January 2024

 

Dear Reader,

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Poetry abounds in the natural beauty of Santa Barbara’s coastal mountains and rugged beaches. The city attracts and inspires writers of all types, but poets serve a unique position in the community—that of Poet Laureate. 
The position is not solely one of honor and recognition, though there is an element of that. Poets Laureate don’t just write poetry, they teach it and promote it and celebrate it in our everyday lives. They don’t just write what’s in their hearts, but also poems for city events. They elevate the living moment of our community to its highest form of art. And they continue to do this, long after their terms end. 

We’re thrilled to celebrate the publication of our 10th volume with a focus on the talented and hard-working poets who’ve served as Poet Laureate over the years since the program was established in 2005. We are grateful to Perie Longo for the hours of work she put into gathering and editing poems, and working with each of her fellow Poets Laureate to submit poems within the guidelines. Perie threw her heart and soul into the project, creating a collection that represents the wide breadth of talent our Poets Laureate possess.

It’s with great sadness that we mark the passing of Sojourner Kincaide Rolle. Sojourner was a fixture in the Santa Barbara poetry community for decades and the pain of her absence will not soon fade away. Even in the face of grave illness, Sojourner rallied to submit several of her poems for this publication. We are honored to dedicate this volume to her memory, and hope that the theme, Satellite of Love, encapsulates a little of what she was to many people. 

Beyond the poetic, Volume 10: Satellite of Love, was inspired by Lou Reed, and we hope to show homage to some of his electric creativity with fiction offerings by Fred Nadis, Jennifer Gunner, Lorelei Armstrong, Jeanine Clarke, Jeremy Gold, Jesse Krenzel, Shira Musicant, Dennis Russell, and Frederick Williams. This time around, we asked for shorter pieces, and were delighted with the results. And our Lyrics section is back, with a special “Locals Only” offering put together by our Music Editor, Dennis Russell. 

We hope you will enjoy the offerings of Volume 10 as much as we enjoyed putting it together. 

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With best wishes, 

Maryanne Knight
Associate Editor
&
Silver Webb
Editrix