I’m overwhelmed by the interest this issue received, a multitude of talented poets sharing beautiful work. I’ve been fascinated by birds since I was a child, learning to imitate their calls and identify local species just by a flash of color. I’ve rescued baby birds, carefully viewed delicate nests, and watched majestic waterfowl take flight.

In this issue, birds are enemies and omens, friends and gods, devoured and devouring. The endless diversity of birds is one of the great marvels of our world. Migration patterns, flight mechanics, song, life cycle, and more—it’s a diverse pool to draw from, with deeper potential with the addition of speculative layers.

I’d like to thank everyone from the ETTT team for helping me with the logistics and tech behind the scenes, and for giving me the opportunity. Also, a huge shoutout to all the poets in this issue—readers, you are going to find new names to watch!