[F.F. Teague]

Thanks, Jayne and John – the safari characters embrace you!

And welcome, Leo, from a fellow newbie :-)

[RCL]

Though it looked like I might have to evacuate a second time in two days, it now looks like the fire in my neighborhood is out. In 2008, I did have to evacuate two days in a row! For anyone who hasn't heard, wild fires are trying to turn Los Angeles to toast, including my area, Sylmar, and where I lived for thirty years, Bel Air.

[Susan McLean]

Stay safe, Ralph. I hope the wildfire stays away from your neighborhood.

I just had the pleasure of having one of my poems adapted as a song by a very talented music student at my university, Paul Schell. The lyrics were from my villanelle "The Demon Lovers," though he used just three stanzas and included repetitions of certain lines other than the ones that repeated in the villanelle. It is strange but also wonderful to hear your own words in a whole new creation that takes the work in totally unforeseen directions. Ironically, the villanelle itself was inspired by rock music, but the song is more like a contemporary lieder.

Susan

[Shaun J. Russell]

A little personal, but... I'm seeing someone for the first time since splitting with my wife a year and a half ago. It's probably too early to call it a "relationship" yet, and I keep worrying that I'll jinx it...but it seems to be headed that way. It's astonishing to realize just how much I missed having a special someone in my life.

[Gail White]

Bravo, Shaun! Best of luck.

[Jayne Osborn]

Time we resurrected this one, I think. There must be lots of good things going on in people's lives...

My own two bits of good news:

This afternoon my younger daughter sent me the 20-week scan picture of her first baby, expected in May. It's incredible - very clearly defined already (but not whether it's a boy or a girl; its legs were crossed!)

This evening I won 3rd place in a competition at the magician's club I belong to, for ''Close-Up Magic". As a rank amateur I beat a few of the professionals, to my delight and amazement.

Jayne

[Roger Slater]

What tricks do you do?

As for me, I was sent the proof of my poem in Highlights that will come out in May, and the illustration is totally dellightful and perfect for the poem.

[Jayne Osborn]

Congrats, Bob. Do let us know when it's out.
I've learned lots of card tricks, as well as all sorts of other tricks, too many to describe specifically! It's great fun.

Jayne

[Terese Coe]

My book of poems, Shot Silk (Kelsay Books) was listed for the 2017 Poet's Prize, and my poem, "High Falls," was an October Quarterfinalist in the Able Muse Write Prize last year as well.

Last year I had 28 poems and translations either published or to be published soon, and two republished, I'm happy to say, in journals such as Able Muse, Hopkins Review, Measure, Metamorphoses, Stony Thursday Book (Ireland), Avatar Review, Everse, New Verse News, Orchards, Asses of Parnassus, Light, and the Waywiser Press Double Dactyl Anthology (the latter to be pub'd soon). Two of these poems were featured on the Prufrock blog.

So despite the annus horribilis on the broader scene, my work had an outing. Plus I flew to Colorado and back (first flight in ten years) for a lovely family reunion.

[Edmund Conti]

My book of poems, Just So You Know, will be coming out in May from Kelsay Books. I want to thank all the Eratosphere poets who have been published there. You inspired me to try my luck with them.

I think I'm getting over my annual January cold.