### June/July Featured poet: Zeyu Ma One of the great delights of the classical tradition is its multiplicity and variety. Depending on your geographical and cultural origins and your education, the word "classical" may first bring to mind Beethoven, Aeschylus, the Bhagavad Gita; even, perhaps, architectural styles, or forms of dance formalized in the reign of Louis XIV. Each tradition has its own rhythms and patterns, its own stylistic ornaments; here at *The Pierian*, we celebrate these varied traditions by juxtaposing them. This issue, our poems engage with traditions from China, Israel and Sumer, among others. The richness of the classical Chinese literary tradition comes to the fore in the poem we print this issue by featured poet __Zeyu Ma__. Ma, whose parents immigrated from China to California, studies at UC Berkeley. He admires classical poets Du Fu and Li Qingzhao. In his own words: *Zeyu Ma enjoys exploring the world through culinary adventures in his tiny kitchen, if he's not busy practicing his Beijing Opera.*