I’ve spent 15 months trying to pull readers through a well-written story. I’d focus on strategically leaving breadcrumbs of detail and emotion amongst weighty information, using prose to soften the blow of stiff statistics and offering quotes mined from the depths of a three hour transcription. And where possible, packaging it all neatly with a full-circle ending, reminding the reader why they might have spent 30 minutes treading through tales of community to begin with – it’s kind of my shtick.
But now is not the time for that. Let’s cut the alliteration and the rhythm, the strategic semi-colons and the em dash for dramatic pause. As I sign off this final time as Editor-in-Chief I have three things to share, and none of them benefit from flowery language or clever structure.
First, I’d like to offer you a window into the Community Edition. Every month, a team of dedicated volunteers work beyond their regular jobs to find, study, write, edit, layout and share the wildly important stories of Waterloo Region. They watch the clock flip from 2:00 a.m. to 2:01 on their iMacs far more regularly than most because they’re giving up their evenings to meet a print deadline. Thank you to every patient, inquisitive and selfless individual who fills our pages.
To recognize a few who deserve much more than that: Lakyn, Matt, Alistair, Megan, Anna, Jon, Stacey, Kurtis, Tegan, and Bryn.
Second, I’d like to share a window into the next volume of the Community Edition. This window is Jesse Bauman and he’s tapped into so many facets of the region that I was not. I’m confident that Jesse will bring TCE from its strengths in arts, culture, and community dialogue to new heights of critical discussion and much-needed investigative reporting. Welcome to the team, Jesse, I’m so excited to follow your stories.
Finally, a window to your own power as a community with an independent publication at your disposal. TCE is and always has been here to share your stories. We were there to offer a voice for each ward during elections. We were there to live tweet every damn arts event this city has hosted. We were there to provide experiential words (and debate) on the body. We were there to share dialogue on everything from development to health, food security to the ION, startups to school board trustees.
You are a wealth of stories, Waterloo Region. If there is one story that doesn’t require a trail of adjectives, measured cadence and a full-circle ending to keep you reading, it’s this one – yours.
Damn it. I did it again.
Keep reading,
Allison M. Leonard
Editor-in-Chief
Leave a Reply