Editor's Note DID WE EVER SAY that putting together an issue—a book, indeed, every quarter—was easy? After making six, I can attest that our task hasn't become much easier than when we were doing our first, second, or even our third, issue. Geography, traffic, and conflicting time schedules conspire to delay us every time. Add to that Murphy's Law-type computer glitches, and we need to go back and re-edit. It has happened. We call them Acts of God.       As a result, PEN & INK has come to rely on e-mail, faxes, and the Internet, and not just for discussions on the quality of manuscripts and design. For one thing, the Internet has made it much easier to coordinate contributions from around the Philippines and abroad. We have an essay this issue from our former Reviews editor and now editor-at-large Ubaldo Stecconi, now based in the United States, and poetry from Paris-based writer and editor Bonnie Melvin to grace our pages. Fictionist and poet Carlos Cortés, who lives in Cebu, was also able to contribute a story via the Internet. May we add that the possibilities for contribution are not limited to text. We have been receiving high resolution scaned photo contributions from the United States which rival the quality of photographs printed directly from the negative.       PEN & INK's relationship with technology is an uneasy one. The benefits of easy communication are obvious. Yet we do not fully understand the full implications of reach and freedom afforded us by the Internet. We do have a webpage, which went up last December together with the inauguration of our fifth issue, and is one means of introducing ourselves to people who have not seen the printed version. We are aware of the benefits and drawbacks of technology, not only as editors and publishers, but also as writers. The lure of Internet publication is tempting, to be sure. Salon, HotWired, and Slate are but a few examples of successful and most-admired Internet magazines with no hard copy counterparts; but, as Features and Essays editor Kristine D. Fonacier will tell you in her article, the line between writing for the web and writing for print magazines is not so fine. Part of the allure is obviously the astounding ease with which information becomes available. Javier V. Rufino, our Production Director, describes publishing on the web in a few easy steps, but warns that intellectual property rights are not guaranteed as much as freedom of speech on the Web is.       Now, if PEN & INK itself has not fallen into the temptation of turning itself into an online magazine, there are two reasons. One of them is our attachment to the aesthetics and feel of a book. Scrolling through text, or even downloading pages of text for printing, are not the same as leafing through bound pages. There are some who still love the feel of and smell of ink on paper. If kept in good condition (and if printed on acid-free paper), a book will give many hours of reading pleasure for years to come. The other reason is more fundamental. Accessibility is still our main concern. In the United States, studies show that the profile of the average Internet user is male, white, and upper-middle class. There is no reason to doubt that accessibility to the Internet in the Philippines is even more highly skewed in favor of a select few. Take this, if you may, as an apologia for our continued existence in print. Show us something that lasts as long, and we just might change our mind.                                  Marianne Carandang                                  Managing Editor