From EA15's guest editors
Chris Neenan (Poetry) and David Miller (Short Fiction)
John Cabot University,
Rome,
Italy.

Dante should add yet another Girone (Circle) to his Inferno, the Circle of the Guest Editors. Only he could invent torments enough for David and me who have had to read so many excellent submissions and then commit the greatest of all sins, to presume to select the best and put aside all others.

Luckily, in the Poetry I had the poems sent to us by Carol Rumens to act as my guiding stars. I read and re-read Ms Rumens' poems, to keep in mind their rhythms and line structures against which to test all others. Thank you abundantly, Carol. Grazie, mille grazie!

Nessa O'Mahony has nursed and nourished Electric Acorn for many years now and it is her tireless encouragement and dedication to all who submit and her impeccable taste that has given EA the international reputation it has today. One has only to look at the nationality range of writers published in EA 15 to see that.

While I thank and congratulate those poets and short fictionaires David Miller and I selected for inclusion, let me say to all others that your work made our life very difficult. We argued, put aside, took back, reconsidered, and eventually wept over the excellent work we did not have room for.

In my own case, I am a regular contributor to EA but I felt it would amount to a conflict of interest to include any of my own poetry in EA 15. When I sent a poem destined for EA to the Review of Postgraduate Studies at Galway University instead, they accepted it for this year's volume. But I am saddened that my name is not on the list of EA15.

Please keep writing to Electric Acorn and for Electric Acorn. Our sincere thank you to all. If your work has not been selected for EA15 it is obviously the fault of the guest editors and the space constraints of the publication.

Take comfort from the fact that Dr David Miller and I are now destined for some dreadful corner of the Inferno. The following verses from Dante will give you some delight.

Per li occhi for a scoppiava lor duolo;
di qua, di là soccorrien con le mani
quando a' vapori, e quando al caldo suolo:
non altrimenti fan di state i cani!!!!!!!
Inferno, Canto XVII, 46-49.

Sincerely,
Dr David Miller
Prof. Chris Neenan
John Cabot University,
Rome,
Italy.

Ps. To add to our torments, turbulence in the Internet in these months contributed much to the delay in getting this issue out.
Monday, 03 May 2004