(Not Quite) a Farewell

by Willy Doehring

 

With the end of the semester (and of my college career) on the horizon, I spent a long time trying to decide how best to say farewell. It wasn’t until today that I realized what I really want to say is thank you.

Thank you to all those who submitted your work to this semester, and those who continue to submit. It was a privilege to read the work of all those who submitted, and an honor to have a role in publishing some of that work. Whether your writing was accepted or not, I urge you to keep writing and submitting; work like yours is the lifeblood of The River.

Thank you to my co-editor Gail and to our advisor Shana Youngdahl, both of whom have been incredibly supportive (and patient) throughout the semester. It was a fantastic experience working with both of you, and The River wouldn’t be what is now without you.

Thank you to Alexandra and Elayna, who not only created an absolutely beautiful issue of The Sandy River Review but also coordinated with us in order to make The River the best companion to the Sandy that it could possibly be.

Thank you to the Fall 2017 co-editors, Meagan and Richard, for supporting Gail and I as well as laying a fantastic foundation on which we could continue to build. I was honored to continue the work that Meagan began with “Writer’s Workshop”, which provided me not only with an outlet to try and give advice to other writers but also an opportunity to think critically about writing itself, which I believe has helped me improve as a writer as well.

And finally, thank you to all of you who read the content that we publish here on The River. I sincerely hope that you will continue to read and share all that The River is and will be— and of course, I hope that many of you submit (or continue to submit) your work so we can keep this river of content flowing for all to enjoy.

At the start of this semester I wasn’t sure what to expect working as an editor, as this is the first of such positions I have ever held, but now  I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to be a part of The River. It is an experience that will always hold a special place in my heart.

And so, one last time: thank you.