December 2019
Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks. —Samuel Johnson
Dear Readers and Writers:
Just as we were putting the final touches on this issue before it goes live on our site, we received a surprise donation of sufficient funding to cover the costs for our entire December issue, —talk about a bright blaze of gladness. Our deepest heartfelt thanks to our anonymous donor who supports our mission by providing this unexpected financial spark!
And speaking of sparks, if you go to the web site: earthobservatory.nasa.gov you’ll find what are called light maps, satellite images of areas of human habitation around the globe. Per NASA, these images of the earth at night are often called “night lights,” glimmers of light in the blue marble night sky.
We see evidence of these light maps in our submission inbox every single day. Young writers are taking pictures, making art, and ready to share poems, stories, and opinions with us. This issue features points of light from Nigeria, Belgium, Singapore, Canada, and Turkey, as well as work from our many writers here in the U.S. Read on to discover unexpected sparks.
Molly Hill
Editor