Look New Jersey's getting slammed to shit by COVID, while NYC is the epicenter of armageddon, so we'd be lying if we said we were handling all this well, which admittedly is kind of disappointing considering the amount of time we've devoted to contemplating the end of the world.

But we also know that stories still matter to people, now more than ever. We've got a friend in her eighties who tells us the only thing that gets her through these days are the Rosary and reading. And since we're not much help with novenas, we better start posting some stories.

Fortunately, we've got a decade-plus worth of tales and poems in reserve. We'll try to send some out on a regular basis. We've been absent for too long, faithful readers, but the tide must turn. Despair can only reign for so long; Batman's back on patrol.

So kick the tires, light the fires, and follow us. Let's suss out some wonder. We'll start out with ten or so of our favorites today and then see where we go from there.

Stay safe. Stay weird. Stay alive.

First up, our ancient pal @Danger_Slater with the modern classic, "A Robot's Sonnet" http://www.jerseydevilpress.com/?page_id=625 

Coming straight from the epicenter of hell, our favorite librarian/valkyrie @AllyMalinenko will make you cry so hard you'll totally forget the viral apocalypse. Check out, "Paper Heart." http://www.jerseydevilpress.com/?page_id=2710 

We knew @graham_tugwell back when he was just @jontymig. Revel in the terror that is "We Left Him with the Dragging Man" http://www.jerseydevilpress.com/?page_id=2710 

From another hard-hit state, Tennessee, @danaccarpenter brings you "Of Lullabies and Lightning Storms" http://www.jerseydevilpress.com/?page_id=4169 

From last year, the all-too relevant "Statue of a Crazed Horse" by @Bloombeard http://www.jerseydevilpress.com/?page_id=4169 

Quarantine's bad but it's, uh, not a nuclear war? That's the moral, we think, of @HilaryGan's "What Breaks Us Is What Separates Us from the Animals" http://www.jerseydevilpress.com/?page_id=8115