After Thoughts

Seven years ago I had the idea to publish a poetry journal.  I wondered whether I possessed not only the ability to take on such an endeavor, but also the fortitude to stick with it, not knowing what would be involved.  I had been active with the now defunct online poetry workshop forum sponsored by the Academy of American Poets as a Moderator and then as the Assistant Administrator of the site.  While there I often read from other poets about how difficult it was to have their work published.  Poets whose work I admired were not immune to this difficulty and I wanted to try to do something about it.

I finally arrived at the decision to publish an online journal with very little insight into all the ins and outs of the publishing process, but with the encouragement and support of Daniel and two dear publisher friends, Christine Klocek-Lim and Larina Warnock, I dipped my foot into the waters.  In the ensuing years I have come to learn as much about publishing as I have about what Touch can mean to so many others, and I am grateful for the experience.

I hope you, our readers, gain as much insight into the human experience as I do from the poetry, prose, and artwork featured in our pages, but often, I wonder what it is that you take away with you.  I would like to ask you to take a few moments to briefly jot down your thoughts and send them to me in an email.  I would really love to hear from you.

In closing, Daniel and I would like to thank all our contributors for their invaluable contributions and for allowing us the opportunity to share their work with the world.  We would also like to thank each and every one of you who have taken a moment to visit our pages and read the words of our poets.  We invite you to purchase a copy of the Journal for your library or to share with someone else and that you will continue to support Touch: The Journal of Healing as we share in the Touch of humanity.

Print copies of this issue will be available the middle of January 2016.  Please click on the image below for information on how to order your copies.

Thank you, and join us in the spring for our next issue!

O.P.W. Fredericks, Editor