Half Day Moon Press showcases the work of engaging poets and artists in little e-chapbooks offered free of cost. As the press' curator, I approach those in whose intuition I have a good amount of faith and with whose output I have come to be familar for quite some time. Thus, I give the artist or poet free reign in coming forth with a cohesive work that is both in keeping with her vision and close to her heart. This approach takes its cue from Odysseus' son Telemachos when he says:
Mother, why do you grudge our own dear minstrel
joy of song wherever his heart may lead?
. . . Men like best
a song that rings like morning on the ear.
(trans. Fitzgerald)
It is for this reason that my role is not that of an editor's in the conventional sense, and why only solicited manuscripts are considered for the time being.
The press also occasionally releases handpicked works from the public domain. These can range from select passages culled from the travelogues of 19th century antiquarians to the earlier translations of ancient, classical, or medieval poetry.
For each title released, Half Day Moon Press arranges for tree saplings to be planted in Anatolia (the press' geographic home) in coordination with the NGO, TEMA (The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion). Thus far, Half Moon Press has had saplings planted in the following locations: 6 in Sivas Karşıyaka Memorial Forest; 3 in Antalya (province) . . . .
Joseph S. Aversano