EDITOR,

We, The Secession, are indeed an “object of excessive suspicion.” While this is an undeniably exciting thing to be, the anger caused by said suspicion confuses us.   A suspicious stranger in a dark alley may cause sensations of danger and fear; a suspicious bi-monthly publication should provoke a non-threatening brand of curiosity, for it presents no chance of physical harm (save paper-cuts ;P ) and a lesser chance of emotional harm than would a mugger.

The Seccession has never claimed to be nor has any intention of being a newspaper (though we invite news-oriented contributions :} ).   As such, if one expects news, one might be disappointed.

Certainly, The Secession has a rather fluid definition, which has unfortunately failed to extinguish the fiery response to our first issue.   However, we encourage our critics to see such fluidity as a distinguishing and positive characteristic rather than a fault.   We believe that a lack of structure will only open the portal to the Creative Dimension. :-0
It has been said that the “vast majority” of our contributors have not “participated actively” in the other on-campus publications (Letter to the Editor by Anastasia Zamkinos, 3/12/09).   It has also been said that The Secession is “really good!” (Alden, Sonderman, Spiering, 3/30/09). We would like to point out that while many of our contributors are budding flowers of the Whitman publishing community, others are not.   We proudly count among the contributors of Sec 1.1 current Pioneer and Quarterlife staff members, in addition to an abundance of Blue Moon rejects and Pioneer quitters.

With the benevolent winds of the Associated Students of Whitman College ($$$$$) and the guiding stars of the Whitman creative community, we embark on a nautiphorical   adventure which could take us anywhere. We sail not as pirates but as a motley crüe of creatives.   😀

Concerning purpose, this is but the thoughts of three contributors. We urge you to read the publication and decide for yourself, and/or contribute to upcoming issues if the purpose you discern suits you.

– Iris Alden, ’10