Dear Readers,

BBLM started as a gleam in my eye and has since transformed into a labor of love sucking me and my editors into a whirlwind of creation. At its conception, little could we have known how many submissions and inquiries we would receive. We are truly honored to be trusted with your art and soul.

The beauty of this magazine is its inherent need for collaboration. Though each piece was created alone by the artist, whose singular point of view seeps from these works, it is through the process of working together that this magazine has come to showcase their solitary experience for all of us to consume, ponder, and feel, retroactively, in our own separate minds. We are each a star alone in the universe, twinkling onto one another, weaving together a tapestry of souls in the Dark Skies, to create this experience together.

Please take the time to read and look at every piece, as I can assure you all the works included in this inaugural issue are worthy of your time. From gorgeous photos of Big Bend and the dark skies, to poetry and prose relating elated experiences, to cowboy stories taking us back to the nostalgia of a wilder West, there is something for everyone contained in its pages. Though presented in an order out of necessity, all pieces deserve a feature.

A lot of people keep asking me where they can find a print copy. For now, BBLM will be published online as free content, and we intend to always keep our online issues free. We do have limited prints of this issue available now. See the bottom of the front page of Issue One for a link to request a limited copy. If interest grows in print issues, we will consider limited editions with each issue. Stay tuned, and feel free to donate using the Tip Jar link below.

With pride, I cut the ribbon for you into an exquisite world. In reading and looking, you become a part of the collaboration born from our contributors and masthead. Without you, we could not share this beauty with the world.

With Gusto,

Kate Keenan, Managing Editor