Here's the last issue of The Ghazal Page for 2005. It consists of five excellent ghazals by Chris Mooney-Singh, a translation of an 18th century Urdu ghazal by Chris and Savinder Kaur. You will also find Chris's definitions of some less-known ghazal terms and his delightful piece, "Fourteen Day Ghazal-e-Zikr."

Each of these items will reward your reading. This issue makes an excellent close to the year and a harbinger of more good things to come 2006.

Finally, click this link quickly and go to Chris' blog, Begum Ghazal's Daily Ghazal Blog. Chris's blog entries will inform and inspire you in writing ghazals. He also provides a number of relevant links.

The 2005 Ghazal Page will end with two solo issues. The first one is by h e k s/lavish, a young poet whose work you will find both challenging and rewarding. h e k s' work draws on the oral tradition of hip-hop MCs. A few years ago, poet Quincy Troupe read in my town. When an audience member asked Troupe if he saw any promising new developments in poetry, Troupe immediately responded, "Rap." This ghazals show how that development can enrich written poetry.

In December, The Ghazal Page will be pleased to present several poems by Chris Mooney-Singh, whose fine work has appeared here before.

My planned publication schedule for this year hasn't worked out. That shouldn't surprise anyone who has followed The Ghazal Page for awhile. My intention was a new issue every four weeks, more or less. This time the gap is nearly two months. My apologies to the poets and readers involved. I appreciate everyone's patience. I'm sure you will find these ghazals worth the wait.

The next two issues will be solo: in November, a set by h e k s/lavish, and in December by Chris Mooney-Singh. These two poets write strong ghazals that will enlarge your sense of what the form can do in English.

I plan to add to my "blog" soon and also to post a review of Tree Riesener's new chapbook, Liminalog. If you have ghazals or reviews and other prose related to ghazals, please send them along.

There seems to be growing interest in the ghazal as an English form. I'm eager to see more contributions to that growth, whether original ghazals, fresh translations of ghazals from other languages, or reviews, notes, essays and other prose relevant to the ghazal in English.