The first few months of my term as EIC have been a veritable roller coaster, quandary, and pleasure. I stepped into the role, green as our floors—due in equal measure to fresh-facedness and anxiety—and was bombarded with issues right outta the gate. I hope that the problems which have arisen haven’t been apparent to the readership, but suffice to say there have been issues ranging from dismissals, resignations, changing paper stock quality, the cutting and adding of sections, and the usual day-to-day dilemmas that naturally plague a student publication. I hate to pepper this Lettitor with clichés and worn-out metaphors galore, but it’s been a wild ride so far.
I had a feeling leading a student newspaper would be tumultuous when, after recounting some of the problems I encountered to previous EIC, the OG Jay-Z Gibb, his response was “DON’T YOU GET IT?! THINGS WILL NEVER SETTLE DOWN.”
Put otherwise, sitting at the helm of a newspaper is a balance of harmonious and hectic, that you hope will be the former but often leans to the latter.
Granted I grind my teeth more than I ever have before, and my weeks frequently become blurs of work, school, more work, and more school. Still, the experience thus far has reinvigorated my love for this newspaper, even as I do become cynical at the inevitability that another problem will be around the corner—there’s always a new day and a new problem to solve.
It’s been through this twisted version of whack-a-mole that I’ve come to see even more clearly the dedication of this paper’s collective. I’ve had to come to the board of directors and my steadfast crew of editors for input a lot, and each and every time they’ve had my back. While I still occasionally feel like Bambi trying to steady himself on the ice, the pack of wunderkinds who work for the Other Press is more than any gal could hope for.
Which brings me to a more sentimental farewell to two of said wunderkinds as they move on to bigger and better things in their lives. Life & Style Editor Sophie Isbister and Layout Manager Cody Klyne have been in their positions and with the paper for years. In recent months, they’ve decided the time has come to hang up their hats and make way for the next generation.
There are no words to describe the talent, intelligence, sass, humour, patience, creativity, and dedication that these two possess; I will forever admire their ability to turn a phrase, work hard for incredible results, and still see ways for themselves to improve, in addition to helping out with other people’s problems. Mr. Klyne in particular has been a source of guidance to me since I was a newbie contributor to his EIC years ago, and has remained so from his wheelie seat as Layout Manager, always ready to whip around and lend an ear or joke.
I so wish these two could stick around 5ever, but they’ve outgrown their Other Press britches, and knowing them as people, coworkers, and friends, they’re bound for great things. Thank god I get to see them outside of the OP.
Sophie and Cody moving on opens the door for new faces, new minds, and new talents to fill the Other Press collective, as the old guard shuffles out of our oddly decorated office and into the next phase of their lives. The two of them have helped make the paper what it is, and I’m excited to welcome in the next troupe, to help make the paper what it will be.
For now though, I wanna wish Isbister and Klyne the best on their road ahead. To very loosely paraphrase Lana, “live slow, die whenever. Be wild, and have fun. Believe in the person you want to become. Believe in the freedom of the open road. And ride, just ride.”
Hello gorgeous,
Natalie Serafini
