Editor's Corner

By Mary E. Adair

Welcome to Volumn 18 of Pencil Stubs Online! We continue bringing you varied and interesting material you can read at your leisure and in whichever format you prefer. The ezine can be found at http://www.pencilstubs.com and does not require signing in, and no comments can be added to complement an author. That can be done at the blog version, http://www.pencilstubs.net. Personally, your editor prefers the ezine with the larger pics and wider reading space, but the blog does show better on phones and tablets.

This is the Valentine month, but only a few poems are romantic this issue. We have one last chapter for awhile by Mark Crocker about Lexi, the feline "who must be obeyed," and a new serialized book by Denise Sebastian, "The Dark Secrets from Within." Allow yourself to be intrigued.

It is exciting to introduce new columnist Nancy Park in "Park's Place." She has experience in many fields, from spiritual to the reality of working in the business world for many years. Judith Kroll aka Featherwind's column "On Trek" poses some things to look at in a different way, while Thomas F. O'Neill, a teacher in China, addresses the tensions American television and music is creating among the youth in China.

Mattie Lennon ("Irish Eyes") bends our ears with an Irish tale filled with humor, though somewhat dark. Mattie, himself, sent your editor a link for the hit adult cartoon "Tea with the Dead" which he wrote about in an earlier column. This link includes Mattie as one of the Voices of the deceased, in one segment. Both laughter and tears were invoked while viewing. Congrats, Mattie.

Bud Lemire shows five poems this month: "Our Journey Has Many Paths," "Crock Pot," "Heart Filled with Love," "Ideas, Truths, & Experiences," and "Life's Hard Choices." Bruce Clifford sent along "I Never Met A Girl," "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," and "These Are The Moments."

Wendy Shepard-Kalan composed "Reunited" in memory of her nephew San Shepard. Her words convey the sorrow of loss and the blessing of memories.

John I. Blair expresses some cold philosophy in "January John." His column "Always Looking - People Who Made A Difference XXVI" features the significance of the life of author Nathaniel Bowditch.

A bow to Mike Craner whose expertise and patience allows this little ezine to present over 400 different authors over the last seventeen years, bringing their compositions of story, poetry, articles, and ongoing columns.