Letter From the Editor
Dear Readers,
In preparing to write our first ever “Letter From the Editor” for Glassworks magazine, I have been thinking about what to say on behalf of myself and the incredibly dedicated staff that I have worked with over the last three and a half years. Should I reflect on Issue 14 in particular? On the stunning artwork or the accidental theme of death that emerged in the selection process? While future letters may take on a more issue specific subject, for this, our first, I kept returning to the idea of community, which has been particularly present in my mind this year.
This February, thirteen members of the Glassworks staff attended the AWP annual conference in Washington DC. For some of us, this was a new experience. For me, it’s become old hat as this was my fifth AWP experience. Yet something about this one was different. As I wandered the bookfair and perused other beautiful lit mags, I was pleasantly surprised at how many familiar names I encountered within their tables of contents. Former Glassworks authors and artists seemed to be everywhere. I found novels and memoirs on tables that our staff has reviewed, book signings by authors we have interviewed and published, and met fellow editors who recognized our magazine and complimented our design. As a still new and emerging magazine, I was overwhelmed by the sense of community this recognition brought me; the literary community is small and supportive, and our humble little publication is fully entrenched in it all.
In preparing to write our first ever “Letter From the Editor” for Glassworks magazine, I have been thinking about what to say on behalf of myself and the incredibly dedicated staff that I have worked with over the last three and a half years. Should I reflect on Issue 14 in particular? On the stunning artwork or the accidental theme of death that emerged in the selection process? While future letters may take on a more issue specific subject, for this, our first, I kept returning to the idea of community, which has been particularly present in my mind this year.
This February, thirteen members of the Glassworks staff attended the AWP annual conference in Washington DC. For some of us, this was a new experience. For me, it’s become old hat as this was my fifth AWP experience. Yet something about this one was different. As I wandered the bookfair and perused other beautiful lit mags, I was pleasantly surprised at how many familiar names I encountered within their tables of contents. Former Glassworks authors and artists seemed to be everywhere. I found novels and memoirs on tables that our staff has reviewed, book signings by authors we have interviewed and published, and met fellow editors who recognized our magazine and complimented our design. As a still new and emerging magazine, I was overwhelmed by the sense of community this recognition brought me; the literary community is small and supportive, and our humble little publication is fully entrenched in it all.
So what I really wish to say is thanks to you, our readers and contributors, for welcoming us into the fold and helping us build a magazine I am sincerely proud to publish.
photo by: Bicking Photography
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Be well, do good work, and keep in touch,
Katie Budris Editor in Chief |
