Andrea Da Costa  is just plain refreshing.  So many poets use established poetic forms and get bogged down and enslaved by rhyme and  meter.  It is then  Andrea comes to the rescue and reminds us what can happen when finely honed  skills and great imagery come together.  Rhyme, form and meter are conquered and become the servant rather than the master.  Classy poetry has no better representative than this talented poet from Australia.

      John Ward  from Indiana/Ohio/California is an incredibly talented photographer.  Please excuse us for playing favorites but we are sure you will also quickly appreciate this artist. In this issue he shows us things through his lens we only hoped were there.  It was John's work that once inspired us to say a good photograph is a poem on Kodak paper.

       Cynthia Hammond   from South Carolina has again delighted us with tales of "heart songs" and "fragile beaches" and of course so very much more.  Be prepared to be moved.  There is a depth here matched only by the writing skill displayed.  With every line and image she proves the written word can be both pretty and powerful.

      Clark Buffington  paints a profound word picture for us.  Reading his poem I thought I was in Africa sitting in awe of what he laid out before me.  Don't be surprised if your breath is taken away.  This poem has all the earmarks of becoming a classic.  We hope this is not the last time we hear from this Indiana poet. 

      Pat Rodriquez  gets it.  Oh my, does she ever understand what it is all about!  To our gratitude  this Californian has the courage and skill to express what she knows and feels.  There is a poignancy here that will stay with you...even move you...and bring you back again and again.

      Algeline Billiot  has graced these pages before  with some wonderful poetry and with this issue she shows us another aspect of her talents...her photography.  The world needs to see more of her poetry and photography.  Algeline lives in Louisiana.

      Carol Brown-Tenzyk  of New York has touched us with her poems.  She captures the passion of life's deepest feelings.  Many people try to write about love but she breaks through the superficial to get to the depth of human emotion.  Her poems are both deep and exciting...a neat and refreshing trick if you can do it. 

      Marc Power  has provided us with two stunning and unique poems.  Don't expect to read them just once...you will be drawn back again and again and just when you think you understand, you will find something more in his words to contemplate.  This is not light reading...be prepared to be challenged.  We have never published anything quite like these works but hope this is not our last contact with this British poet living in New Jersey.

      Fade To Pure Black:   Concluding Thoughts From The Editor