I set the theme for this issue a while ago, without the slightest inkling that it could have been prescient. There had been a basic determination when I started this journal that I would do everything I could to prevent spending money until we had some sort of income, but I was forced to break with that goal when our previous host crashed. The timing couldn't have been worse, since we had just managed to get some press coverage at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The transitions for this journal are still going on now, with many plans just on the horizon, paralleling the nature of the publishing industry at large today. In spite of a growing number of publications seeking to expand the literary world, there is still the ominous decline in readership. There is no shortage of writers, as there are more today than ever before, including masses that consider it a pure vocation, as opposed to a side interest. Where all concerned find themselves, publishers and writers alike, is largely dependent on a battle against other forms of media, pitting similar professionals against each other for the spoils, the time and interest of the public. On the side of literature, we have teachers, concerned parents, and bibliophiles fighting in the trenches with weapons like "turn off the TV" week, religious membership in Readers' Advantage clubs at booksellers, and "Book It" programs with pizzas and the like for incentives. The media moguls have Disney, Nintendo, Sony, and a myriad of other software, music and movie corporations bombarding our youth with sounds and images for hours each day. The numbers say that adults are not reading as much as they had, but there is little that the industry can do to sway them back to books. As usual, the focus is on children, and what is at stake is not merely the bottom line in the publishing industry, but also the future of America in general. A movie about a classic is |
not a replacement for reading, and as long as that is the direction our youth is going, the fate of our country remains that of a mediocre nation that happens to have the most weapons, and just masses of undereducated illiterates to wield them. That is not greatness, and is not enough to survive in an information based world economy. More than at any other time in the history of the world, knowledge is the most valuable commodity in the workplace, and our country is faltering in the race to create an efficient workforce capable of keeping pace. The transition that the American public needs to be making is in creating real value, real rewards, for learning and literacy. True, it would be best to teach by example, and have the adult public opting for books instead of the passive action of watching television and movies. It could be assumed that individuals working in the publishing industry would plead for support for purely financial reasons, but that is simply not the truth for the majority of them. I despise the fact that I regularly see a distinct drop in quality of work from younger generations, in comparison to that offered from writers my own age and older. The statistics from the National Endowment of the Arts showing a decline in readership prove the adage that to write well one must read. The authors in this issue have offered stories of their own transitions, from childhood to adulthood, from lost to found, and from unknown to successful to name a few. I had been told that it was fairly easy theme to work with, since so many stories are about change. Previously, we have received very few words from you, the reader, about this journal. Now, I offer you a challenge, instead of passively taking in what we offer here, tell us what you think, what transitions we should be making in the future. Our contributors spend many hours creating their works for you to read, forcing themselves to push the limits of their creativity. It is not an easy job, and deserves respect; something easily offered with a few words of encouragement or criticism. Elizabeth Ross |