[Nicholas F.]

Anna and I are extremely pleased to have you all on board for the Muse! Keep the excellent subs coming, all.

Nick

p.s. Janice - "BM" is not a terribly flattering abbreviation. Heh.

[Martin Parker]

And me, with an almost embarrassing moment from my youth! Thank you, Anna.

[Janice D. Soderling]

p.s. Janice - "BM" is not a terribly flattering abbreviation. Heh.

Oh, dear I am either ignorant or innocent or maybe stoopid.

My intent was and has always been to flatter. I will change to the real name and someone can mail me what lurid/racist/sexist/ageist undertones lie in my careless shorthanding..

[Michael Cantor]

No need for a private letter, Janice - it's about time, and more fun, if "BM" is dragged into the daylight.

"BM" stands for Bowel Movement. It's a throwback to the days when nice people referred to their genitalia as "down there", and bodily functions could only be discussed by using initials, and preferrably while blindfolded and wearing gloves. I can still remember lying on my cot in summer camp in the mid and late 40's as taps sounded at lights-out, and the counsellors - Uncle Joe, and Uncle Saul and and the other college-age oldsters - came around inquiring of each of us, "Did you have a BM today?", and dutifully recording it on some master sheet, which I assume is still on file somewhere in the back offices of Camp Winadu, Camp Silver Birch, Camp Adventure and all those other places where my daily shits and lifelong battle with constipation - now it relates to my poetry, but it's essentially the same, ongoing condition - were noted and analyzed. (I believe that Uncle Saul went on to obtain an MFA, and a Doctorate in Linguistics, and has devoted his life to scansion.)

I'm surprised that somebody as young as you are, Nick, is even aware of the phrase. You've got to stop associating with these older poets.

[Rick Mullin]

Way to go Duncan. We know how much this sonnet means to you and we were all touched by it. Nice placement.
RM

[Nicholas F.]

Martin,

Glad to have you in the zine as well!

Janice,

I saw only humor in it, trust me! No need to change the remark, which really did make me grin, child that I am.

Michael,

Thank you for the dutiful explanation [cue crickets]. You missed a whole lot of sex/ toilet (not in tandem) humor at the Feb. Powow workshop.

"I'm surprised that somebody as young as you are, Nick, is even aware of the phrase. You've got to stop associating with these older poets."

As for hanging out with older poets, what can I say? I'm irregular. Ba-dum-bum.

[Burt Myers]

I have no problem with "BM," but maybe that's just me.
Congrats to all!

BM

[David Nelson Bradsher]

I'm pleased to be amongst such fine company in the latest issue.

My poem, "A Study in Rodin", is also included.

[Michael Juster]

It was great fun to be interviewed. I did it once before but even the rumor that it was happening caused the journal to collapse, so Anna & Nick were very brave to go where no editors had gone before.

Both of the new poems, Houseguests and First Death, were workshopped and improved here, so thank you to all those who took time to help me make them Barefoot Muse-worthy.

[Nicholas F.]

Thank you, Archibald! Really, Mike, it was a pleasure working with you, and we're pleased to have you in the zine. Thanks for giving us your time.

Nick