So Long, Mad Ones

Photo by: rolfekolbe

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the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!" 

                                   —Jack Kerouac, On the Road

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So this is farewell, HFR horde. For the past two years, I've had a crazy amount of fun with you. We've bonded over rejection and acceptance letters, gotten down to business with lit-mag roundtables, and cracked up over "in your pants jokes" (100 Years of Solitude in your pants! The Origin of Species in your pants!). You know as well as I that social media is as much a blessing as it is a curse; I've found that in my enthusiasm for all things social, I've lost my creative focus, and it's time for me to get that back. I've had a fantastic time getting to know each of you and hearing how your writing is going. I've loved celebrating your acceptances and awards and finding inspiration in watching you overcome creative struggles. Writing is not an easy business, but I'll be damned if I can find one with a better community.

I may be stepping down from Hayden's Ferry Review's social media helm, but I am by no means gone. If you care to stay in touch, I tweet as @fingida, blog at Keep It Lit, and can be found, of course, on Facebook. Thank you again for all the great discussions, for the insights and excellent advice, and for putting up with my unending obsession with coffee. I promise, if we ever meet up, I'll buy you a cup just to show my true appreciation for the wealth of good you've shared with me and the entire HFR community.

Keep burning, lovelies,
Stephanie