From the Editor's Desk

By Volker Thomas

This is my last issue as AFTA Newsletter Editor-in-Chief. The issue you will receive after this one will mark the transition to a new Editor-in-Chief, who, hopefully, will be appointed soon. Thus, I see this as a time for looking at the balance sheet of my work (to use an accounting metaphor), and for reflecting upon what this experience has meant to me. In the past 4 years, I have edited 10 issues in which I have tried to give space to as many voices as possible. As I look back over this period, I wonder, What have I learned over the last 4 years? And I ask myself, Was it worth the effort? My answer to the second of these questions is an immediate and resounding Yes. It has definitely been worth it. Being editor of the Newsletter is a lot of work, but the position also creates many opportunities, and it has its privileges. Maybe by describing the work as I've encountered it, and the opportunities and privileges as I have enjoyed them, I can begin to answer the first question.

Let me start with the work. Putting together a Newsletter issue is a tedious process. Generating ideas and deciding what to cover is fun; soliciting authors is OK; holding everybody to deadlines is terrible. Seeing the final product, however, makes all the hassle worth it, and receiving positive and encouraging feedback provides considerable motivation for working toward the next issue.

I have really liked the cyclical aspect of the production process. It fits my way of thinking. Linking Newsletter cycles to the natural seasons (i.e., spring, fall, winter issue) reflects my connection to nature and the outdoors and the seasonal changes of the Midwest. Thinking cyclically also makes life, and work, more predictable. I remember the incredible level of anxiety I experienced putting together the first two issues—the panic I felt when authors did not comply with deadlines or something else happened that slowed down the process of production. After going through the cycle a couple of times, I gained enough confidence to realize that, regardless of any perceived obstacles, things would eventually work out. Coming to this realization had a very relaxing effect. With the completion of each cycle, I relaxed more and more.

Beyond the work, or, rather, due to much of what the work entails, being the editor is also a tricky job. It requires creativity, the ability to be flexible and improvise and, at the same time, it requires a great deal of anal retentiveness and rigidity. The latter helps to keep the process on track, while the former is a necessity when working through the panic that wells up when the process gets thrown off track—a guaranteed occurrence with every issue. Over the past four years I learned a lot about both of these sides of my personality.

How about the opportunities? Well, I have met countless wonderful people who have helped me with my work. AFTA is so rich with brilliant, supportive, and caring people. I got to know some of them quite well and some even better than they may have cared for (e.g., when I would call after a deadline had passed). Going to board meetings, serving under three presidents and a variety of board members and committee chairs has proven an invaluable opportunity for developing a sense of institutional history. I found myself being rather a quiet observer at these meetings. I understood my role as editor as that of the ears and eyes of the organization. I used my observations as a springboard for ideas for future issues of the Newsletter. In reacting and witnessing, I became creative and produced a publication that, in my perception, reflected what was going on in the organization at the time. When I went too far, I would hear about it. When I did not go far enough, I would hear about it. However, everything I managed to produce as editor was always welcomed with respect, even when people disagreed with the content of some articles, perceived an imbalance of opinions, and/or noted the absence of a crucial aspect of an area that we covered in the Newsletter. Looking back now, when I reflect on the considerable amount of ideological and tangible resources that AFTA members invest in this organization year after year, I find it very humbling to contemplate the overwhelming degree to which both confidence and trust have been placed in me.

That brings me to the privileges. Immigrating from a foreign country has taught me to be humble, but it has also taught me to be naïve about new things, as a way of rendering them less intimidating. When I took the job, I had no idea how important it was and what privileges it included. Working closely with many leaders in the field, experiencing the different interactional styles, developing friendships with some of them, feeling their caring and support (and on rare occasions, their frustration and disgust) has been a great privilege. Getting to know Barbro and Kim in the central office, and receiving their support and generosity has been a great privilege. Receiving the invaluable help from my assistant Beth Bourdeau and copyeditor Jim Drummond at Purdue has been a great privilege. I am especially grateful to them. There were times when they seemed to put their lives on temporary hold to meet one of the many deadlines.

My advisor in graduate school had a sign above his name next to his office door that read, "It takes a lot of work to make things looks easy." For some reason the sentence has stuck with me. You be the judge whether the last 10 issues of the AFTA Newsletter have looked "easy." It certainly took a lot of work, but it's been well worth it. It's been a privilege having had the opportunity to be the AFTA Newsletter editor for the past 4 years. As many of you have told me, you look forward to receiving the Newsletter three times a year. That's the best feedback an editor can receive. Thanks for reading, and thanks for AFTA's commitment to allocating so many resources to the Newsletter. I'll miss seeing many of you on a regular basis, and hope to stay actively involved in AFTA in some other way.