Welcome to Pine Row's Autumn 2020 issue, and thanks for visiting.

Our second issue builds upon the energy of the first, and celebrates the observation that poetry is still very much a thing-- it is both alive and kicking (and yes, I can hear that 80s song by Simple Minds as I type this). These poems show us that, now more than ever, it is the heartbeat of our human being, and witness to our experiences.

The poetry in this Autumn issue is a diverse collection of writing that speaks to themes new and old, domestic and political, internal and communal, and of loss and discovery. It is poetry firmly grounded in our time and place, and it also reaches back and beyond. As Bruce Guernsey shared in our interview with him, "Poetry is the way it is because we are the way we are." Drawing upon B.J. Buckley's poem "Burn Pile," I am struck by how the poetry in this issue has a way of "drifting down around us all,/pale as snow, dust that we are,/marking us as its own."

When responding to the question of poetic inspiration, Kenneth Pobo comments that "A blank page doesn’t judge. It says 'Fill me.'" Similarly, this is a judgment-free zone for our readers. What you may or may not see in these poems is your experience. But my sincere hope is that something resonates with you -- a thought, a feeling, a connection, a community -- and that you find you want to revisit these poems; or possibly, you're inspired to search out more poetry by these poets on other sites, and maybe even write a poem of your own.

Hank Hudepohl

November, 2020