Are We There Yet?
by Renee' Johnson

No, I'm not gonna give you any commentary on the Ice Cube film (although I enjoyed it until it got to the corny ass ending). Let me holla atcha, let me bend your ear, let me converse with you fo' one minute.

In the beginning, man (well actually a few non-believers/Kings of De Nouncement/Queens of De Nile/, men and women, who we will now refer to as 'haters') thought of Sunpiper Press as just another one of those online spots that wouldn't live up to the promises made by it's editors. Well, that's definitely not the case. From the mental scratch pads of Robert Denson, III, to the fabulous poets, writers, and of course readers, Sunpiper Press has come a long way in a short time. Never backing down to what the haters would say, Sunpiper Press has brought you exclusive interviews with writers and poets, both well established and newcomers. We've brought you some of the greatest story-tellers from talented writers, and poetry from some of the most talented poets that put pen to paper, or, fingertips to keys. Stop booing me. Right now.

So does that mean that it's time to gloat? Never. We're certainly not that arrogant, but more than that, we have more respect for ourselves and the people who have submitted writings to us over the past few months. We know that had it not been for all of your continuous support, encouraging words, and of course, FANTASTIC contributions, we wouldn't be around now. And if you caught the managing editor's editorial last month, you'd know that we're getting ready to take this baby to print!

So now comes the question- Success: Are we there yet? And I answer the question with a question: Are you kidding? Of course not. But we're well on our way. If we were to go down the checklist we started out with prior to launching Sunpiper Press, we'd be able to place check marks next to each goal that we'd initially set. During this entire process, the experiences have brought us even more ideas and has allowed us to set more goals to accomplish. This month, we've begun bringing you audio files and we'll be bringing you lots more in the future. And we'll continue to bring you exclusive interviews as well as even more excellent writing. We're also adding more talent to the list with writings from the talented winners and participants from our first Sunpiper Press Essay Contest!

So, in certain aspects, we've arrived, but we'll never be satisfied with that. We'll always strive to be a better source of information and promotion for readers and writers alike. And with your continued encouragement and support, I'll quote the Mary Tyler Moore show song...

"We're gonna make it affffterrrrrr allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!"