Sally Ventura’s work appears in various journals such as Earth’s Daughters, Educational Leadership and English Journal, and she has previously served as associate editor of The English Record. She lives and teaches in Olean, New York.
Jasmine
When her uncle came to visit from Florida, he brought a bagful of shells.
“Look at you! How big you’ve gotten! C’mere, c’mere! Give your Uncle Glenn a big hug! Aren’t you glad to see your Uncle Glenn?”
Her siblings (“half-stepsiblings,” as her mother joked about her confusion over the distinction between stepsiblings and half-siblings) were jealous that he gave her the big conch shell, but her Uncle Glenn had said that she was the youngest, so she would appreciate it the most. Read more.
“Lake Ontario,” “This Town With One Bridge,” and “A Proctor at the Final Exam”
You are launching us in the boat
that you made seaworthy. It scrapes against the
pebbles which shift so reassuringly when the lake
is calm. It is your boat, your day, and we are your
children. We have brought along our families,
all that we have added to your empire. Read more.