What a year. 2020. In most ways, I’m glad it is over. I lost my job, had hard times, struggled in more ways than one. And, so did virtually everyone else in the world. I have never felt so connected to humanity through shared experiences while also being so isolated from it. 2020 pushed me, hard. But I am glad that it did. I started my own insurance brokerage, expanded Kelp Journal, and am set to launch Kelp Books this year. I have already received dozens of wonderful book submissions, many of which we are close to acceptance for publication. Not to mention we have our Surf Noir Anthology coming up in July and our Poetry Chapbook Competition in April. We are forging ahead and working harder than ever to bring amazing art to a sophisticated audience.
This Winter 2021 issue is one for the record books. We received permission to publish one of my favorite crime stories of all time, Sometimes They Bite by a living legend, Lawrence Block. Ben Loory contributed a wonderful and heartwarming piece about a Ballpoint Pen. And Andy Weir, Tod Goldberg, and Stephen Graham Jones graced our presence with interviews. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. I loved every single story, poem, and essay in the issue. And I hope that you do as well.
To find some solace in the shit storm of 2020, I bought a sailboat and restored it. Check out the short documentary below if you would like to see my less than stellar cinematography skills. Though, I did earn an A+ in my film production class at Monterey Peninsula College with this submission. I hope you enjoy it, and this issue. Here’s to a 2021 that, while off to a rocky start, should stabilize and get our nation back on track for success.
Godspeed.
David M. Olsen
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