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Steven Leonardo Clifford: Co-Founder, Art Director
Steven Leonardo Clifford couldn’t help viewing the world through a literary lens since childhood––chaotized through tragedy, misadventures and half-baked enlightenment. Clifford from an early age began seeing through metaphorizing eyes. A hyperfocus drive for more inspires him to experiment with the word and its deconstructive powers that can transform the world. Part time garage philosopher, reality-student and gorilla-tactic inquirer, Steven considers himself a poet foremost.
M.T. Pariti: Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief
M.T. Pariti is a poet, writer, and performer based on Long Island, NY. He lives in Bay Shore with his two cats Jupiter and Juno. His daughter Raquel lives in Northern New Jersey. Writing is very much a compulsion for him, something he has been involved in since he was a teenager. He believes poetry is a unique art in that it can be experienced both on the page and on the stage, and wants to give as many poets as possible a chance to engage with their communities at open mics and hold their published work in their hands. Having moved around a lot in his early years, he really appreciates what the entire Island has to offer, and hopes to see a cross-county transference of art and poetry. M.T.’s own work focuses on living a neurodivergent life. In it he processes the many years he lived undiagnosed. His lyrical and rhythmic style, combined with his tumbling and musical verse entertains as much as it disarms as he tackles topics like trauma and mental illness.
Vincent Calone: Submissions Editor
v.j. (Vinnie) Calone, formalist poet. Studied under Lewis Turco author, The New Book of Forms. BA SUNY Oswego '95. Vincent's a poet/dramatist. Writing, acting and directing original theater on Long Island for the past eight years. His poems have appeared in The Suffolk County Poetry Review, The Chiron Review, Atom Mind, Long Island Quarterly, Poetry X Hunger, and PoARTry. Vinnie writes, edits and posts a new poem everyday at Raven Wire Poetry Prompts on FaceBook and has been doing so since August 1st. 2022. Vinnie just finished a collection of poetry called “A Caesura” to be released this fall. It is his life's work and will contain over three hundred poems.
Paula Curci: Poet Correspondent
Paula Curci is the Nassau County Poet Laureate for 2022-2024. She is the Poet in Residence for Radio Hofstra University, where she produces Calliope’s Corner - The Place Where Poets and Songwriters Meet and What’s The Buzz ®. She is a certified Journal to the Self™ Journal writing instructor and spearheads the “Poetry: It’s a Shore Thing!” micro-memoir project, at the Long Beach library, where she co-hosts the Poet Laureate’s Invitational open mic. Paula co-founded the Acoustic Poets Network ™ and she is known for her esthetic style of poetry called Posics™. Paula has been published in various anthologies and her work can be found on streaming audio and Kindle. She has three albums: Emissary, Bittersweet and Done That-The Audio Version and has written three chapbooks One Woman’s Cathartic Release in Poetry, Done That and The Gift of Thanksgiving. She has received several awards for her contribution to the arts.
Jenny Jaser: Photographer
Jenny Jaser, is a first generation Palestinian graphic designer turned photographer. She went to art school for illustration and quickly realized she was in the wrong industry. Jenny did design for a few years, but Covid had her laid off. She became a mail carrier for a brief time and quit when she decided to fully commit to the camera. "I am super happy to be a part of a local scene project because I am all for the community here in Long Island. It's small but always growing. I think it's so important to bring a more diverse outlook on life through poetry, music and art. I believe we need to keep the Long Island art culture alive through capturing and sharing it in stills." IG: @jennyjaserphotography
Steps: Poet On The Ground
Steps is a poet, writer, dancer, athlete, and performer based on Long Island, NY. Steps recently moved to North Babylon in late 2023. Steps' family consists of his daughter, mother, father and three siblings. He prefers to maintain his anonymity but never forgets to extend a helping hand. Writing poetry has always been a hobby for him, it assisted with tapping into his own emotions. Steps love for writing and poetry started when he was a teenager, using it as an mental escape. He believes poetry is a unique art that allows the author and reader/listener to go on journey together. He tackles subjects such as self-doubt, depression, anxiety, and love. Having moved around a lot in his early years, he truly appreciates what the entire Island has to offer. The people who inspired his creativity and style of writing are his mother (writer/author) and eldest brother (writer/lyricist/dancer/artist). Steps continues to search for ways to improve his writing, believing that his poerty will tell a story that touches the hearts of everyone around him. Steps was eventually introduced to an amazing group of individuals within the TheScene.life in late August, early September, soon joining the group as the Poet on the Ground in late November. Being a part of The Scene has expanded and changed how he views poetry and performing.
