Happy New Year, fair writers, readers and artists! I wanted to take a moment to thank all of our contributors. Your support makes Pif possible, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reviewing, sharing, commenting and sending in your submissions.

I also wanted to reflect, briefly, on something else I’m grateful for as this year comes to a close.

Two thousand-seventeen brought a few incredible fresh faces to the masthead. 

Liz Kellebrew is an accomplished writer with a long list of published works and several years’ worth of experience working with literary journals. Not only that, she’s also an incredible editor with a discerning eye and a keen understanding of what makes a piece exceptional. A talented writer and knowledgeable editor, Liz is also a great balance to our team dynamic–the graham cracker to my marshmallow, and the beans in our collective chili. She is a consummate professional, which is wonderful because it keeps the heart of Pif‘s mission at the forefront of our minds while we’re reading, pruning submissions alongside their authors and planning for future projects. Both Liz and Alex have approached me on a number of occasions with ideas for projects and pieces, seeking out authors and books to share with our readers and lend a little of their insight to our collective voice. Without their input, voice and vision, Pif would be lacking.

Alexandra Panic is an equally impressive specimen. A busy mother and wife, she is also a teacher and a writer and a reader. Originally from Belgrade, Serbia (although she will tell you that her soul is Italian), she resides with her family in Seattle. She holds a BA degree in Italian Language and Literature from Belgrade University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College. She’s had not one, not two but three collections of poetry published in the Serbian language, and she recently wrote her first novel in English. Despite her accomplishments, she is humble and positive and grounded and encouraging. Her motivation has kept me excited about Pif during a busy year, and I hope next year I can be nearly as organized as she and Liz have proven to be.

Danielle is the newest addition to our team, but she hit the ground running and I couldn’t be more grateful that she has chosen to come aboard. After graduating from Harvard, Danielle has focused her career on writing and editing on the freelance stage. Her love of language is beautiful; conversations with this woman take on the quality of prose. Danielle has been responsible for helping me get our new-this-year event calendar off the ground. Without her, this project literally wouldn’t be possible (or very scant if it existed at all). She has pushed to keep readers informed and educated about publishing opportunities across the country and in overseas markets, something that was so important to me to accomplish this year. In addition, she is an insightful editor with an open mind and a willingness to work directly with authors that reminds me what I love so much about Pif Magazine. She has years of experience and education behind her, but I look forward to working with her and the rest of my team as we expand our publishing efforts and continue to grow.

I want to extend heartfelt thanks to these girls, and I invite you to reach out to myself or any of our editors if you have questions about the writing life. We’re happy to share our experiences with eager writers and are particularly familiar with the Seattle market, where we all live, play and write.

A very happy New Year to you and yours from all of us at Pif Magazine!