Somehow we were ready to send the spring issue to print, and there were still two hours in hand before we were due to deliver the files. This never happens, by the way. We’re a busy office, and we’re never any more caught-up than the rest of you, so we were a bit taken by surprise. We thought about helping out the printers by uploading the files early – but I had a better use for the time. I made myself up a dummy issue, made a cup of tea and sought out the comfiest chair the office affords, intent on enjoying the new mag as any other reader would.
Now, what I had in my hands was the product that has kept me occupied day in, day out for the past few weeks and for a goodly proportion of the preceding months, too, so at this point it was hard for me to regard it as a source of pleasure, or at least leisure. But I must have been faking it good as I put my feet up in the middle of the working day, because actually it wasn’t hard to enjoy the book. I might even try it again!
Here are some of my own take-aways from a newly minted magazine, by no means all that it could be but, still: good to go. I wonder what other readers will enjoy the most?
- The lovely image, from music prof Blake Henson, of the hole in the human heart “that is permanently ‘other-shaped’ … we deeply long to be truly known and wanted, and deeply desire to matter and belong to one another. As we seek out the ‘other’ in the great abyss of wisdom that surrounds us, the hole in our heart begins to heal.”
- A baby bib that I long to edit, on page 31. It bears the legend, “Wish I was a Green Knight.” That should be “were,” people, “Wish I were a Green Knight.” But it’s hard to edit text in a photo and still call yourself a journalist. Never mind, the baby herself (the daughter of Andrea [Gouin] ’07 and David Johnson) is absolutely perfect – no editing needed there at all.
- People, people, wonderful people: the Bears fan who cheerleads for the Packers; the v-p who spends a week of his vacation every year as stage manager at South by SouthWest; our students on the autism spectrum and their peer mentors; the football player belting out the National Anthem on his electric guitar before the game starts; on the facing page, philanthropist Raejean Kanter ’68 and her “one life”; our first-ever competitive power-lifter; Henry Sink.
- Words from that fine and spiritual poet, Leonard Cohen – first time he’s appeared in our pages, I think: “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
- And, on the back cover, another great quote, this one from John Wooden. We chose it to crown an amazing basketball season from the Green Knight men, the Green Knight women … and, by the way, how about those Badgers?: The Wooden quote reads, “The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.”
