Notes from the Editor

Dear Readers,

I was almost waylaid by a corgi at the market this morning, nearly tripped over her amongst the crowd and vegetables, careened and regained my balance. Whew! Her name was Duchess and I bowed to her as she and her human sallied forth. Caused me to reflect for a moment on the pleasures of standing upright.

We don’t know what might undo us, at the market or in the poem, as the writer or as the reader. And that keeps me turning the pages of each issue of Willawaw. Half-way into my eighth year of this production, and it is still full of surprises and also some growing pains.

This issue, I had to veer from the poet laureate prompt. I may have to widen the geography to include more of the country so that I can continue to find poet laureate candidates. I may need to raise the submission fees to cover the increasing costs of running a website and using a submission manager. Maybe I’ll try another ad in Poets & Writers?

Meanwhile, contributors persist in sending work that I can’t resist, new poets and those I see often, some emerging and some extremely accomplished. An ongoing revelation for which I am grateful.

In this issue, you will find ghazals which are a special interest of mine this year. (And I may as well tell you that I am currently exploring ekphrastic poetry— it may also show up as a prompt!)

I don’t know which poem might sweep you off your feet, but I would like to know. Please send me a note (willawawjournal@gmail.com) with your feedback. You, as the reader, are an integral part of this creative endeavor. I value your insights.

If you have sailed through this last week of Full Moon / Super Moon and Eclipse, then carry on. If, like me, you felt a bit of a wobble, take courage. My sister tells me there’s lots of new energy coming into the planet and it may take a moment or three to re-calibrate.

Happy Fall Equinox—

Rachel Barton