Dear Reader,
As a literary journal, there is often more risk than reward, but as a labor of love we carry on. The more cynical among us might even agree that misfortune strikes eventually should you travel any road long enough. As an editor, you really want pick the diamonds in the rough, and while you try to vet every submission you receive meticulously, you tell yourself that you can’t possibly catch everything. So, while I have tried to do right by you and will continue to do so, it seems that on one occasion I failed. You see… there is a plagiarist among us.
On September 22, 2023, I published two poems entitled “Harbor” and “Dislocated” allegedly written by a Mr. John Kucera (aka John Siepkes). And while they say imitation is the best form of flattery, these poems were copied with only a couple word changes from poems published in The Hudson Review entitled “Neilah; Creature” by Bruce Bond and in Claw and Blossom entitled “The Q & A Section” by Dorsía Smith Silva. This is intellectual property theft on the part of Mr. Kucera. I am profoundly sorry for the editorial oversight and hope Mr. Kucera is appropriately ashamed of himself.
I am replacing Mr. John Kucera’s plagiarized work with links to the original poems and removing Mr. Kucera from our list of contributors. I commend Mr. Bond and Professor Silva on the quality of their poems and extend my apology to them as well.
I am grateful to the editor of another literary journal who also inadvertently published a plagiarized poem submitted by Mr. Kucera and was kind enough to bring this matter to my attention.
Sparks of Calliope 
tsk tsk tsk
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Randal, I feel your pain. But of course it’s a compliment to be plagiarized, an “honor” I’ve received quite a few times over the years. I console myself with these translations about plagiarism:
THE PLAGIARIST
by Thomas Campion
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Dogs raise a ruckus at the stench of a thief,
so what would they say about you, given speech?
***
You ask me to recite my poems to you?
I know how you’ll “recite” them, if I do.
—Martial, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
***
I also have an original poem on the subject, since many of my original poems and translations have been published “anonymously” by removing my name. That has happened hundreds of times, twice by Reader’s Digest on their website.
The Better Man: a Double Limerick
by Michael R. Burch
Dear Ed: I don’t understand why
you will publish this other guy—
when I’m brilliant, devoted,
one hell of a poet!
Yet you publish Anonymous. Fie!
Fie! A pox on your head if you favor
this poet who’s dubious, unsavor-
y, inconsistent in texts,
no address (I checked!):
since he’s plagiarized Unknown, I’ll wager!
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Hi Randal Don’t beat yourself up – you are doing a great job. We’ve had frauds throughout literary history – remember the Ossian controversy that Dr Johnson exposed, or the Wonderboy Chatterton at the start of the C19th? Press on: frauds go nowhere! Happy new year – James
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Thanks! We’ll keep on keeping on.
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Yes, please do!
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I can understand the motive to plagiarize (the uncreative desire glory just as much as any of us), but the intelligent person should realize that it’s just not possible to do that these days and not get caught. Everything on the internet is traceable.
I daresay Mr. Kucera has achieved more infamy now than most poets achieve fame. In that respect, the plagiarizer shares something in common with the serial killer.
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