This year the Élan staff has a lot to be thankful for. We are thankful for our wonderful staff, our lovely supervisor Mrs. Melanson, our Winter 2013 book, and of course our readers. This is what we are most thankful for this year:
Emily Cramer (Editor-in-Chief): For Cormac McCarthy, who showed me that it’s okay to break the rules.
Sarah Buckman (Junior Editor-in-Chief): For Creative Writing seniors!
Emily Leitch (Layout and Design Editor): For Paul Legault for inspiring me to be the poet that I am today.
Taylor Austell (Junior Layout and Design Editor): For the teachers and the staff that allow me to grow into the person that I am today.
Kiera Nelson (Fiction Editor): For women like Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, and Alice Walker who inspire me to be the best combination of a writer/womanist that I can be.
Zoe DeWitt (Fiction Editor): For Tom Hiddleston reciting poetry, especially Shakespeare’s sonnets.
Raegen Carpenter (Poetry Editor): For Rachel McKibbens, who proved to me that you can be both a witty, tattooed goddess, and a poet.
Brittanie Demps (Poetry Editor): For the culture and atmosphere of Douglas Anderson. It’s given me the chance to grow into the person that I want to be and to express my passion in writing.
Mariah Abshire (Junior Poetry Editor): For the Creative Writing department as a whole and all the opportunities the teachers and staff expose me to.
Emily Jackson (Nonfiction Editor): For the creative writing department that has supported me and my writing for these past four years.
Shamiya Anderson (Junior Nonfiction Editor): For being in a department that thrives and helps me grow as a writer.
Haley Hitzing (Social Media Editor): For Yusef Komunyakaa for making me fall in love with poetry.
Madison George (Junior Social Media Editor): For an amazing Élan staff to work with.
Makenzie Fields (Submissions Editor): For the Dodge Poetry Festival for opening my eyes to the wonderful world of poetry.
Stephanie Thompson (Public Relations and Marketing): For John and Hank Green.