Dear Reader, Thank You

Seasons of change are sure to bring good things

Taking in the fall weather the last few months and celebrating the holidays has got me feeling nostalgic for one of the hardest seasons of my life.

It was fall 2021 when I first applied for a job at Emerald Coast Magazine.

I was a recent creative writing graduate with little journalism experience under my belt aside from my university’s magazine and some intermittent freelancing gigs in Columbus, Georgia. I had just moved back to the Emerald Coast area after separating from a decade-long marriage.

I was down. But I was hopeful and determined. Approaching my 30s, I knew exactly what I wanted for my future. 

I researched every magazine in the area. I reached out only to one—Emerald Coast Magazine. The stories were meaningful and community driven, the content was well-written, and the style was elevated and professional. That was where I wanted to be.

I submitted an application on the company’s careers page just to be met with an automated response that they were currently under a hiring freeze. That didn’t deter me.

I promptly emailed then publisher Brian Rowland who connected me with then executive editor Steve Bornhoft who was kind enough to throw me a few freelance assignments.

Throughout November and December, I wrote what I consider some of my first real pieces as a journalist. I covered Healing Hoof Steps, a local organization that offers equine therapy to youth, military, and others struggling with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. I wrote an artist profile of fiber artist Nicole Hemmerly whose passion for dogs is as strong as her passion, and talent, for art.

I wrote stories that meant something. I met people in interviews that impacted me.

All this while living in what I thought would be a very difficult holiday season. But I had my family, I had my hometown, I had my writing, and I had Emerald Coast Magazine.

Bornhoft would prove to be more than an editor; he quickly became a mentor, and later, a friend. He would call me with advice, and we would discuss each piece.

By January, Emerald Coast Magazine’s parent company was hiring a production editor for its custom publications, and Bornhoft recommended me for the role.

My hardest season became my most fruitful. I found myself again, and I found my home again, too. I give great credit to Emerald Coast Magazine for that.

Two years later, big changes approached as Bornhoft planned to take a step back from the executive editor role of the three flagship titles he managed. Suddenly, I became a candidate for one of them, the one I had aimed for from the start—Emerald Coast Magazine.

This role has meant so much more than just a job to me.

It was reassurance that I belong as a writer. It was the entryway to an industry I craved to be a part of. It was a welcoming home.

Today, I am writing this last Editor’s Letter to say thank you.

Thank you to my mentor Bornhoft for guiding me. Thank you to my boss Sara Goldfarb for believing in me. Thank you to my friend Sarah Burger for listening to me. Thank you to my publisher McKenzie Burleigh for encouraging me. And thank you to our readers for giving me a platform to share the many things I love so much about this community.

To do what I love, to write about the community I love, has meant so much to me. And I will be forever grateful.

As I step away from this role I’ve loved so dearly, I don’t wish to say farewell. I’m not going far—I’m home. And I’m not sure I’ll ever quit writing about my home, the Emerald Coast.

So, I’ll say this instead—

I’ll see you on the page.

Be well,