Editor's Corner

By Mary E. Adair

Here we are in the fifth month of this year, when all those showers back in Apirl promised all these flowers, and blooming trees, and weeds... Pollen, pollen, everywhere, and not a hanky to spare. Well, the month is good for a lot of things, hayfever notwithstanding, one of which is looking forward to school being out so that vacations can begin. Some students will be graduating from one level of school or another, diplomas in hand, the future in mind.

We wish each graduate, wherever they are, geographically, or scholastically, a wonderful future filled with all the opportunities one could ever desire. We do hope some of you will be taking pen in hand, or laptop along, as you proceed into the lazy days of summer, and don't forget to send your compositions to Pencil Stubs Online for publication in the June issue.

We received a goodly number of submissions for this period, including one special article which presents a mystery for you, dear reader, to try to solve. We invite your suggestions as to the subject matter of the artwork displayed, as well as what medium you believe produced it. Next month, the artist will be revealed and will give a rundown on these mysteries. We will repeat this from time to time in the future, so if you have artwork you'd like to see published, do contact us.

The other two articles are editorials. One "When is Murder Legal?" is by Michael L. Craner, expressing pro's and con's on his viewpoint of recent events; the other by LC Van Savage, doing much the same with "Many Are Called, Many Go." Feedback is welcome on both of these and also on any of the columns presented.

Our columnists, as usual, vary widely in their own subjects, each with insights and sometimes solutions to share. LC Van Savage - "Consider This;" Leo C. Helmer - "Cookin' With Leo;" Mattie Lennon - "Irish Eyes;" and Gerard Meister- "Thinking Out Loud" freshen our outlook, knowlege, appetite, skills, and techniques.

Poems run the gammit, from humor to near dispair, touching on areas we often face, but which the poet can eloquently address, whether problems or expectations, with aplomb. We welcome the range of content found beginning with six poems from Bud Lemire: "A Man From Mars," "Connecting Through Time," "Drops of Water," "Everything You Face," "Second Grade," and "Your Body." John I. Blair also is present with six poems: "Teacher," "Favor De No Moleste," "Almost Every Night," "Back To The Roost," "Bitter Harvest," and "Canadian." M. Jay Mansfield brings us "Jasmine" and "Slow Boil." Bruce Clifford submitted "What I've Been Told" and "The Things I'm Looking At," while his daughter Brooke Clifford declares "My Home, My Calling."

Brooke Clifford is also the author of the current serialized story, "Teen Titans- My Own Story" and Part Four can be found in the Story Section. Do click on our author's names (bylines in blue) beneath the title of their different pages. This will link you to their biography, some with a picture, and also shows a clickable list of other writings published by this ezine.

Don't let the hayfever or the daunting days of triple digit heat reports get you down. Meanwhile, we are releasing this issue from Alabama, where we are visiting our granddaughter Amy and her hubby Steve. Our visit caps a month of travel including from west Texas to Peoria, Illinois, for a seminar with some friends from England and Ohio; traveling on to Indiana and seeing a dear friend and author, Greg Hargrave; returning through our webmaster's area for a brief visit with him; then back to north Texas to visit daughter and family. We'll be home again in west Texas next month with a coooooool issue for June.

See you then!