Hello, dear readers, contributors, submitters, authors, and anyone else who supports our little literary corner. Now that we’ve entered the second half of 2023, I wanted to take a moment to share some personal reflections and provide insight into the workings of all things Nightingale & Sparrow.
First and foremost, I’d like to express my deep gratitude to each and every one of you who has been a part of our journey since the very beginning. It’s incredible to think about how far our little corner of the literary world has come. Your unwavering support and passion for our magazine, press, and imprints have been the driving force behind its success.
However, I feel it’s essential to be transparent about some challenges I’ve been facing, which might impact operations in the coming months (if you’ve been working us directly, you may know it already has). As you know, N&S prides itself on nurturing and showcasing exceptional literary talent, but life sometimes presents unexpected hurdles.
Over the past few years, I have been dealing with various health issues, ranging from chronic diagnoses to more targeted crises. These have, at times, caused delays and challenges in maintaining our publishing schedule. It’s been a difficult balancing act, but I want to assure you that my dedication to Nightingale & Sparrow remains unwavering.
As much as I wish I could personally handle every aspect of our front-facing work, it has become increasingly challenging. Please know that I am doing my best to manage our outstanding projects and backlog while ensuring the highest quality for each publication.
When I first began Nightingale & Sparrow, I was the only one doing every possible task behind the scenes, from formatting our publications to promoting titles both new and from our existing shelves. I’ve been so lucky to have some amazing team members join the lit mag and, though on a more limited scale, a few helping hands with N&S Press.
We’re actively working to intitiate a new round of recruitment and have some more volunteers on board. Like so many others, 2020 and its aftermath threw us into disarray and led some members of our team to need to move on from N&S. For context, we have myself and our lit mag editorial team handling all aspects right now, including production, communications, and social media
In light of my health constraints, I am actively exploring ways to optimize our processes and maintain open communication with our wonderful authors and other “birds in our nest.” I want to ensure that every project receives the attention it deserves, even if it requires some adjustments to our timelines—as some may have noticed, a few of our early 2023 titles have been waiting in the wings for their times to shine.
All this being said, thank you for being an integral part of our literary family. Your presence and appreciation for our endeavors keep us inspired to shine even in the face of challenges. As we journey through the rest of this year and onward, we’ll strive to keep our spirits high and present you with outstanding publications that resonate deeply.
Juliette Sebock,
Founding Editor
