Dear SmokeLong Friends, artwork by Marty D. Ison When I was in college, I was fortunate enough to have Frank Galati as a professor. Aside from his incredible talent, he brought more kindness to the job than any instructor I've ever had. And gratitude, which I think goes hand in hand with kindness. After every scene presented in his class, he said, "Thank you." That doesn't convey the awe and wonder with which he said it, though. He said "thank you" like a child opening the most remarkable Christmas present he'd ever received. He did this after every scene presented. He found, in every presentation, something of wonder, and then elaborated on the beauties he'd witnessed, many of which we, as his students, would otherwise have missed. I learned more in that class than in a year of other classes. I mention this because working with Bob Arter was similar. In virtually every submission, Bob found something to love, and always with good cause. His generosity was overwhelming, performing line edits on dozens of pieces, whether they were bound for publication or not. This generosity reminded me how grateful I am to each and every writer who submits their work to us. What gifts these stories are! That we have to return so many of these gifts seems almost tragic, and I hope that these returned gifts find their audiences through other venues. And now we have the pleasure of presenting the twenty finest of these gifts to you. An isopod, a purple finch, diesel pumps, and stained glass windows. A roll of film, a hard nipple, sheepskin boots, and alligators. These gifts, the writers have given us. These gifts, we give to you. We give them to you with gratitude for your attention, for your kindness, for your love of the word and the world. We hope they bring you awe and wonder. Another gift we have had for the past several issues, we now regretfully return to the world. Katrina Denza has been a gift to us since she guest edited Issue Thirteen. She's leaving us to focus more on her writing, and we'll miss her, but look forward with great anticipation to the many gifts she will pen. Thank you! Dave Clapper Founding Editor, SmokeLong Quarterly June 15, 2007
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