Dear Readers,
On behalf of the staff of Broken Pencil, I wanted to share a major staffing announcement: our intrepid editor of eight years Lindsay Gibb has decided to step down as of the spring issue.
Lindsay has done amazing work over the last eight years and 31 issues! Her talent, optimism, hard work and overall dedication to the BP project have always amazed and inspired me. Under Lindsay’s purview, the magazine created an assistant editor position, the positions of art editor and submissions editor, added a comics section to show off the work of independent illustrators and, most recently, created an editorial board. She has also written some of the magazine’s best stories in recent years, including a story on the secret lives of puppets, a look at zines and education, and a piece on the Mad Pride movement, zines and mental health.
Beyond her quantifiable contributions to the mag, Lindsay also brought a combination of journalistic acumen, creative flair and a deeply-felt passion and commitment to DIY and indie culture. Her tireless commitment and love for the magazine helped it to flourish and expand its coverage across multiple disciplines, stories and people. I cannot imagine where we would be if she hadn’t taken up the job of BP editor and run with it. Lindsay will now be focusing on writing her upcoming book on Nicholas Cage for ECW Press’ Pop Classics series and concentrating on her work as a zine librarian at OCADU Library. She will also stay on as an advisor, contributor and member of our editorial board.
In the meantime, I’m delighted to announce that our own Alison Lang is taking over for Lindsay, so we are in excellent hands moving forward. Alison has spent the past two years as assistant editor at Broken Pencil, as well as a freelance writer and editor on the side. We’ll be hearing more about her plans for the magazine over the next few months.
So, please join me in wishing Lindsay all the best as she moves on to the next phase in her career, and in welcoming Alison to the editorship. It has been — and will continue to be — a privilege working with both of them.
Hal Niedzviecki
Founder and publisher
Broken Pencil Magazine
Please pick up the upcoming issue of Broken Pencil (issue 63) to read Lindsay’s last editor’s note.