It was just over five years ago that I started reading fiction for Chiaroscuro magazine. One of the first stories I ever read was “The Teacher” by Paul Tremblay. It was one of the darkest, most beautiful things I had ever read, and when Brett agreed that it definitely belonged in ChiZine, I knew this was a place I wanted to stick around for a long, long time. In a way, I felt like I'd found home. And nothing would ever make me want to leave. Not ever.

Well, almost nothing.

Last year my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He's the new focal point of my life. As of May of this year, I've taken on a new challenge: a career as a full-time stay-at-home dad. I had hoped for a while that I could take care of my son and work on the magazine, but it quickly became apparent that that wasn't going to work.

So it's farewell to a good time and a good friend. Farewell to long hours, and to fiction submissions both good and bad. Farewell to the discovery of new voices and new ideas. I will miss you all. It's been a wonderful, exciting ride, but it's time for me to raise that safety bar and leave my seat so someone else can have a go.

I think I said just about everything that needed to be said about the magazine in my previous editorial. It's been a beautiful place to work and grow. I'm going to miss it.

But the truth is I'd rather miss the magazine than these formative years of my son's life.

So fare thee well, Chiaroscuro. It would be an exaggeration to say I enjoyed every last microsecond I worked for you.

But not by much.

From the Desk of the MFE,

Gord