Snarky Humor Columnist Emerges From the Shadows

By Karen Field Carroll, Editor

Through no fault of my own, I've been a regular contributor to Signature for five years as its reclusive, crotchety "Humor" columnist. In Signature, my monthly overflow of sarcasm and skewed observations on our profession finds its relief in roughly 500 words on the page. Also through no fault of my own, I've grown to love the people who work alongside me as editors, proofreaders, writers, and council members. Signature has become a virtual home for me.

So when the managing editor position opened up this winter, I wrote San Diego Chapter President Lance-Robert, suggesting I might be the next managing editor. It seemed like the obvious thing to do.

Judging from his lightning-fast reply ("Yes!"), he thought so, too.

I'm happy to be here. My first order of business is to thank everyone who wrote me to express congratulations, encouragement, and gratitude when I took on this role. I also want to thank the volunteers who've agreed to stick around. In particular, I'd like to thank former managing editor Catherine Robinson for extending her wisdom and patience with my tedious questions and Beth Vollbach for editing in a pinch even as she prepares to leave the state. Their support is priceless. Finally, I want to thank Lance and the other council members for their quick and complete endorsement.

This month's issue of Signature includes work from some remarkable contributors. Richard Lederer, Verbivore extraordinaire and host of the popular KPBS show "A Way With Words," offers our feature article. With the STC elections opening March 3, we've invited all candidates for second vice president, including San Diego's own Linda Oestreich, to share their thoughts on the STC. And in the "President's Message," Chapter President Lance-Robert offers a summary of Edward Tufte's January presentation in San Diego. Finally, Deborah Gill-Hesselgrave begins her column "Thinking Independently," which will be jam-packed in the coming months with solid advice for anyone who is self-employed or thinking about it.

Signature is a newsletter by the members for the members. As such, we are adding a column about the members: "Member Callouts." This month's column highlights two movers and shakers in the San Diego Chapter: new Employment VP Jim Guarino and long-time Signature copyeditor Beth Vollbach.

In future issues, look for more regular columns. April will bring a new column on using Word to its fullest. In May new San Diego Chapter member Jim Sands will tee up a column on emerging technologies. Finally, next month we'll add a monthly column called "Roundup." In "Roundup," we'll ask a question related to technical communication. It's your chance to tell us what you think about a topic, even anonymously. Each month, we'll pose a new question and post answers to the previous month's question.

So, let us hear from you. Write me at newsletter@stc-sd.org to share your thoughts, offer suggestions, and send in contributions. This is your newsletter. Help us make it useful and entertaining for you.

Best,

Karen