Editors' Note

Abstract

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

• Editors' Note
• Cassander Smith and Katy Chiles

We are thrilled to be the new Coeditors of Early American Literature! We feel honored to continue the journal's tradition of publishing outstanding early American scholarship, and we are committed to continue innovating EAL by emphasizing new methodologies, archives, and objects of study and by amplifying new communities of scholars. As many of our readers already know, Early American Literature is over fifty years old and has been edited by stellar scholars such as Everett Emerson, Philip Gura, David Shields, Sandra Gustafson, and Marion Rust (about whom we write more below). The official journal of both the Society of Early Americanists and the Modern Language Association's Forum on Early American literature, EAL publishes on a wide array of literary and cultural topics through the early national period. We are proud to carry this esteemed journal into its next phase.

This distinguished history has most recently occurred under the editorship of Marion Rust, EAL's outgoing editor. We want to honor Marion on her retirement from the profession and also thank her for the extraordinary job she has done editing Early American Literature from July 2018 to July 2023 and volumes 54 through 58. Building on the journal's success, Marion introduced new features and continued to move the journal to study what Karin Wulf has called "Vast Early America." She introduced the section titled "Inventions," which provides a venue that features work from creative writers, who also study and imagine early America in ways that differ from but also complement the work of academics; "Inventions" has featured the writing of Chet'la Sebree, Leanne Howe, and Demaris Hill, just to name a few. She also worked with various coeditors to produce spectacular special issues on topics such as "Reframing 1620" and "Dear Sister: Phillis Wheatley (Peters) Studies Now." In addition to these innovations, Marion also recognized the ways in which various systems of oppression and historical exclusion can inadvertently shape a journal and began a process for evaluating EAL to make sure that the journal both reflects the [End Page 1] diversity of thought that is early American studies and opens the door for new scholarly voices. Like Marion, we recognize this commitment to inclusivity as key to the journal's continued vitality and are dedicated to that evaluative process.

We thank Marion for her mentorship and allyship. She provides a model of someone who balanced being a scholar, teacher, university citizen, activist, parent, editor, and humane person. For 2022–24, the SEA Essay Contest is named in memory of Sarah Schuetze, one of Marion's former students, and the prize for the Sarah Schuetze Award has been donated in honor of Marion Rust's editorship at Early American Literature.

Building on Marion's leadership, we have devised an editorial vision with these cornerstones: implementing antiracist and inclusive best practices at all levels of the journal; increasing the footprint of the journal in terms of readership; enhancing engagement with complementary scholarly communities; and involving the community of early American scholars in shaping the continued development of the journal, which includes welcoming emerging scholars. You'll be hearing more about these endeavors in the coming issues, but for now please let us say that we want to hear from you! We'll be sending out a survey to gather general thoughts on EAL, but you don't have to wait; please email us with ideas you may have regarding special issues, conference reviews, and outreach. We also look forward to reading many submissions in the coming months: Articles (10,000 words), Provocations (6,000 words), Archives (6,000 words), or Inventions (variable length). We are eager to begin our work with you.

As we move into this next chapter, we are excited to announce the members of our new editorial team. Mar Garcia, Associate Professor at Northeastern Illinois University, joins us as the new Book Review Editor, and Timothy Garrison, a graduate student at NEIU, is serving as our Editorial Assistant for Reviews. Henry Kirby, PhD candidate at the University of Tennessee, served as Assistant Editor during summer 2023; and Lauren Santoru, PhD candidate at the University of Alabama, and Maggie Warren...