Write Without Fear. Edit Without Mercy: A Farewell
Photography by Chelsie Walter.
Saying goodbye sucks.
But every so often, you gotta do it. Effective May 11, I will be passing on my role as Women of Cincy’s editor-in-chief and residency director to a tribe of incredible women.
I have two babies: Casey Mychal Feuchter, and Women of Cincy. Casey came into the world after 41 weeks of pregnancy and 7 ½ hours of labor; then he was there in my arms, and somehow I knew exactly what to do.
Women of Cincy was born with the push of a button: “Let’s go interview people tomorrow and call ourselves @womenofcincy.” We had, well, no clue what to do.
It’s all too possible that I’m writing this letter more for myself than for anyone else, but if I’ve learned anything on this adventure, it’s that it’s okay to do something just for yourself every once in a while, so here we go.
During my time here I’ve spent hundreds of 12-hour days at my computer, fallen asleep on the Union Hall couches, taken home teeny-tiny paychecks, worked 5 extra jobs, cut off all my hair, and, painfully, grew it all back.
It’s incredible to realize that the Women of Cincy family we’ve built can take care of itself.
I’ve also built relationships with the women I now call my best friends. I’ve felt instant connections with strangers; I met the love of my life; I faced my true strengths and weaknesses. I oversaw production of nearly 150 feature stories, a life-changing series on housing insecurity, and more; I mentored 18+ college students and probably learned far more from them than they learned from me. I helped build something that’s helped at least like, one person, and that feels pretty cool.
Casey is 5 now – walking, talking (incessantly), learning, and in many ways taking care of himself. And as I’ve spent the last several weeks in planning meetings, it’s incredible to realize that the Women of Cincy family we’ve built can take care of itself, too. But you know that won’t stop me from leaving some Advice from Mom:
To Chelsie, our tireless executive director: Never stop insisting that people believe in this. Also, always keep someone around to fix your spelling.
To Kelsey, our partner from Day One and brand new features editor: It’s our turn to be your cheerleader. Don’t hesitate to be the fierce badass that you are. Wield that semicolon power!
To Olive, our new residency director and Community Mix editor: You were one of those students who made me feel like I was making at least some kind of difference in the world, and I can’t wait for you to experience that same feeling. Never stop making mistakes.
To Sandra and Alice, our new communications and volunteer culture directors: Pleeease never stop making this work fun – you are the real heroes.
To all of our current and former students, writers, editors, photographers, designers, ambassadors, podcast-maker-uppers, board members: We only exist because of you. You are not cogs in a machine; you are breath and blood and bones in a body that’s still trying to afford healthcare. The work is HARD, but it is worth it – thank you.
To our readers, donors, sponsors, and family: Freaking THANK YOU for the support you have given our work so far. I leave you with a challenge: Behind the smiles on Instagram and the inspirational stories and the offers to connect and uplift and help is a team of people working around the clock to change Cincinnati. These people and the people that we help depend on your contributions. We cannot do it without you.
I helped build something that’s helped at least like, one person, and that feels pretty cool.
Okay, I feel like a Shonda Rhimes character making a dramatic speech (and I’m not mad about it), so let’s get to it: Goodbye, loves! I’ll be keeping busy behind the bar at The Blind Lemon, on stage from time to time with my lil guitar, studying for my psychology classes, and supporting Women of Cincy’s newest fearless leaders. Keep in touch.