Around this time last year, the time I spent as Junior Editor-in-Chief was primarily, and most importantly, a learning position. For the entirety of the Fall Book’s editorial process I was observing how things worked and shadowing my senior’s every move. The reads process, the proofing process, and the publishing process are very complicated to teach; I mainly just watched things in action, and took notes as we went.
This year will be very different. It is my job as Senior Editor-in-Chief to lead the entire editorial process. With this huge responsibility, I spent a lot of my summer reflecting on not only what this job entails, but really why this job is important to me. Yes, I love writing. And yes, I love supporting the teen arts community in any way I can. But to work on the Elan staff is a step beyond that. I care about our publication because it has maintained its excellence for decades. Because I sit in our creative writing classrooms and know how much work goes into creative work. Elan needs an Editor-in-Chief who cares about these things. And I am honored and excited to have my role this year.
Last year, I learned many things based on the mistakes I made. Organization of Elan submissions, and maintaining thorough communication between the staff’s editors and Mrs. Melanson are both things I need to work on. When things get hectic with the publishing process it’s easy for things to fall through the cracks. I now know what times of the year are the most chaotic, and how to work through them. We, as a collective staff, have also experienced times where editorial needs and community outreach needs must be balanced. We know how to prioritize these need and divide them among staff members so that all the weight doesn’t fall on the same people.
Now that it’s September, Fall Book submissions have begun. I cannot stress how much we want, and need, young writers and visual artists to submit their pieces. We need dedicated, creative individuals to make the Elan publication possible! Tell your friends, tell your neighbors: submit, submit, submit!
- Olivia Meiller, Senior Editor-in-Chief