Welcome to Issue 10 of Home Planet News Online. Home Planet News was created by poets Donald Lev and Enid Dame. Sixty-eight issues later we put it online. Now, 10 issues later, there is a possibility that our long run will be over. I can no longer continue on as chief Editor.

Over the ten years I’ve worked on the magazine, I have had the pleasure of reading many wonderful poems, many stories, essays, plays, and memoirs, and I have seen and published the most wonderful artwork. I have met, and or corresponded with poets, writers, and artist from around the world. I hope that continues because I’ve enjoyed it so much.

I want to thank Matt Morris for his invaluable assistance over the last couple of issues, also my granddaughter, Emma Brumberger, our first intern.

Myrne Nieves, our Hispanic Editor, has made it possible for the magazine to seriously published contemporary poetry and prose in Spanish. As if that wasn’t enough, she brought some of the finest artist to our pages. Myrna is also one of our Featured Poets this month. 

I want to also thank Lisa Bond for bringing us fascinating artwork and for being so patience with my presenting them.

Speaking of patience, I want to thank everyone for their patience with the lateness of this issue. This magazine is almost three months late coming out. I apologias for that, and frankly, it is one of the reasons I am leaving the magazine. Over the last year, I have had more and more difficulty working on the coding. 

I also want to thank all of my coeditors: Phillis Gershator, Lehman Weichsellbaum, Matthew Paris, Jackie Coleman-Fried, Cheryl A. Rice, Patricia Carragon, and Amy Barone.

Because I am so late getting this issue out, proofreading has been at a minimum, so please, if you see a mistake, bring it to my notice. If it is a misspelling or if it’s a mistake in grammar, please email me the page number the mistake is on, and the mistake itself. If you can, please copy the mistake and words on both sides of the mistake, paste them into an email and send it to me at lmurphy227@gmail.com

Our Featured Poets are Austin Alexis, and Myrna Nieves. This summer I had the pleasure of reading with Austin. His poetry is at once visual and lyrical and deserves a wide readership. Poems and stories by Austin Alexis have appeared in journals such as SIX SENTENCES and TUESDAY SHORTS and in the chapbook LOVERS AND DRAG QUEENS (Poets Wear Prada, 2007). Recently he served as a panelist for The Bronx Council on the Arts.

Myrne Nieves is a writer and educator who was born in Puerto Rico. She is a founding member and professor at Boricua College, a cofounder of the artist group “7 Women in Movement,” and the author of four books. I bless the day Myrne came to Home Planet News. As our Hispanic Editor she has brought so many wonderful Spanish poets, writers, and artist to the magazine while giving the magazine her own beautiful poetry and prose. Her latest book, Entre el sol y la nieve/ Between the Sun and the Snow will be published in April of this year.