EDITOR’S LETTER

MockingHeart friends! Welcome back. It’s getting warm here in Louisiana, and mornings and evenings are taking on the scent of fresh-cut grass and the persistent conversation of songbirds. And since I keep filling the feeders, I suppose I’ve come to depend on such happy talk. Maybe you can relate!

Even though our Spring/Summer issues have no dedicated theme, as tends to happen regardless the pieces in this issue discuss and sometimes celebrate memorable moments that share momentum. Our Featured Poet, James Benger, discusses the turning of seasons and the blooming of the self in each of his works herein. Artist Martha Garner displays a literal and metaphorical surge of life in her collage Garden of Joy. Poet Silvia Kofler shares a jarring personal moment in her poem “Storms.” And artist JC Alfier demonstrates an attunement to momentum’s breaks in their photography.

Good luck as 2026 continues, my friends. This year has certainly been supremely busy, and as the beat goes on, take a while to indulge in the creativity here in our new issue. You’ll be glad you did.

And thank you, as ever, for your excellent work in the world.

Tyler Robert Sheldon, Editor-in-Chief