In less than a week, the Spring/Summer issue of the Aurorean goes to the printer. This time period (in producing each issue) always proves to be frantic. And this time this issue even more so, as I've been a bit behind schedule due to my recently diagnosed Lyme disease {http://writinglyme.blogspot.com} and the fits and starts of various treatments involved. But no matter what happens, I tell myself, It will get done! And it will. And it does.
But there is the excitement involved in choosing a cover image for each particular issue. (Just look at the image above! Isn't it fun? Rich? Spring-y?—it's much more fun than chasing down that last bio or getting that last proofing question answered!) There is the joy in choosing colorful and sometimes beautifully-textured paper for our endpapers and Insert pages, and having a new review quote ("This little journal will fill you up"—see last post) to add to the back cover. There is the sheer excitement involved in knowing who our Featured Poets are, whose chapbook we chose to recommend, whose poem was chosen as "Best" of our last issue, and the happiness in being able to release that information to our readers.
There is all that. And anticipation. How will this issue—the first one out after an amazing 15th Anniversary celebration—be received? Will that cover look as good as I anticipate? Will the endpapers and Insert pages match nicely against that cover? Will another review of endorsement appear in NewPages or will Small Press Review again choose us as a "Pick"? Will it all work together, poems individually, poets individually, and as a complete body of work? Will we wend our way into new homes, finding new friends as we do so?
And then there are the nerve-wracking issues that keep editors up at night. Did we proof it all correctly? (Sending out proofs for our poets to check is one thing. If they miss a glaring error while proofing, that is one error whose burden rests on us as well.) Will there be any unforeseeable delays at the printer? Did the paper company send the correct endpapers and Insert papers to the printer? Am I certain Poet A agreed to our suggestions? Did we make double-certain that the page numbers listed in poets' bios are truly the page number(s) where each poet appears? Will we get the mailing list 100% accurate, and the envelopes and boxes labeled and in plenty of time? What if my computer crashes the day before I'm scheduled to send to press???...and on and on until we finally knock ourselves out with sleeping medication and return to sanity the following day.
You might think by now that the nerve-wracking part of my job as editor tips the scale. But it all works together in harmony. And I can be certain that when I say "click here to reserve your copy" {http://www.encirclepub.com/store/product/340} I have faith that there will be a copy for you, and one we can be proud to send to you. Moving into our sixteenth year, I know that to be true.
