Happy New Year!

I hope that 2009 brings everyone a good and joyous year.

In this new issue, there is work from many different countries continuing to bridge the gap in literary writing.  Some of the countries represented in this issue are: Greece, England, France, Japan, Canada, and the USA.  We also have 20 photographs by William Walsh, who is on our staff.

In the next issue, you will see many other countries being represented.  It is very exciting. 

Thank you Etkin, Guluzar, Halime, Miles, and all our ILR staff. 

I would like to welcome Susan Tepper as our new Assistant Editor.  Miles Tepper had to resign from the position due to an increased amount of work at his job.  Thank you so much Miles for all your work on the issues.  It was nice to have you be a part of the ILR family. Good luck with everything and we wish you the best.  Susan has an extensive background in writing and publishing.  She will be an asset to our ILR magazine, staff and our writing community.  Welcome aboard Susan!

It saddens me to give you this next news.  Mike Amado, a dear friend of mine, has died of Kidney Disease.  Mike has been published in ILR and has a poem in this current issue.  He was a spoken-word poet and a great percussionist.  Mike was sick and on dialysis for half of his life with failed kidney transplants.  You would have never known he was sick.  He was very courageous and brave in his fight for life.  His spirit always was shining.  Mike had great wit and a knack for making me and others laugh hysterically.  I cannot even begin to tell you how much I will miss him.  I was honored to be able to publish a chapbook of his in 2008.  Mike also had a full-length book published in 2008 by Ibbetson St. Press.  I am happy he lived to see this happen and be excited about his books coming out.  It brought such joy to him as well as appearing in ILR.  When someone crosses your path and becomes a good friend, it is a gift.  The gift of having a friend like Mike will live on. 

Finally, I would like to say that it would be wonderful to see a peaceful year.  Something that I hope will be first in the minds of everyone in this unstable world of ours.

Thanks to everyone who contributed. I hope you enjoy this issue!