About Staff

A literary magazine's success is partly distinguished by the length of service of its volunteer staff.  This year, we have four volunteer (i.e., unpaid) staff members:  two have been with Sensations Magazine since our 1987 founding, one since 1991, and one since 2002.

(Above) Publisher David Messineo - the "Renaissance man" who leads Sensations Magazine

"Along with Richard Peabody (Gargoyle) and Ron Baker (WordWrights), David Messineo (Sensations Magazine) has emerged as one of the most important independent poet/editor/publishers on the East Coast."

                      Blair Ewing, Associate Editor, WordWrights Magazine

Renaissance man.  Poet, writer, and song lyricist.  Magazine publisher and distributor.  Events coordinator and promoter.  Award-winning graphic designer.  Award-winning historian and researcher.  Marketing guru.

Raised in Little Falls, New Jersey, Mr. Messineo starting poetry writing at age 9 at School No. 3, with his first poetry publication in 1971.  At School No. 1 (7th-8th grade), he achieved Herald-News Spelling Bee State Finalist status (12th place in the State of New Jersey, two years in a row). 

At Passaic Valley High School, he wrote columns for the school newspaper, Valley Echo, and was published (anonymously, by his request) in the school's literary magazine, Images - where he also started his 30-year career as poetry editor in October, 1979.  Two of his poems appeared in two editions of The Best Student Poetry in New Jersey, published by New Jersey Institute of Technology. 

in the Fall of 1981, Mr. Messineo decided to start an alternative to the existing 98-year-old literary magazine at Fordham University, founding Alternative Motifs at Fordham University (Rose Hill Campus) and releasing Issue 1 on November 17, 1981.  By 1983, Alternative Motifs had broken several literary records at Fordham University, including the largest issue in a decade, and a 100-page issue which was the largest literary magazine in the University's 150+-year history (a record which still stands, 25+ years later).  Also by 1983, Alternative Motifs had become the third largest student group on campus, with Mr. Messineo leading a volunteer staff of over 50 students.  Fordham would continue to have two literary magazines on campus for over a decade after his graduation - a testimony to the quality and endurance of what he had founded.

After leaving Fordham University, David Messineo started Sensations Magazine in 1987, because he believed he could release a better literary magazine, with more accentuation on design and layout, than much of the competition.   Through his foresight and leadership, Sensations Magazine continues to be an important component of a dynamic and diverse poetry scene in New Jersey - and is one of fewer than 300 literary magazines in America to still be in operation after a 20+-year run.  His 30th anniversary as a literary magazine poetry editor (from Images, to Alternative Motifs, to Sensations Magazine), coming October 2008, is a record or volunteer dedication and achievement matched or exceeded by fewer than 10 active poetry editors in America. 

Mr. Messineo's goal is to self-publish 50 magazine issues across 25 years, from 1987 to 2012.  In December 2006, Mr. Messineo reached the 4/5 mark toward that goal, with the release of the 300-page Issue 40, "Retro."  Issue 42, the "20th Anniversary Spoken Word Issue," will break that record - and possibly be the third largest literary magazine issue ever released in the State of New Jersey.  (We'll know shortly.)

Mr. Messineo has consistently written new poetry every year since 1977 (with the sole exception of 2007).  As a popular performance poet on the New Jersey poetry circuit, Mr. Messineo brings both "a sense of class to the proceedings" and a fine, exciting voice for spoken word, offering both provocative and enjoyable work.  He is the author of six poetry collections:  First Impressions, Suburban Gothic, A Taste of Italy, Restoration, A Taste of Brazil, and Formal.  Click "Join" at left, then the corresponding sub-buttons, for further information about these and other forthcoming books. 

On a personal note, Mr. Messineo enjoys developing "friendships of substance" with select individuals, and especially finds a "kindred spirit" in those who have dedicated a substantial part of their personal lives to bringing a greater sense of beauty into the world.  He considers his greatest fortune to be his partner of 17 years, and the dozen individuals who have been friends with him for over 20 years.  He is always up for meeting new people (or getting better acquainted with those from his past); having a pleasant conversation in a scenic place; and socializing between literary and history research projects, as time permits.

Outside of his literary magazine and public performance ventures, he enjoys movies and plays; trying new restaurants, from Manhattan neighborhoods to the farthest-flung reaches of New Jersey; exploring suburban towns; weight training and wine tasting (but not at the same time); and is starting to enjoy the quiet pleasures of "country living" (of sorts) up in Sussex County, New Jersey, which has spurred new travels to lower New York State and northeastern Pennsylvania.

Starting in late 2008, Mr. Messineo will offer history lectures and poetry/history presentations to historical societies and other interested parties.  Rates and opportunies will be sent in a direct mailing to prospects sometime in 2008.

From dancing at events to hand-transcribing 17th century texts too fragile to photocopy to handling production (printing, collation, binding, shipping) of almost every issue since 1991, Kleber has been the backbone of the publication.  His service has been critical to our coming out when promised, issue after issue. He has been the Videographer for almost every poetry reading or arts event we've held since 1991.  As a professional dancer, Mr. de Freitas has danced at Carnegie Hall, and with numerous dance companies in the tri-state area.  Kleber has transitioned from dance to being a massage therapist with a focus on spiritual healing.  He received his Certificate in Massage Therapy from The Chubb Institute in September 2007, and will be opening his Brazilian massage therapy practice, Uirapiru, named after the Brazilian songbird, in May 2008.

(Above, L-R) Kleber de Freitas and Sandra Morton share a moment from Vaslav Nijinsky's "Afternoon of a Faun," at Spring Street Studio, New York, NY in 1995

(Above) Fiction Editor Marilyn Hartl at Paterson Falls, Paterson, NJ, 1988.

How do you help fiction writers to improve their writing? Have their work critiqued by the same editor, year after year.  Who has read and judged every story since Issue 2?  Marilyn Hartl.  

Ms. Hartl joined Sensations Magazine with Issue 1, as a fellow typesetter, and then was given the post of Fiction Editor as of Issue 2.  Her 20 consecutive year tenure as a Fiction Editor of a United States literary magazine is a record matched by few in this industry.

(Above) Fiction Editor Paul Nash is joined by his wife, Denise LaNeve.  Denise played Ginger Rogers to Kleber de Freitas' Fred Astaire for several Gold Coast Performing Arts dance programs held at the Jersey Shore from 2004-2006.

Paul Nash joined Sensations Magazine as our fourth Fiction Editor in the Winter of 2002. (He replaced Maggie Reilly-Brooks, who was Fiction Editor from 1987-2002.  Dorian Tenore-Bartilucci was our third Fiction Editor, from 1988-1995.) 

Mr. Nash has been a past President of the New York Paleontological Society, and has worked for the Museum of Natural History in New York City, conducting laboratory and field research on ancient organisms preserved in amber and sedimentary rock from the Mesozoic Era, and participating in museum expeditions worldwide. 

Separate from Sensations Magazine, he operates the North Jersey Literary Society poetry reading series on the fourth Friday of each month - currently located at Il Trapezio Cafe, Nutley, NJ.