with Los Angeles, where they reside. Dane has an MFA from Lindenwood University, a ridiculous collection of succulents, and four scavenger hunt runner up ribbons...
Poetry // Aisha Kabiru Mohammed
Aisha is a writer and Law student from Nigeria. Her work has been published in Popula, Document women, Brittle Paper, and others. She believes In the Power of Storytelling in shaping the socio-political landscape of a Nation. She currently works as Assitant Editor at Document Women.
Poetry // Rose McCoy
Rose McCoy (she/her) is a writer, musician, and aspiring psychologist from Morgantown, West Virginia. She often writes on themes of love, loss, and other things that hit her in the heart...
Creative Nonfiction // Jennette Schow
Jennette Schow is an emerging writer pursuing her BFA in Creative Non-Fiction at Boise State University. Her work highlights the beauty of day-to-day life in the modern world. She feels that there is a lot to appreciate in mundane, fleeting moments and aims to inspire others...
Fiction // Elias Hunt
Elias Hunt is a third-year student of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and part-time student employee at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Children’s Center.
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Poetry // Harry Katz
Harry Katz is a part-time bartender and full-time student in the Department of American Studies at Stanford University. His work has appeared in BS Lit and the Neologism Poetry Journal and won the Bocock Guerard Fiction Prize in 2023. He lives in the stormiest part of Central Virginia...
Poetry // Kirsten Sto. Domingo
Kirsten Sto. Domingo (she/her) is a disabled writer from the Philippines. When she's not rewatching her favorite sitcoms or listening to k-pop, she's busy daydreaming about cozy fictional worlds.
Poetry // Tyler S.
Tyler S writes, teaches, and lives in Atlanta, GA. They have poems in Metachrosis, Naked Cat Lit Mag, El Aleph, and Forklift, Ohio among others. Their long poem "Tracklisted" was published as a record insert by I Have Two First Names Press.
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Fiction // Lisa Voorhees
A Jersey girl at heart, when Lisa’s not writing, she’s usually listening to hard rock, bouldering, or sipping amaretto sours. Before she started writing novels, she earned her doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tufts University...