First thanks goes to Brigham Young University, the College of Humanities, the Department of English, and every creative who has studied at BYU for any length of time. Thank you for your work. Thank you for the longevity of your support.
A special thanks is due to every BYU alum who submitted to this issue of the journal. Thank you for building and maintaining a gorgeous arts community.
To our intelligent and intrepid editorial board, Ariel Hochstrasser, Keola Quereto, Kayley Smoot, Anna McIllece, Keira Hansen, Kate Romney, Heather Adams, Abby Stirland, Janaya Tanner, Aaron Johnson, Allison Hart, Madison Hancey, Mindy Peterman and Megan Jeanneret, thank you for your wit, grit, friendship and skill. Our slush pile is lucky to have you. Mindy and Megan, you deserve an extra shoutout for your leadership on the executive editing team; we have had more than triple the content to edit this semester than we did last semester, and you and your skilled team have tackled it all with strong shoulders and determined smiles. To Megan Smout Beals for taking on the role of webmaster and successfully hurdling every obstacle that comes your way, thank you—with our journal now exclusively published online, you and your stellar web team are crucial in its creation. (To say nothing of the book reviews and newsletters you produce. Our web team is unstoppable!) To Whitnee Forest Brown, Christie Gardner, and your classy interviews team, thank you for being ambassadors for our journal in professionally networking with so many prominent writers. To Kara Beasley, Abby Griffitts, and your stunning social media team, thank you for the artful way you present our work and news on Instagram, your dedication and smarts are no small thing. To Avery Rappleye, Vanessa Johnson, and your smashing events team, how blessed are we that you crafted every perfect element of the Alumni Gala in celebration of this issue. Gathering and celebration are key elements of community, and you and your team do so in such elegant yet cost-effective ways. I’m proud to know you! To every guest speaker—Andrey Sledkov, Ann Dee Ellis, Spencer Hyde, Steve Tuttle, Cheri Earl, John Talbot, Christi Leman, Megan McOmber, Samantha Sorenson, Mauri Pollard Johnson, Katherine Indermaur, Kevin Johnson, Matt Baker, and Chris Schoebinger—you blessed us with your time and expertise this semester, and in so doing have made us savvier professionals and happier people. Thank you.
Forever and always, my wholehearted thanks to the dream team, Cheri Earl and Kate Romney. May every editor-in-chief have a faculty advisor and an assistant editor like you to work beside her. You are nothing short of magic.
Mikayla Johnson