shot glass
title
nz shot glass
Issue # 2 September 2010
"... brevity is the soul of wit ..."
- William Shakespeare

Editor's Note


Kia Ora.* This past March I visited New Zealand (Aotearoa) for the New Zealand International Arts Festival and Writers and Readers Week held in Wellington. I found the country beautiful, the people friendly and the focus on the Arts to be refreshing. Poetry is an important part of New Zealand's culture. There are poems etched into plaques and benches that grace the Wellington Harbor. For one week, the New Zealand Post sponsored workshops with writers and poets from around the world, where some of New Zealand's most talented poets, like Kate Camp, Geoff Cochrann, Kevin Connolly, Bill Manhire, Glyn Maxwell and Ian Wedde read their outstanding poetry.

I had the honor and privilege to be the guest poet at the New Zealand Poetry Society's monthly meeting in Wellington and a guest poet at the Christchurch Poet's Collective in Christchurch. The unique style and voice of the New Zealand poets I heard inspired me to dedicate a portion of Shot Glass Journal Issue #2 to New Zealand poets. We've provided a Glossary of New Zealand Maori words so that the reader can better understand some of the images that are portrayed in the poems.

Word about Shot Glass Journal inaugural issue spread throughout the poetry community. The submissions to Issue #2 were far beyond expectations. At its inception, we had decided that Shot Glass would feature a limited amount of poets and their poetry. Due to its sudden popularity, I am pleased to announce that Shot Glass Journal will be extended to three publications per year in January, May and September.

The choices from the submissions received made it very difficult to choose the best poetry. However, this issue is rich with style and character. Each poet and each poem takes the reader in a new direction or emotion.

Issue #2 features poets from Hong Kong, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico the UK, and the US. The wide range of poems includes Free Verse poetry and poetic forms such as Ekphrastic, Ghazal and Pi-Archimedes. We hope you enjoy this issue of Shot Glass Journal.

One final note. The thoughts of Muse-Pie staff go out to our poets and their families who are still recovering from the earthquakes in the Christchurch, NZ area on September 4, 2010.

Naku noa, na** -- Mary-Jane Grandinetti


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*Kia Ora - a Māori language greeting for "hello".
**Naku noa, na - Yours sincerely.