January 2020
EDITOR'S NOTE
Dear Villagers,
Benjamin Button Syndrome. That's what it has felt like going back and back and back into the archives of Verse-Virtual. I started with the most recent, and saved each issue, one poet at a time, all the way back to 2014, when V-V was born. And oh boy, have I learned some things!
One, I learned a lot about this community and the people in it from reading random bio notes. A beautifully diverse group, but there's a strong commonality that is strikingly obvious when viewed "growing backwards". Passion and compassion are woven all through your poems. You are a group of people who experience life with intensity, and it shows in your writing.
Two, I realized that I'm a better poet than I gave myself credit for. I may not always recognize when I have written a mediocre poem, but I know when I've written a good one. I hope that you all have that sense of knowing when your poems are worthy. Acceptance/rejection is a poor measure, as you must realize. You write some excellent poetry, and you should be pleased.
Three, as the novelty of the community faded with time, so did the participation that initially made V-V so different, so special. We can fix that quite easily, you and I. I'll return to that in a minute.
But first, today is Firestone's birthday. January 1. What a delightful thing, to begin your new year of life on New Year's Day. Happy birthday, dear Firestone. You created something valuable, and we thank you for it. Our birthday gift to you is this issue of Verse-Virtual. We intend to keep this journal and this community alive and thriving. We hope you will regain your health and rejoin us. We miss you.
Back to point #3. It takes only a small commitment to read three to five poets from each issue as it is published, and then respond with some comments on poems you liked, and why. It doesn't need to be (and shouldn't be) a PhD level critique. A simple "This reminded me of a time when I laughed/cried/loved/struggled, etc. Powerfully written, thank you" would be enough. Of course you can write more, as Bob Knox has done so often.
If you will commit to this simple participation, then I ask that you send me comments on 3 to 5 poems you liked, and I will follow Firestone's lead by emailing them to all, as well as posting them in the Facebook V-V group. It will revive the sense of community faster than anything else. I promise. In addition to these batch comments, please continue to write directly to individual authors whose poems touch you. THIS MORE THAN ANYTHING IS THE VISION OF VERSE-VIRTUAL, and is what develops and enhances the community. I wrote to a few of you whose poems from the archives moved me. I would have written lots more, but my time and energy are not boundless.
THANK YOU to all of you who have expressed your support for me and for our first guest editor, Donna Hilbert, as we took on this task. There is a lot more to be done to get all the archives back online. It will take time, but it will happen.
Lastly, the flood gates are now open. Submit your poems for the March issue up until January 10th, not a day later! Everything should be sent to submissions4vv@gmail.com. And please, follow the submission guidelines.
Happy New Year to you all, with my best regards.
Jim Lewis
Managing Editor
Benjamin Button Syndrome. That's what it has felt like going back and back and back into the archives of Verse-Virtual. I started with the most recent, and saved each issue, one poet at a time, all the way back to 2014, when V-V was born. And oh boy, have I learned some things!
One, I learned a lot about this community and the people in it from reading random bio notes. A beautifully diverse group, but there's a strong commonality that is strikingly obvious when viewed "growing backwards". Passion and compassion are woven all through your poems. You are a group of people who experience life with intensity, and it shows in your writing.
Two, I realized that I'm a better poet than I gave myself credit for. I may not always recognize when I have written a mediocre poem, but I know when I've written a good one. I hope that you all have that sense of knowing when your poems are worthy. Acceptance/rejection is a poor measure, as you must realize. You write some excellent poetry, and you should be pleased.
Three, as the novelty of the community faded with time, so did the participation that initially made V-V so different, so special. We can fix that quite easily, you and I. I'll return to that in a minute.
But first, today is Firestone's birthday. January 1. What a delightful thing, to begin your new year of life on New Year's Day. Happy birthday, dear Firestone. You created something valuable, and we thank you for it. Our birthday gift to you is this issue of Verse-Virtual. We intend to keep this journal and this community alive and thriving. We hope you will regain your health and rejoin us. We miss you.
Back to point #3. It takes only a small commitment to read three to five poets from each issue as it is published, and then respond with some comments on poems you liked, and why. It doesn't need to be (and shouldn't be) a PhD level critique. A simple "This reminded me of a time when I laughed/cried/loved/struggled, etc. Powerfully written, thank you" would be enough. Of course you can write more, as Bob Knox has done so often.
If you will commit to this simple participation, then I ask that you send me comments on 3 to 5 poems you liked, and I will follow Firestone's lead by emailing them to all, as well as posting them in the Facebook V-V group. It will revive the sense of community faster than anything else. I promise. In addition to these batch comments, please continue to write directly to individual authors whose poems touch you. THIS MORE THAN ANYTHING IS THE VISION OF VERSE-VIRTUAL, and is what develops and enhances the community. I wrote to a few of you whose poems from the archives moved me. I would have written lots more, but my time and energy are not boundless.
THANK YOU to all of you who have expressed your support for me and for our first guest editor, Donna Hilbert, as we took on this task. There is a lot more to be done to get all the archives back online. It will take time, but it will happen.
Lastly, the flood gates are now open. Submit your poems for the March issue up until January 10th, not a day later! Everything should be sent to submissions4vv@gmail.com. And please, follow the submission guidelines.
Happy New Year to you all, with my best regards.
Jim Lewis
Managing Editor