Dear Readers,

As someone who has personally dealt with both child loss and infertility, I know of the various roles that time can play for those in the Adoption, Loss and Infertility (ALI) community, and this is what inspired our theme, Time as the Enemy. Time as the Friend, for our Summer 2011 issue.

In my own grieving process, time was the enemy that took me further from my daughter, while simultaneously acting as a friend with each day that passed, thus bringing me closer to healing. While battling with secondary infertility, time was the conductor, orchestrating our emotions as we marked the days of my cycle on a calendar, counted down until we could try again when that cycle would fail, and agonized through each passing minute of the dreaded two week wait.

I am very proud of the content that you will find here. You may notice a heavier than normal concentration of poetry, which is no mistake. Time plays such a key role in the very essence of a poem, allowing so much to be conveyed in bursts of thoughtfully chosen words spread across perfectly timed lines.

You may recognize some of our returning contributors including Sara A. Clement, Sarah Caito, Catherine Bayly, and Kathy Benson, and we are pleased to introduce to you the new voices of Saint Elsewhere, Shelley Decker, Jessica Watson, Viktoria Szupiania, Carrie McCready, Ceil Drucker, and Christy Zimmer, each of whom bring something beautiful and unique to the mix.

I am also very pleased to introduce to you our new Exhaling with Our Editor section, in which I bring to you in this, and each forthcoming issue, an influential member of the ALI community to share their story. We kick off this segment by speaking to blogger, activist and award winning film-maker, Keiko Zoll, and I know her story will leave you as inspired as it has left me.

Lastly, I would like to invite you to check out our new Staff page, and become acquainted with the volunteers who give life to this magazine. We have been blessed by the additions of Kathy Benson, Nalonni Madden, and Martha Waltz Wewer to our team.

So sit back and enjoy a literary trip through Time with our talented contributors. We are glad you have decided to come Exhale with us.

Sincerely,

Kristin Binder

Editor