So, as most of you who read my blogs know, I rarely venture into the realms of my personal life, but I think it's high time for a little change of pace!

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who do read my poems and comment on my work. As a contemporary poet, it's often easy to feel that poetry is a dying art, that it's demands of concentration and focus (on both the author and reader) have made it alien to most modern people. But all of you who read and comment on my work have done a lot to bolster my faith in my work. You don't know how much this means to me.

I'd also like to thank, specifically, all my fellow poets of the Urban Poetry Cafe. Reading your work and having you read my own is my primary attraction to this site (leaving aside, for a moment, all the gorgeous photosets, from both SGs and fellow members!) - you all keep me sharp and on my poetic toes, as it were; ensuring that poetry remains the bright star around which I continue to orbit.

Jackwit, Huck and Vasilisa, this goes especially to you three: your work is some of the most vibrant, fascinating language-manipulation it has ever been my pleasure to stumble upon. You three have done everything to make me feel comfortable and welcome in the Cafe, and I can't thank you enough. There's no calculating how much you've done to improve and inspire my own fumblings toward truth, or beauty, or whatever one might call our ineffable goal.

I'd also like to thank everyone who has read and commented on my recent efforts toward creating quality erotica in the Filthy Dirty Smutty Storytime group. Erotica has long been a genre I've wanted to work within, and all of you have convinced me that it's an area that I have something to offer to, and that I will continue to attempt to do so for a long time. It's just possible that writing erotic prose might edge out poetry as my favorite pastime! The imagination and attention to language the genre requires is poetic in its intensity, but it allows me to stretch out my linguistic muscles, and give some attention to building coherent narratives and strong characters. If anyone's interested, I've gathered my first three stories into a PDF document I'd be glad to email to anyone who wants one.

I'm also excited to announce my three most recent publications:

1. one poem of mine can be found in the most recent issue of Sein und Werden, a British journal of Existentialism, Expressionism and Surrealism. It's full of wonderful work, both literary and visual, and I strongly recommend that those of you who are able to pick up a copy here: http://www.kissthewitch.co.uk/seinundwerden/print.html

2. I've also been honored to be included in the upcoming issue 30 of Shampoo at shampoopoetry.com. It's one of the best-known and most-respected online journals of poetry in America, and I'm absolutely floored to be included. The issue has not yet posted, but I'll let you all know when it does!

3. As some of you might know, I'm the book reviewer for SG member ValCapone's Black Heart Magazine (blackheartmagazine.com). I'm also super fuckin' excited to say that I should soon have an erotic short-story there!

Finally, on a more personal note: I've been in a committed relationship for three years now, and though this conflict has been there, percolating under the surface, I'm finally being forced to face these three HUGE questions:

1. Do I want to get MARRIED?!?
2. Do I want to buy a house/have a mortgage?
3. Do I want CHILDREN?

Somehow, I don't feel grown-up enough yet to answer these questions. Which raises another big one: If I'm not ready to face these at 27 - Will I ever be?