Editor’s Note by Kristina Marie Darling
It is my honor and pleasure to introduce a special feature, “The Open Door: A Roundtable on Leadership in the Arts and Humanities.” As you’ll see from the interviews gathered here, leadership and community building are inextricable, and these conversations often focus on bringing people together through the creative arts, by fostering critical thinking, and through innovative approaches to mentorship. The institutions represented in this forum, which include Fulbright, Yaddo, the American Academy in Rome, the Yale Writers Workshop, and Graywolf Press, serve a range of academic and artistic disciplines, but share a commitment to fostering connection across lines of difference. With that in mind, I hope these interviews with such luminaries as Aliza Wong, Kimberly Bowes, Jeff Shotts, Shannon Ritchie, Jotham Burrello, and Cole Swensen, Christy Williams, and Maddie Ivanovich inspire readers to bring art, generosity, and a collaborative spirit to their own respective communities.