Working Up to 15 Years

Looking back at the past almost-15 years of publishing a small-press poetry journal, I had no idea where it would lead me. I wouldn't have guessed that in our 10th year of publication we would move from Massachusetts to the Great State of Maine, or that in the same year I would receive my BFA in Creative Writing.

I couldn't have envisioned needing the help of an Assistant Editor. I couldn't have envisioned publishing over 1,000 poets in this fleeting time. I could only wish for the type of response the Aurorean has received so far from contributors, readers, and reviewers such as Small Press Review.

To put out that first issue, I begged and cajoled fellow writers in a Creative Writing class to submit their work. Not surprisingly, many of them did just that. Surprisingly, the Creative Writing professors did the same. We started humble.

I hope we remain humble. We still appreciate each and every poet who sends us their work. Without them, the Aurorean would be a bunch of blank pages—although a neat idea.

As we move into the last month before deadline on our 15th Anniversary Issue, I cannot wait to read every poem that comes our way. I cannot wait to decide which two poets will be featured in this milestone issue. I cannot wait until every i is dotted, every t is crossed. I can't wait until the box of freshly-printed journals arrives from our printer.

And I can't wait to see what's in store for the next 15!

—Cynthia