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

  • From the Editor
  • Steven Franks, Editor-in-Chief

As you may have heard if you have been following the Society's calls for applications to take over the Journal of Slavic Linguistics, I plan to step down as Editor-in-Chief at the end of this year. Since JSL 25(2) is a special guest-edited issue, this will in all likelihood be my last From the Editor column. While I won't be completely disappearing—I plan on continuing other types of involvement with the Slavic Linguistics Society and am likely to keep a hand in the journal as well for a while—I do look forward to a break. I have enjoyed 25 years giving birth to, weaning, and helping JSL to walk on its own. I now have put it up for adoption by SLS, under the stewardship of which it has matured and eventually become self-sufficient. It is, I feel, high time for new leadership and new directions. As noted, the Society is in the midst of conducting a search for some individual(s) to replace me, and our expectation is that this will be resolved over the next few months. So I hope that when we reconvene in Ljubljana in September you will be able to meet the new editor(s) and discuss your ideas for the journal.

I will of course also be at that meeting and fully expect to take part in the 2018 meeting in beautiful Victoria, BC,1 as well as the 2019 meeting, which will most likely be in historic Potsdam. It may even be in the cards for SLS 15 to take place here once again in the fair city of Bloomington, Indiana!

In many previous columns, I have tried to thank all the various individuals, from Associate Editors and Board Members to authors and reviewers to Managing Editors and the many production assistants, who have contributed to making this journal the premier publication in the field. To list these folks again here would fill several pages, so let me simply extend my appreciation to all of you who have, over the years, given your time, energy, and expertise to JSL. You know who you are, and I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.

While there has been much turn-over in all these roles, there are two individuals who do deserve to be singled out. First and foremost, of course, is George Fowler, with whom I created the journal in the first place and who served as Editor himself in the early years. Not only has his support, guidance, and advice been indispensible, but the ongoing cooperation with Slavica Publishers, which George facilitates (to put it mildly), has been paramount. [End Page 1] Second, although no less essential, is Rosemarie Connolly. Rosie has been working for JSL, and for Slavica, off-and-on for roughly ten years now. As Managing Editor, she has been responsible for oversight of almost all stages of the production process. I have grown to rely greatly on her editorial knowledge, her organizational skills, and her insights about how to proceed in difficult cases. Unfortunately for us, Rosie has taken a new job and is transitioning away from JSL. This is exciting news for her, so please join me both in congratulating her and in thanking her for all her diligence and hard work on the journal. While Rosie will be sorely missed, there is no cause to worry: production will still be handled by Slavica, which is in the process of training a new Technical Editor, and the new Editor-in-Chief will surely come up with new systems for managing the journal and, presumably, want to bring new assistants into the process.

My last words are to encourage you to be as involved as you possibly can with the journal and with the Society. We need your help, your ideas about how to improve what we do, your contributions of time, and of course money. I urge you to submit your scholarship to JSL, to participate in SLS meetings, and to contact any member of the Executive Board if you want to become more...

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