Dear Readers,

Time and place. Since middle school this has been ingrained in us as the working definition of setting, but it’s really so much more. Our predecessors, in their letter to you, spoke of liminality, and that is a state we continue to explore in this, our second issue. Our very title, Mason’s Road, comes from a liminal setting, a place where the land meets the sea, but also a place where we gather to grow as writers. You see, for us the interest isn’t in merely time as well as place, but in the relationship between the two.

In this issue you will find poems from around the globe, written by thinkers and observers at various points in their lives. By witnessing poets from international and domestic origins, we are able to see how their environments influence their writing and give voice to the piece. Many of the writers in this issue exemplified the unique use of time and place:  some capture a particular scene with photographic precision, while others explore moments in time. Here we have poems that explore a static location while time moves forward, or back, and poems that look at a particular time across locations. There are even poems that look at the relationship between a location, a speaker for whom time is moving, and his neighbors for whom time has stopped.

Placing the reader firmly within the context of the poem allows the writer to convey the specific emotional weight evoked by that setting. The beauty and genius of the settings presented in this issue is their collective exploration of all facets of this integral piece of our craft.

Sincerely,

Colin Halloran & Brittany Hill
Poetry Co-Editors