Kristina Marie Darling
& Max Avi Kaplan

ADELLE IMAGINES THE OTHER WIVES Lately every house on the cul-de-sac keeps secrets. Behind the trellis I find high-heeled shoes, torn lingerie, a white lace handkerchief. Some woman's other life stashed amongst the hydrangea. So perhaps I'm the one who should be throwing a farewell party. Before, as the picket fence went up, I could hear my sister cheering. The wives all clawing for that one Pyrex dish. But these nights I've begun dreaming, too: lipstick, an ocean somewhere, and the oven left on its own to smolder.

Kristina Marie Darling is the author of sixteen books, which include Melancholia (An Essay) (Ravenna Press, 2012), Petrarchan (BlazeVOX Books, 2013), and a forthcoming hybrid genre collection called Fortress (Sundress Publications, 2014). Her awards include fellowships from Yaddo, the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, and the Hawthornden Castle International Retreat for Writers, as well as grants from the Kittredge Fund and the Elizabeth George Foundation. She is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Poetics at S.U.N.Y.-Buffalo. Max Avi Kaplan is a visual artist and scholar who works with photography and costuming. He holds a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Individualized Study with a concentration in Material Culture Studies and Costume History from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. In 2013, Max received a Master's degree in Visual Culture: Costume Studies from New York University's Steinhardt School of Education. His work is featured in private collections as well as numerous publications including NYLON Magazine. He has received fellowships and grants from arts foundations, including the Bronfman Center and, more recently, the Vermont Studio Center. Visit him online at http://www.maxavi.com/