Movement has always been a central theme here at RAMBLE. It is implicit in our name. Movement suggests distance, time, change, and even story. Stories move because characters generally end up somewhere else by the end of their tale, in places often different and unexpected. But stories also move readers, transforming us and broadening the way we approach the business of living and relating to one another.
Movement, as a concept, truly encapsulates much of what our authors experience as they move away from family and the familiar to study at Georgia Tech. In the process, they discover new opportunities to grow as people while also reflecting on how their culture, family, and language have molded their perspective and character and prepared them to succeed in an often competitive and challenging environment. In this issue, movement and its impact on individual identity form an essential thread that link the pieces together in different ways.
However, this magazine is not the only reason I’ve been thinking a lot about movement recently. This issue marks the end of my last year as an editor for RAMBLE. Like so many of our soon-to-be graduates who are about move on to new challenges and opportunities, I am leaving Georgia Tech for a position elsewhere. I am excited for what awaits me, but I also can’t stop thinking about the people I have met and worked with during my time here.
I am grateful for the many contributors whose names have appeared in the pages of this magazine in the last three years, some of whom are friends and former students who have had such a positive impact on me. I particularly want to thank Shanty Papakosta, Wael Al Ghanami, Jalen Bryan, Rocio Soto, and Sol Peña for entrusting us with their stories for Issue #3. I love reading new stories and emerging from that reading changed in some way. I also appreciate the editors I have had the privilege of working with at RAMBLE, including Kendra Slayton, Eric Lewis, Alok Amatya, Mike Lehman, and Anu Thapa, some of whom have already moved on to their new opportunities, while others, no doubt, will be moving on in the rapidly approaching future.
Finally, I appreciate the Writing and Communication Program and the Brittain Fellowship for providing the space and support that have made RAMBLE a creative reality. May it continue to be a reality for authors and audiences in the years ahead, moving each of us to become better, stronger, and kinder along the way.
Jeff Howard
April 30, 2022
