Ragers: Notes From the Creative Literary Arts Editor

Psychoanalytic Perspectives has officially entered its 20th year. I’m so proud to have been a part of its staff for the past 14 years, as Associate Editor for the first 10 and Creative Literary Arts Editor for the past four. It is with a hefty dose of ambivalence, then, that I announce this issue will be my last as Creative Literary Arts Editor. My years in this position have been tremendous; I’ve connected with creatives from all corners of the world and read stories and poetry from the deep recesses of others’ imaginations. I’ve worked under the leadership of five spectacular editors-in-chief: Deborah Pines, Steve Kuchuck, Rachel Sopher, and our current dynamos, Rachel Altstein and Karen Perlman. I learned from watching the former editor of this section, the inimitable Bonnie Zindel, work tirelessly to dedicate space for the creative literary arts in a scholarly journal, year after year. I’m immensely grateful to the entire Perspectives staff for their support and collaboration. There are too many individuals to name in this introduction.

For my final issue, I’ve chosen the theme of rage. The following six pieces, including a story of my own, touch on issues of family, fear, siblings, bullying, and, the ultimate cocktail of fury: the family vacation. Rage came to mind for two reasons. The first and most obvious is that there is simply a wealth of rage-inducing issues to draw from in our current world—plenty to anger and upset us. The second stems from my belief that rage, when not destructive, is one of the most powerful catalysts for creativity and change.

My role at Perspectives is changing, but this passionate journal will continue to reinvent itself. Our work as psychoanalysts demands constant reinvention and reinvigoration. So I wish my beloved Perspectives a fond farewell and a congratulations on this anniversary. Here’s to 20 more years of creativity, change, and stories both scholarly and experiential from all over the world.