Editor’s Note The Contemporary Poetry Review is pleased to publish selected letters to the magazine, some of which have been edited for content and clarity. The editor can be contacted here.Concerning: Joan Houlihan on First LinesI liked Joan Houlihan’s piece on first lines. How right she is to emphasize their importance. Whether as a way to cull a good book from a worthless heap or to assess a particular poet’s grasp of the art, scanning through first lines is an interesting exercise. Many poets, I think, are oblivious to the gravity of this. An opening line is an overture, a first impression, a doorway, a vital sign. It’s also like a first date. It had better be beautiful or handsome or smart or scintillating or [...]