Time(s)

Go Anywhere Literary Magazine

Time is both our most powerful enemy and our most benevolent friend. Time takes and gives, pulls and pushes, and moves fast and slowly at the same time. With the passage of time comes change, advancement, and loss. We live with more than one version of time; hence, this year’s theme: Time(s).

We have new leadership in our department and division, and this is the first year that I will thank my new wonderful department chair, Lyndsey Strahan, for her support of me and Go Anywhere. Change can be difficult, and Lyndsey has done a great job of helping our department transition.

As grateful as I am to my new department chair, I have missed my friend and mentor Richard Turner, who encouraged and supported me through the development of this publication and each and every one of its seven issues. Richard is happily retired and spending his days as a full-time grandparent. His experience is a reminder that there is nothing like spending one’s days watching an infant learn and grow to make a person aware of time–the great giver and robber.

My own daughter is a student at OTC this year and has a story in Go Anywhere. She was in middle school when we published the first issue. Much has changed since then, but my love has remained constant. Having a daughter who is an OTC student has allowed me to see the college from a new perspective. I have always loved OTC, and as I watch my daughter thrive in this nurturing environment with supportive faculty, I am even more proud to work here. I am grateful every day that she decided to become an OTC Eagle.

Because I am a parent as well as an educator, I am fully cognizant of the importance of a nurturing environment for today’s young people. The work our students produced this year is a little darker than the work that appeared in the first issue of the magazine seven years ago. The world our students live in feels darker than the world of seven years ago. Many of their elders are angrier, less trusting, more fearful–and sometimes, nastier. Our students’ work reflects that. It’s not just calling out to us; it’s crying out to us: They need the world to be calmer, kinder, safer. Let’s listen. It’s time.

Jane Cowden,
Faculty Advisor

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