That's All She Wrote Edited

This time last year, I was writing an introductory editor’s note to this section

Now I write to welcome my successor, Ryan Wenzel, and to say goodbye. Well, okay, goodbye sounds pretty lame & grandiose after only a year doing something—though I have been involved with the Rail in one form or another for about six years (and I’ll be sticking around tangentially, as an editor-at-large).

But, whatever, let me be grandiose-ish for a minute and say how much I have enjoyed this past year. It’s not many publications that would give a gal complete editorial freedom. Nobody batted an eyelid when I decided to use the July/August issue for the Rail’s inaugural On the Page dance festival, or when I dedicated last month’s issue entirely to the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. It’s not easy saying so long to such an idiosyncratic little fiefdom.

More importantly, I’d like to say how appreciative I am of the behind-the-scenes support lent by the Rail’s manager, Rose D’Amora, and art director, Walter Chiu, and how enamored I am of the many fine writers I’ve been able to work with this year.

You can read two of these writers, Siobhan Burke and Christine Hou, in this issue. Ryan obviously has grand taste. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with it in these pages.