Welcome to Issue 9 of Home Planet News Online. Home Planet News was founded by Donald Lev and Enid Dame and published 68 printed issues. When printing became too difficult Donald asked me to create an Online Version. This is my ninth attempt, and possibly my last at being chief editor of the online version. We continue to follow the vision of our founders and open our doors to writers of all disciplines and to visual artists. Recently we have accepted writings in Spanish with or without translations. It has given Home Planet News a new and wonderful dimension and I welcome the writers and translators who have made this possible.

I am saddened to report the death of one of our co-editors, David Gershator. I didn’t know David as well as I would have liked to, time and space kept us from spending much time together; however, I have been a fan of his poetry since the late seventies. David was multitalented, receiving a National Endowment of the Humanities literature grant and a N.Y. State Creative Arts Public Service poetry award. His publications include children’s books, poetry chapbooks, and translation of Federico García Lorca’s letters. In St. Thomas, his paintings and prints were exhibited at, among other venues, the Reichhold Center for the Arts and Chase Manhattan Bank. David is survived by his wife, Phillis Gershator; son, Daniel Gershator; and daughter, Yonah Gershator. Phillis is also a co-editor of Home Planet News. If his friends and colleagues wish to share any memories or comments, please forward them to pgershator@yahoo.com, or at his commemorative site: It’s  http://www.davidgershator.net

Our featured poets for this issue are Lisa Galt Bond and Nathan Whiting, both remarkable poets. I have known Lisa for a long time. We co-edited two magazines and published several small press books together. I performed with her as members of the Tin Palace Allstars, and read with her throughout the New York poetry scene. I have always admired her graceful yet powerful poetry. Nathan Whiting has performed contemporary dance in New York and Bhutto on Japanese mountains, run races longer than 100 miles, and finds many free concerts in the city.  His poetry has changed to a form he invented in 2018, and now appears in Otoliths, Streetcakes Magazine, ZYX, Pablo Lennis and other adventurous journals. 

Several of our contributors have new books either just published or coming out in the near future. I consider Gregg Weatherby to be one of the finest poets writing today. He was featured in our second online edition along with the late Paul Pines.  He is the winner this year of the Aurora Poetry Prize and an Orchard Street Press Poetry Contest semifinalist. The publication date for his latest book, BEFORE WE FORGET is August 2022, with advance sales and publicity starting sometime in the Spring. Finishing Line Press or finishinglinepress.com Eve Packer has a new book out, No Mask, No Talk; corona poems 2020-2021

Home Planet News now has a new link. It is: homeplanetnews.com. The first eight online issues were homeplanetnews.org which can still be used but only for the first eight issues. 

I mentioned that this might be the last issue in which I will be Chief-Editor. I must step back for reasons of health and to work on my own writing. If Home Planet News can continue, it will only be with the help of others doing some of the coding and layout. Several poets and writers have offered their help and I am grateful for that. In any event I ask that we not receive submissions until 5/1/2022. 

Please remember to click on the magnifier to see a poem in larger print and standing alone on a web page. 

I lost a good friend, and we all lost a wonderful voice when the poet Robert Hershon died last year. There will be a memorial reading for him on March 19th at the main branch of the Brooklyn library. The time will be either 3 or 4pm and will be announced for certain asap. 

Many people helped to make this issue possible, and I want to thank all of them, and to give a special thanks to Robert Perron. Everything would have been so much harder without his help. Also, thanks to the translators for their difficult, splendid work. 

We have tried to make this issue as error poof as possible. However, mistakes are always possible. Please, if you find an error, Links not working, typo, anything, let us know.