32 Poems Magazine has existed since 2003. I am eating LOADS of chocolate to celebrate. I think editor John Poch — who is over in Spain — is eating a lot of lobster wrapped with bacon. He might hate lobster and bacon. Maybe he’s eating oranges instead — or olives.

When I started 32, there were doubters, my good friend.

You’re an indie magazine. How can you survive? Print is dead. You’re not The Kenyon Review!

I don’t listen to doubters. I do it anyway.

I’m actually allergic to negative people, so I carry an epipen at all times lest a negative person push me into anaphylaxis.

I digress.

The new magazine is out and about, and I’m feeling a bit nostalgic about the past seven years. In a recent interview, one of the questions asked was about how I started 32 Poems.

The idea grew from my head and percolated for 8-10 years. I had jobs in print production, direct mail fundraising, teaching, copywriting, and online marketing. Fancy that. Each set of skills was quite useful for running a magazine.

In 2003, I attended the AWP Conference in Baltimore, MD and brought bright red flyers to advertise our concept.

I had no exhibit table, no poems to publish, and no magazine. That is a lot of “no” for two people.

We got our first subscriber the next week.

I realized I had to make the magazine.

We’d love to have you subscribe?