At the end of 2023, I had the distinct pleasure of editing a writer whose work I’ve admired for some time. Aletheia Luna has been managing the spiritually-oriented website LonerWolf, alongside her partner Mateo Sol, for the past twelve years. I’ve been a subscriber to their LonerWolf Howl newsletter for a while now and find the quality of their posts to be insightful, well-researched and immensely helpful for the path of personal growth. When Aletheia put out the call for an editor to help with a revised and expanded version of her Mindful Shadow Work book, I took it as a sign from the universe that we were meant to connect. The text provides an psychological overview on the concepts of “shadow” and provides numerous exercises for discovering the gifts the shadow can bring.

In late February, Short Reads published a prose poem of mine called “Deluge” as part of their weekly feature of established and emerging writers working in flash. I’m grateful to Hattie Fletcher for connecting with this piece and giving it a home, as well as for her discerning edits. I’d also like to give a shout-out to Jacqueline Doyle, an editor over at CRAFT, for promoting my piece on X (formerly Twitter) after it went live.

The City of Windsor released an online zine/collection for the Windsor Voices Initiative to celebrate National Poetry Month, the results of which were posted today. A poem I wrote for the submission call titled “Shouldn’t We Make Ourselves Known?” was selected for publication along with work (poems, reflections, and photographs) from about four dozen others. A select number of print copies of the collection will be available for pickup at Windsor Public Library.

And speaking of Windsor Public Library, issue four of their literary journal, Pagination, is set to be released on Wednesday, May 1st, with a launch party at Chapter Two Brewing Company. The “Border Issue” features writers from Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, with some contributors on hand reading pieces at the celebration. My poem, “The Mystery Zone,” will be included in the mag, and I’ll be reading live at the event, too.

Special thanks to Dave Konstantino, Pagination’s editor (and talented art director!), for putting together this collection of voices in print and in person.