Leaving Elan is one of the hardest aspects of graduating from high school. The opportunities in leadership, teamwork, and artistic enrichment that have been shown to me while on this staff are immeasurable, and so are the benefits I’ve reaped from taking on my position as Art Editor.

As I spent time on the magazine staff, I continually learned more and more about what it means to be part of a team and adapt to quick changes and roadblocks. The most important task I took on this year was being a part of the group that created the National Poetry Month Reading. We had an amazing opportunity to hold an event at the 5 & Dime Theatre’s new performance space in the heart of downtown; as a result, each one of us treated the curation and realization of the event as if we would never again get a comparable venue. I remember sitting down to make the programs, looking at bland templates on Publisher, and thinking, “Elan deserves better than this. Young artists deserve better than this.” It took me hours to perfect the program – honestly, it was one of my first journeys into creating something like that from scratch – but when it was done, I knew it was something that represented Elan and the artists we give a platform to. This may sound absurd, but those programs were the thing that made me realize what Elan stands for and how much potential we have as a magazine. Seeing the smiling, emotional faces in the audience as sets of teenage writers stepped on stage to spill their hearts made me swell with pride at the fact that I could be a part of something so longstanding and vital. As Mary, one of our editors-in-chief, finished her piece and thanked the audience for coming, I felt a shift not only within the room as the night began to wind down, but a shift within myself; it reminded me of why I write myself. It reminded me of sharing my own struggle, for me, yes, but also for those people who feel they have no voice, or no outlet.

In a world which so often undervalues, or completely ignores the thoughts and feelings of artists – especially those who are young students – Elan provides an outlet unlike any other. Taking submissions from around the world, publishing emotionally nuanced art and writing, and being run by a staff comprised of student artists puts us on a level I feel many other magazines haven’t reached. Seeing how many connections we’ve forged and strengthened this year alone makes me so excited to see where Elan goes from here. I hope that Zac and I as Art Editors have left behind some guidance as to what this magazine stands for through the art we’ve helped select this past year; looking back on previous editions, our published art has expanded and begun to create what I feel is a more free-spirited, nuanced, and emotional aesthetic. This magazine’s art has always been beautiful and meaningful. But what I hope to leave behind is the understanding that Elan is enduring, ever-changing, and increasingly relevant; knowing those things opens connections within not only our community, but ourselves.

-Mackenzie Steele – Co-Art Editor

I truly care about Élan, and I hope that dedication is felt by future members. I want incoming students to see the hard work my peers and I accomplished during events like read-thrus, ArtWalk, Homecoming, Coffee House, and so on, and use that as a guide to propel this magazine forward. With each passing year, Élan is able to evolve the caliber of its works and its visibility in the local art scene, and it has been an honor knowing my efforts contributed to that.

In Élan, we are a collective. In this group, at least, we recognize and respect its thirty-one year heritage. There’s no hesitation in putting aside personal differences to ensure the product we put out is worthy of our title, school, and identity: Élan International Literary Magazine, student-run by Douglas Anderson School of the Arts’ Creative Writing Program. It’s a great name—one that’s audibly aesthetic yet also has the history to back it up.

I’ll admit it does sound like I’m laying it on really thick, but all of my praise is genuine. I’m incredibly thankful because Élan changed my life, no lie. The Élan legacy played a large part in shaping who I am today. Long story short, I was terribly insecure about my writing, all throughout middle school, and most of high school. I did have moments where I looked at something and thought, “Yeah, I wrote this, and no one else could’ve,” but for the most part, I didn’t think I had a place in this department. This insecurity was enough that I avoided confronting my cultures, fears, and identity in my own pieces. I was afraid of my voice.

Élan gave me that voice. Being chosen for a position at this magazine showed me that I had potential. It told me that I had a place in this department, and that my voice mattered. Taking on a specific role with specific expectations conditioned me, in a good way. I learned what I was capable of, which was certainly more than I’d given myself credit for. Being in Élan in junior year grounded me. I felt closer to the department which gave me a safe atmosphere to write, and my confidence grew.

I write this at the end of senior year, happy with who I am, thanks to Élan. It was at the beginning of this school year—about a year into my “job” at the magazine, that I felt comfortable enough to tell myself “stop.” Stop being scared of who you are. Stop blocking out the pain and sadness and distance you want to write about. Stop keeping good work from coming out (haha)!

And that’s what I did. My confidence and writing improved because Élan awakened me, in the same way it did others before me, and I’m sure will continue to do. Even our adult sponsor, Tiffany Melanson, proudly states that Élan gave her her voice, when it was a voluntary after-school club. Today, she leads us, an actual class we come to every other day. Élan will continue to grow, as it inspires others to grow alongside it.

–Seth Gozar – Co-Fiction Editor

I remember when I found myself on the Élan staff my Junior year, on the first day Mrs. Melanson asked us each to go around the room and say why we wanted to be apart of Élan. I have always been a shy person, quick to blend in and follow the crowd, but I wanted things to be different for me being on the Élan staff. I wanted to be a leader. I wanted to be apart of things and have my hands in a little bit of everything. I didn’t know how true that would end up being two years ago. I’ve been apart of a lot, but I consider Coffee House and being the Co-Lead of Community Engagement as being the biggest parts of my “career” in Élan.

My first stake in Élan and what I hope to be my legacy was being the Junior Lead last year and Senior Lead this year of Coffee House, which is a collaborative show of 100% original work that Élan puts on every year. It sounds super nerdy, but I had so much fun organizing and managing the event and working with all the performers was such an eye-opening experience to get to be involved with all the different arts areas. I am forever thankful for the Senior Lead of Coffee House that year, which was Tatiana. She taught me everything I needed to know about how to make this show happen and managed to make it fun at the same time. So I was ecstatic when I was able to be in the same position and have the same close relationship with the Junior Lead this year, Oona and I can only hope that she will take everything I taught her and be able to turn around and teach her Junior Lead and so on and so forth. Coffee House is an event very near and dear to my heart and I’ve met a lot of great people through this show, so I am thrilled to have been apart of making it happen.

My Junior year I was the Poetry Editor and while I loved this role and I loved being immersed in poetry and being apart of the production of the book, I didn’t feel like I was doing enough, so I think I really found my niche being one of the Community Engagement Managers along with Savana. Community Engagement has a lot of parts to it; there’s marketing, sales, community in relation to Douglas Anderson, our Jacksonville community, and then the community of literary magazines. Juggling all of this was a lot, but I loved getting to talk to people at events like Art Walk or Jax by Jax and spread my love for Élan and try to get people to care for it as much as I do. Our role was a newer creation. There has always been a need for it, but last year was the first year it was an official role, so it’s required a lot of figuring out and learning from our mistakes, but our mistakes will allow for whoever takes on the role next year to be even better.

– Madison Dorsey – Co-Community Engagement Editor