There's probably one thing I say more than anything else when I communicate with our readers, subscribers, donors, colleagues, and writers: "thanks for being part of our community." That's because if I just said "thanks for reading" or "thanks for donating" or "thanks for working with us," it wouldn't capture what BSR is, and why it is.
BSR is a record, a resource, a guide, and fun to read, but maybe most importantly, I think we're a look into the future: media that includes diverse writers, artists, and readers; media that drives engagement with your city rather than mindless scrolling or armchair arguments; media that is about realizing our connections, or at least understanding someone else's experience, rather than piling into the same old silos.
I feel this in different ways as I do my job here, whether it's thoughtful responses from our readers (public or private), the sensitive and affirmative way our core team collaborates, the way aspiring BSR writers often approach the editors by disclosing parts of themselves (including disability or neurodiversity) that are usually stigmatized or kept under wraps in the working world, or the way our list of individual donors grows every year. That's not just readership; that's community.
With your help, whether it's a donation, talking us up to your friends, or simply a few moments of thoughtful private engagement, that's the community we're taking into 2023. Thanks for being part of it.
