[Edmund Conti]

The new issue of Light, Nos. 72-73 (double issue) is out. I have three poems in it so all's right with the world. Also a few Spherians, some I recognize. The others will have to identify themselves.

Let's see, there's Robert/Roger plus a poem sort of about him. J. Patrick Lewis, Gail White (bitching), Thomas Kerrigan, Chris O'Carroll, Mary Meriam, Marion Shore, Melissa Balmain, Julie Kane, Max Gutmann and his continuing epic, an essay by Norman Ball, a review of Julie Kane's Jazz Funeral, a review of Gail's The Accidental Cynic. Plus a note about Julie being made Poet Laureate of Louisiana.

Who did I miss?

[David Rosenthal]

Congrats Ed and everyone. Go Sphere!

David R.

[wendy v]

Good news. I like Light. Most of the time. I recently read a Gail White poem, (I Think in Think), which knocked me down. I became an immediate fan. Must go looking for her book. And I recently quoted Bob on my blob, without his knowledge, from an FB thing, shame on me. I figured this was the place to confess. And all the rest of you Lightners, Mary, Max, Tom, Chris, Marion and Norman...calloo callay, congratulations, and good on Light.

[Rick Mullin]

Congrats to all!

[Maryann Corbett]

That's a very impressive Spherean lineup! Thanks for the report, Ed, and congratulations, everyone.

[Roger Slater]

Yes, a lot of us here are represented, and I enjoyed the entire issue. I thought Mary's poems were particularly strong, and unusual for LQ in not being light in the funny sense but more in gladness and spirit. (The only thing I didn't like in the issue was the review of Julie Kane's book, which struck me as wrong, unkind, misguided, and generally confused about poetry and how it works).

Wendy, I'm off to your blog right now.

Also in the issue, although not a Sphereian, Mae Scanlan has many, many poems. Many of us here are frequent competitors in the Spectator contests, and Mae is a frequent winner there.

PS-- Wendy, I can't find it in your blog.

[W.F. Lantry]

Wow! Congrats to all!

[Julie Kane]

Roger, you don't know how much it means to me that you questioned the review. I was stunned to discover that the reviewer is a college undergraduate (an intern on the journal) who was in 12th grade (a senior in high school) two years ago. Apparently, nobody advised her that it is customary to perform background research before writing a review--even a hasty Google name search (turning up plenty of evidence to the contrary of her presumptions) would have caused her to have to reshape her arguments. Criticism from someone who knows their stuff is constructive and helpful, but this experience was bizarre and hurtful.

[Roger Slater]

Julie, I was considering writing to LQ about the outrageous review even before you told me who the reviewer is, since it would have struck me as off base even if I had never read your stuff before. Her central point, that you clearly have so much more to say that the sonnet form cannot contain, sounded like she was advising you to turn to free verse in order to express yourself better. Now that I know she is a college sophomore, I see why her comments were sophomoric.

[Julie Kane]

The only poem of the reviewer's posted on the Net that I have been able to find is, indeed, free verse--"My Grandfather's Book":

http://www.missouriwestern.edu/mowri.../ascribner.pdf