Former editors John Mella (1992–2012) Frequency Quarterly | Categories Light verse Paid circulation 750–850 | |
Editor Melissa Balmain (2013–present) Publisher Foundation for Light Verse | ||
Light (formerly Light: A Quarterly of Light Verse) is an online journal which bills itself as "America's oldest and best-known journal of light verse."
Contents
History and profile
Light was founded as a print journal in 1992 by retired postal worker John Mella. Mella personally published the journal until 2008, when he founded the non-profit Foundation for Light Verse with a $500,000 gift from poet Joyce La Mers. The Foundation, headed by Mella, took over publication of the journal. After Mella's death in 2012, the magazine was relaunched as an online-only, semiannual publication, edited by his handpicked successor, poet Melissa Balmain. The all-volunteer staff includes poets Kevin Durkin, Julie Kane, Bob McKenty, and Gail White.
The verse in each issue begins with a feature on a writer of light verse. Sections in between vary from issue to issue and may be organized by author, or according to themes. A recurring column called "Historical and Hysterical" was introduced by poet A. M. Juster in Summer '13. The magazine has included the verse of Wendy Cope, Tom Disch, X. J. Kennedy, John Updike, and Richard Wilbur, among many others.
Contributors
Notable contributors include the following: