“We want to be a signpost to the rest of the world that Youngstown is still here, still creating and still burning.”

These words came from Couri Johnson before she left her tenure as head editor of the Jenny. They were said in an interview for a news article, and I’ve been using them ever since. They keep me grounded in Jenny’s mission as I step into the role of president and head editor.

I was overwhelmed by the community support for our last issue. So many people from Youngstown were talking about Jenny and sharing it with their friends, and that made my heart leap because that’s exactly what we’re here for.

For this issue, I wanted to keep people talking. I wanted to create a collection of work that will bring even more of our community to the Jenny. I wanted to show the world what Youngstown can do. And I believe my staff and I have done that.

We’ve returned to our roots a bit, finding those pieces that embody the working class, the Rust Belt, the essence of Youngstown. But we’ve also brought in a mix of other pieces, of other genres and styles for something new, something different. We’ve put together a mix of local area authors and authors from out of state; a mix of students and professionals, first-timers and veterans.

We’ve collected what I believe to be a solid spread to delight our wide audience—a mix that I hope represents the diversity of our city.

Enjoy, Youngstown.

Jordan McNeil

SLAA President