Publisher's Comments
Volume 8: 2006
6 February, 2006
by Robert Whitsitt
Each February I know that we're starting a new year of Amarillo Bay, but each year I'm freshly astonished at how long we've been doing this. We're starting our eighth year!
Here are some statistics
- Works: 266
- Authors: 192
- People signed up to be notified of new issues: 303
With each new issues I'm also astonished at the quality of the works that we present. I can say that without blushing because the works are chosen and edited by our editors.
- Jerry Craven (Editor-in-Chief since our start in March 1999)
- Richard Moseley (Fiction Editor since our start in March 1999)
- Jeffrey DeLotto (Poetry Editor since June 2005)
- Rebecca Balcárcel (Creative Nonfiction Editor since May 2005)
Without the dedication and excellence of these people and the others who have worked on Amarillo Bay over the years, you wouldn't get something good to read every three months.
I also want to mention the matter of money. As Publisher and Technical Editor since our start in March 1999, I have paid all of the costs associated with Amarillo Bay, which currently amount to $19.90 per month. I am happy to do that in addition to doing the technical work of getting each issue online where you can read it. However, on the rare occasions that we get a check from a generous reader, it is a wonderful experience. This month the gift was from Allen and Elizabeth Long, as shown on our Welcome page and our list of sponsors. Their gift is greatly appreciated.
8 May, 2006
by Robert Whitsitt
This issue is going out late for several reasons. The first is that my wife and I went to Hawaii for a week during the time that I should have been publishing the issue. The second was that the last evening in Hawaii I got sick and we stayed an extra day, during which I slept. The third was that as I was about to publish the issue, we had to have our main electrical box replaced, which shut down all access to the Internet (and to simple things like refrigerators and the television).
Nevertheless, here's the issue, and it's a good one!
I have been having difficulty sending out announcements of new issues. I suspect that legitimate outlets are more inclined to see the announcements as spam. To get around that, I'm going to create a Google Group and have people subscribe to it. I hope that deals with the issue, because getting the word out about Amarillo Bay is important. I'll be sending private messages about how to do that. Meanwhile, have you mentioned Amarillo Bay to your friends recently?
7 August, 2006
by Robert Whitsitt
This is a special issue for several reasons. First, we have a new volunteer! Starting with this issue, Denise Durham is our Copy Editor, joining the existing staff. She has gone through each of the works and found places that might benefit from changes. Then, in consultation with the editors, we've made the majority of the changes she suggested. We're still working on making the process better, but if nothing else there should be fewer typographical errors in this issue.
The second special thing is that our creative nonfiction work, An Opinionated Take on Opinion by Jim Chaffee, is a departure for us. Most of the time it is an essay about literature or something related to the literary scene. This one, however, can charitably be described as contentious. Since it meets the requirements of our Submissions page, and we all found it provocative, we're presenting it for your consideration. Comments are always welcome!
Of course we always have our usual find fiction and powerful poetry. We hope you enjoy it!
6 November, 2006
by Robert Whitsitt
This is the last issue of our eight year! We're already considering what to do for our ten-year anniversary issue. Your thoughts are welcome. Send them to comments@amarillobay.org.
For some reason this issue contains many works that are not cheerful. We usually have a pretty good mix of uppers and downers, so I guess it's just the laws of chance catching up with us. All the works are excellent writing, of course, well worth your time. You should always expect that from Amarillo Bay.
As the holiday season starts for many English speakers, I wish everyone, whether they speak my language or not, the best possible year with peace, freedom, and happiness for everyone.
Volume 8 Number 4
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Individual works are copyrighted by their authors.