June is an emotional and nostalgic month for me. Two Junes ago, when I started planning The Passed Note, I had no idea what I was doing. I was a graduate student with four years in publishing under my belt, but had never before run my own lit journal. I’d been an editorial assistant, a layout artist, an interviews editor, but never those three formidable, exciting words: editor-in-chief. A tiny part of myself whispered, “Dooooo it. Dooooo it,” and I was frozen in terror by the thought.
I had so much help along the way, but the first help I received in starting out was from a professor, Catherine Campbell. Catherine single-handedly made the entire process not only doable, but realistic. She broke up the process in chunks. One class was just about my potential audience. One class to come up with a name. Another to design the logo. A small task for each time we met. She would not let me give up, would never let me call the road ahead impossible.
I eventually had a team: a rag tag team of women scattered across the country, all hopelessly in love with young adult literature. I owe every issue to these women, without whom we wouldn’t have an issue, an audience, or work to publish. Megan Parker flawlessly comments on each piece of work that comes across our submission page with grace, aplomb, and joy. My best edits come from her. Jeanette Vigliotti is the beating heart, so set on encouragement, kindness, and motiva-
Editor's Note