Welcome the contributors from all over the world who helped make this issue a stellar one:
Lauren McBride (Lubbock, Texas): Dreaming of Dalí
Hannan Khan (Mailsi, Punjab, Pakistan): Falling Between Seconds
Hannya Kay (Busot, Spain): Through Hades and Beyond
Ian Li (Toronto, Ontario, Canada): what spirits need on lonely nights
Kimberly L. Becker (Minot, North Dakota): Aftermath
Hannan Khan (Mailsi, Punjab, Pakistan): Futures Like Foreplay
Lisa Kamolnick (Blountville, Tennessee): Relapse
Fendy Satria Tulodo (Malang, East Java, Indonesia): The Virgin of Thorns
Katharyn Howd Machan (Ithaca, New York): Hooded
Ann K. Schwader (Westminster, Colorado): Re Extinction
There’s a great variety in form from very experimental to time-proven forms, as well as theme—for which I attempted an arc to collectively present the works in stronger light. There is no one-way to do this. Even presented at random, I would’ve been satisfied.
You might notice that the artwork, at least in part, was heavily relied on my using AI generated art, but I assure you it is completely legal, especially in this application. I hope they do your poem justice. Sadly, it didn’t save me any time. I still had to spend at least one hour on every piece to create the right art, which involved numerous iterations. Perhaps it won’t take as long in the future. I like this application (Wixel) much better than other generators so far.
Because half of the poems are represented by other nations, remember that I cherish bilingual poems, poems written and translated by you, and poems written by someone else that you translated (provided you have documented permissions). Personally, I can handle Spanish (and to a lessor extent Italian), and I love Greek and Hebrew, whose beauty isn’t obvious in translation because these languages are precise (Greek) or layered with many meanings (Hebrew) that normally require many English words to convey the depth of meanings. Regardless, give it a shot (but please refrain from online translators that don’t have a clue how to translate, let alone translate poetry!
In addition, don’t be shy to submit Found poetry (properly cited).
Finally, before you submit your poems (compliant with the guidelines), please read your work out loud as a last-minute check. You might be surprised to learn that reading it with your mind’s eye is very forgiving, filling in blanks, correcting errors, etc. But reading it aloud, those imperfections and the nuances of rhythm will pop right out! Your eyes will lie to the brain, but it is impossible for your ears to tell nothing but the truth.
Enjoy this issue, and remember, keep reading, writing, and have fun. If it ever isn’t fun anymore, then find another hobby or profession. Life is too short.