January 2022
EDITOR'S NOTE
Dear Community,
Confession. I don't make New Year's resolutions. I simply take stock of where I am, determine what I realistically might want to change, and make plans for how to effect the change. No "this year I'm going to lose weight" or "this year I'm going to learn to play guitar". None of that. If playing blues guitar is what I want to do, then I will look carefully at how my time is spent daily outside of work, and ask myself how much of that time I am willing to spend practicing and listening and practicing some more. That alone will tell me whether playing decently will happen this year or maybe never. But no resolutions. I know myself well enough to get a good chuckle out of such things. They don't last a month with me.
Shifting gears—2022 should afford me a little more time away from work to concentrate on things I enjoy, like Verse-Virtual. I have been kicking around an idea that I think would make the journal even more interesting, but I have to do some testing before I make a decision. Might be too much for me. I don't know yet. Watch this space.
The January 2022 issue of Verse-Virtual marks the two year anniversary of me taking on the role of Editor. It's been quite enlightening, and with a few exceptions, it has been rewarding. I look forward to another year of positive interaction with this community. You are writing to each other more and more, and that is perfect. From time to time though, I will get a comment about "I don't really feel comfortable doing the batch reviews, I just write to the individual authors." I don't know where the perception comes from that batch reviews are expected, because on the "ABOUT" page, which you really should read, it says:
It has never been expected that everyone should send in batch reviews. Never. It is an optional way for members to interact and support each other. So stop feeling guilty, stop feeling pressured. Enjoy whatever interactions you are comfortable with. Build friendships, build community. That's all that is asked of you.
Submissions for the February 2022 issue (no theme) will be open from the 1st through the 10th of January. I look forward to reading what you send in. You should take seriously the line on the guidelines page that says "Submissions that don't follow these guidelines will neither be read nor replied to."
Jim
Confession. I don't make New Year's resolutions. I simply take stock of where I am, determine what I realistically might want to change, and make plans for how to effect the change. No "this year I'm going to lose weight" or "this year I'm going to learn to play guitar". None of that. If playing blues guitar is what I want to do, then I will look carefully at how my time is spent daily outside of work, and ask myself how much of that time I am willing to spend practicing and listening and practicing some more. That alone will tell me whether playing decently will happen this year or maybe never. But no resolutions. I know myself well enough to get a good chuckle out of such things. They don't last a month with me.
Shifting gears—2022 should afford me a little more time away from work to concentrate on things I enjoy, like Verse-Virtual. I have been kicking around an idea that I think would make the journal even more interesting, but I have to do some testing before I make a decision. Might be too much for me. I don't know yet. Watch this space.
The January 2022 issue of Verse-Virtual marks the two year anniversary of me taking on the role of Editor. It's been quite enlightening, and with a few exceptions, it has been rewarding. I look forward to another year of positive interaction with this community. You are writing to each other more and more, and that is perfect. From time to time though, I will get a comment about "I don't really feel comfortable doing the batch reviews, I just write to the individual authors." I don't know where the perception comes from that batch reviews are expected, because on the "ABOUT" page, which you really should read, it says:
- "Readers read the poems and articles in the journal. When they come across ones they like they write emails to the authors to tell them. Communication happens; friendships develop. Readers who WANT to share from three to six reviews with the entire community send their reviews to comments4vv@gmail.com. They will be sent to the group, and posted on our Facebook page."
It has never been expected that everyone should send in batch reviews. Never. It is an optional way for members to interact and support each other. So stop feeling guilty, stop feeling pressured. Enjoy whatever interactions you are comfortable with. Build friendships, build community. That's all that is asked of you.
Submissions for the February 2022 issue (no theme) will be open from the 1st through the 10th of January. I look forward to reading what you send in. You should take seriously the line on the guidelines page that says "Submissions that don't follow these guidelines will neither be read nor replied to."
Jim