In With The New
Joe Köller has news about our search for new editors.
A few weeks ago, our magnificent Managing Editor, Lindsey Joyce, announced her departure and our consequent need of somebody who would take over. Our sadness over seeing her go is surpassed by our joy to see her moving on to bigger things, and I would like to use this opportunity to wish her the best of luck in all future endeavors once more. Moreover, I am glad to report that our search has concluded and we have some new recruits to introduce to you today.
What we did not announce so far, however, is that our restructuring is a little more comprehensive than previously advertised: I am stepping down as Editor-in-Chief.
This was not an easy decision to make. This site has been a big part of my life for the last three years and I am very proud of what it has become and the small role I have played in shaping it. Although I reached this decision only shortly after Lindsey, I decided against making it public. I told myself that I did so to avoid stealing her thunder and make sure there was even interest in my position before abandoning it, but in truth I probably also wanted to give myself a way out of going through with it. Even now it seems unreal. It was surprisingly hard to sit down and write this.
Still, it has become clear to me both that I want more time to focus on my own writing, tentative game making and side projects like the Game Crit Club, and that the amount of spinning plates I am already committed to has increased to the point of keeping me from affording Haywire the amount of care and effort I expect out of myself. Which is why I’m making room for somebody else to have a shot at this. I will stay with the site though, so don’t let this announcement overshadow the joyous occasion of welcoming some new members to our little family.
With that in mind, I am delighted to introduce our new Editor-in-Chief, Katriel Paige, who has prepared a few words for the occasion:
I’m excited to be the new Editor-in-Chief and continue Haywire’s commitment to inclusion – however, I’m a person of few words, so I hope to let my actions speak for themselves. I am honored to be working with such a great team who bring their individual voices to the table, and I hope I do right by them as well as the writers and you, our audience.
Hear, hear! Katriel will slowly be taking over for me in the next few weeks, after which I will recede to the background and focus on finishing what I left unfinished and keeping alive what connections I made in my time.
Given that we had more positions to fill than originally announced, we are fortunate to have been graced with so many strong applications. As for the role of Managing Editor, I am pleased to present our own Riley MacLeod, who will be taking over for Lindsey.
I’m so thrilled to take on the role of Managing Editor for Haywire. I come from a fiction editing background with a strong emphasis on supporting new writers, and I see Haywire as an exciting extension of that work. My time with Haywire so far has made me a better editor and helped me think about my own writing and editing goals, and I look forward to learning alongside our team and helping foster and support new voices in games writing.
Further, in order to clear up the schedule of our new Editor-in-Chief, another familiar face will act as our dedicated Features Editor in the future: Taylor Hidalgo, of Art Tickles fame.
Working with Haywire has been something like the beginning of Fallout 3 for me. Prior to my work here, I had been a hobbyist writer on gaming forums and blog pages. My work was experimental, just testing the waters to see what styles, if any, I was very good at working with. Stepping into a regular column at Haywire was a bit like stepping from the cave for the first time. I was flooded with light and sensory input, and I was surrounded by a land full of potential, hardship, success, and danger. It was the first time I had to take my writing seriously, and like with Fallout 3, the entire experience was accompanied by a sense of wonder and awe.
Almost two years later, I find myself sitting just inside the lip of the cave once again, looking through the threshold of a brand new first, both for me and for Haywire. This will be the first time Haywire has a Features Editor, and if history is any indicator, it will be packed with even more amazing experiences surrounded by the same kind of talented and capable hands that have always run the magazine. I’m looking forward to working side-by-side with the amazing talent coming in with me. With some luck, and the amazing people I have the opportunity to work alongside, I look forward to getting to be a part of Haywire’s future.
Last but not least, given all these changes and departures, I am glad that we will also be joined by Miguel Penabella and Joshua Trevett to help deal with the day-to-day editing.
These are a lot of changes to take in at once, but I have no doubt that all our new editors will do great in their new roles and am more than happy to leave Haywire in such competent hands. I hope you will show them the same trust and support you have shown me over the last years, and that you will continue to accompany us on this amazing journey. Thank you all for putting up with me for as long as you have.