After another tree-bare winter, green has its work cut out for it. But green should be used to it; has another color ever worn so many shades? From jealousy to naïveté to the freshly-minted (yet quickly becoming ubiquitous) shorthand for environmental conscientiousness— green has a lot on its plate. But the greens in the kinetic brushstrokes of Kelly Conaway's "Lobsterman 2" don't seem to mind. They're so crisp and unspoiled, I may just do a little jig! Check out more of her work at www.kellyconaway.com.

Keep Our Lobsters Clean
Just as vivid are the contents of our latest issue. You like your poems told slant, you say? Our contributors generously comply with lines that careen around rollercoaster-sized inclines. It's heady stuff; some of it might even leave you looking a little green. But like tomalley -- that soft, green substance found in the body cavity of lobsters -- what is considered a delicacy to some may be an acquired taste for others, and for others still, the repository of high levels of PCBs. For our own part, we are simply honored to present such adroit, provocative work.

Turn Off Your Computer
If you'd like to hold that kind of energy in your hands, why not purchase the 2007 Arsenic Lobster anthology? While I'm a big fan of online publishing, I'm happy to concede that something changes for the better when pixels are downloaded to paper. Poems seem more intimate and immediate— no boot-up time involved. And even after you've quit your browser, a book remains accessible; ready to be slipped into your reusable hemp bag and carried with you on your gas-saving, public transportation-based commute.

Save a Tree
But despite an early stigma, I think everyone would have to agree there is now tremendous quality to be found online. Universities and independents alike have largely converted their literary magazines to at least partially online versions. The resulting exposure to an abundance of excellent writing can only bode well for poetry's endangered future. And surely we are saving a few trees.

Network
Being an online publisher also means keeping apace with the latest trends in technology. The Lobster has not turned a blind eye on the success of social networking sites, and is proud to announce its very own. The Rooster Moans, our new sister site, is a private poetry community offering regular workshops, calls for submissions and conversation. Interested in joining? Just send an email with one or two of your poems and a short bio to: info@roostermoans.org.