Margaret Sadler | Editor-in-Chief , news & views , nveditor @ arta . net

I ’ m thrilled that our readers are such a vibrant community . Our English word “ vibrant ” comes from the Latin vibrant- for “ shaking to and fro ” or “ moving to and fro .”

Our readers are sometimes “ shaken to and fro ” by the articles we publish , and occasionally this moves them to write to us . When I first got a letter to the editor that railed against an article , I cringed . “ They don ’ t love us ! What can I do to make it better ?” Wise people around me suggested I relax and not overreact . And then another reader wrote in , decrying the same article — but for an opposing reason . Soon after , a third reader reacted — again to the same article — commending us for dealing with the topic . Oh my !

I ’ m delighted when readers are moved to comment on the publication . By the late nineteenth century , our word “ vibrant ” had developed into meaning “ vigorous , full of life .” I ’ m gratified when

readers react with vigour both for and against articles . When it ’ s both for and against the same article , obviously our writer has hit the mark .

Our writers are vibrant , too . They are often passionate about the topics they write about . We don ’ t allow our writers to slander or falsify , but we do encourage them to express their own opinions ( as noted in the fine print on page four of every issue ).

Our writers may also be moved or may move you , our readers , by their words . We appreciate hearing from readers who have a response . It ’ s also a pleasure to connect writers and readers behind the scenes — to discover that this reader knows something more than that author knew on the topic . One reader recognized a distant relative in a recent article , and the writer was pleased to learn more of the story . We enjoy finding ways to share more broadly what has been written ; readers have asked permission to reprint articles in other publications . When vibrant readers meet passionate writers , we discover differences of interpretation , differences of emotional response , differences of opinion . And that ’ s okay . news & views SUMMER 2021 | 9