As we were celebrating the touchdown of the Phoenix Mars Lander last Sunday, I was reminded of our other landers and some of the poetry we’ve published about them in Astropoetica. The marvelous “Ares Vallis, 1997-” by Tim Jones seems particularly fitting.

While I’m finishing up the spring issue, why not revisit some of these other fine poems about the the Red Planet?

• “Mousing Mars,” by Ann K. Schwader
• “Southwest Mars,” by Deborah P. Kolodji and Ann K. Schwader
• “Stone,” by Tim Jones
• “The Red One,” by Michele Harvey
• “Through a Lens Vaguely (Mars ‘03),” by Ann K. Schwader
• “When I Heard the Learn’d Astrologer,” by Greg Beatty
• "When Mars Comes Close," by Kevin C. Little, Jr.
• “Phobos and Deimos,” by Kenneth Pobo
• "Water on Mars," by M. Frost
• "Tharsis Lil," by Mary Jo Rabe

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M

I suspect it is not often that one can say their co-editor has doubled in age since their last issue came out, but Arden is a crawling, climbing, cruising lass of eight months today.

Proofs for the spring issue have been sent. The new issue should go up within the week.

As for submissions, I have a hold pile from March and April I will address as I can around Arden’s very busy days…

My poem “Roche’s Rules of Planetary Engagement” appears in the current issue of Space and Time. I’ve had absolutely no time to write creatively or even to shop completed manuscripts lately, so this appearance is a lovely and well-timed bit of affirmation.