When you get right down to it, the world has become a very small place. We Stoneboat-niks feel ourselves connected to our fans and contributors whether they live in Wisconsin, Alaska, California, New York, Arizona, Mississippi or elsewhere. The corner we occupy here in rural Wisconsin—not too far from the blue depths of Lake Michigan—is just one corner of a much larger and more global community of writers and visual artists. It has certainly become a cliché, but I will say it anyway: technology is helping the world to shrink. But in that shrinking, that banding closer together, we find that ideas and friendships—instead of becoming more narrow—are actually growing wider and expanding farther.
The Internet in general and Facebook, Twitter, Skype, live streaming, websites and blogs in particular, have all given us access to one another like never before. This became so apparent to me earlier this year when we got involved with 100 Thousand Poets for Change. (And by the way, next year's event is already set for September 29, 2012.) Through that world-wide effort of exchange and dialogue, the corners of the world got so much closer together than they ever used to be. Now it is as though all our corners are part of the same room. So, wherever you are in this world, if you are writing compelling, imaginative, fresh, insightful poetry or prose; if you are occupying Wall Street, Sheboygan, or your own living room; if you are making surprising, engaging visual images; if you are doing your part to make the world a more thoughtful and lively place, we want you in our corner! We have a very nice corner over here, and there is lots of room to share.
Sometimes I miss that old corner; now it's the crowded corner.
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