Cover: Photo (c) J. G. Betts. Japanese Anemones and Michaelmas Daisies
In this eventful leap year of Olympic and electoral games and gambles here is LUPO’s 67th cyberspherical manifestation to offer a temporary refuge from the rain of events and forebodings about future ones. From A to Z, it provides accelerated evolution, alternative medicine, birds (of a kind and in a way) books in the streets and on the shelves, chocolate cake, cicadas and climate crisis concern. There are also mysteriously malevolent canines, a hitherto unknown beast the Quintuple Dactyl, the myshtery of Loch Nesh, octopi, Oregon, sandals, three slaps, travel tales, Tube lines, two Frosts, shots at an obvious target, Wordsworth with a new subject for contemplation and zombies (of a kind and in a way) with much else besides.
This autumn’s five Interval offerings include work by Felicia Nimue Ackerman, Marshall Begel, Bruce Bennett, Jerome Betts, Michael R. Burch, Janice Canerdy, Terese Coe, Joe Crocker, Pat D’Amico, Tracy Davidson, David Galef, Julia Griffin, Max Gutmann, Steven Kent, Philip Kitcher, Steven Knepper, Bruce McGuffin, L. A. Mereoie, Mike Mesterton-Gibbons, Alan Millichip, Rumi Morkin, Don Nigroni, Chris O’ Carroll, Dominic Palmer, Martin Parker, Tony Peyser, G.B. Pilferidge, D.A. Prince, Kevin Saving, Benjamin Cannicott Shavitz, Gwen Seabourne, Terry Sherwood, Alex Steelsmith, Liza McAlister Williams, Joyce Wilson, and Russel Winick.
Lifting their eyes from their digital cutting and pasting come the winners of Competition 66, that is to say Mary Cresswell, Tracy Davidson, Mike Mesterton-Gibbons, Julia Griffin, Conor Kelly, I.V. Neversere, Michael Swan and John Wood.
New to LUPO’s pixel gallery are the dashing half-dozen of Jennifer Dunn, Steven Knepper, Dominic Palmer, Benjamin Cannicott Shavitz, Gwen Seabourne and Terry Sherwood.
But after the welcome arrivals comes a departure to be mourned. It is very sad to have to say goodbye here to Ann Drysdale, the poet, author, editor, and former hill-farmer and journalist, who died on the 16th August 2024 at her home in Blaina South Wales. She was an occasional contributor of quirky and entertaining verse from Lighten Up Online’s second issue in June 2008. (Issues 2, 27, 28, 36, 38 and 40.) An extensive selection of her more serious work can be found at The Hypertexts. She will be much missed by all those who had read her eight collections or had met or corresponded with her.
Finally, the best autumnal or vernal wishes to LUPO’s multi-varietal contributors and readers across the overheated globe as we continue the countdown to the second date in succession significant for rather different reasons on the opposite shores of the Atlantic.
