Editor's Note

Abstract

Editor's Note Andromache Karanika during these past four years, we have all been through many challenges. For almost two years now, the pandemic united us in grief, fear, and isolation while also revealing to light the deep divisions, systemic racism, and multiple inequalities raging our world. Plagues are by no means singular events. There has never been a time that demands the study of the ancient world more critically to see how people have moved on in times of extreme and recurrent shock. As we slowly get out of the cave of insular living, and our eyes gradually adjust to seeing the light, I wonder about the word "adjusting." How can we get out and then back into life as we knew it before the pandemic? Can it ever be the same? How can we make the future brighter? We celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Society for Classical Studies and its journal just two years ago. Celebrations are important but they offer with urgency opportunities for deep reflection. The first TAPA issues focused on philology. But the field has evolved, and in the first, and now this last issue under my editorship, we find topics that would have seemed science fiction one hundred and fifty years ago. If only I could have a peek at what the 300th issue will look like, what new directions, advancements, and trends will bring transformative forces over the future for our field and the humanities at large! It has been an honor to serve as editor of TAPA, which I could not have imagined in my early years when I came to this country as a young graduate student. Working as an editor can be a difficult journey with long hours of focused and detailed work but also anxiety and doubt. It has been a privilege to experience the dedication of the many authors who have submitted their work. I have cherished reading each submission, fully aware of the endless hours and passion authors have put into their work. As an author myself, I know that sending your work off is far from easy. A part of you goes with your written words. Yet, seeing how others react to it, how rigorous reviewing can sharpen our work is invaluable. I don't think I could ever thank enough all [End Page ix] the colleagues who, as reviewers, have contributed to the journal's mission and have helped shape it with the utmost care and the highest standards. This is genuinely arduous work in addition to an already overburdened schedule. I have been humbled by the committed attention each paper has received. The editor's work is multifaceted. Each time an issue was published, I felt like a midwife who helped it come to the world. I am grateful to all the authors I have worked with for giving me this opportunity. I would like to thank the Publications and Research Committee of the Society for Classical Studies and the Editorial Board Members for their constant encouragement and help with matters big and small. Special thanks are due to the Executive Director of the SCS, Helen Cullyer, and the former VP of the Publications and Research Committee, Donald Mastronarde, both of whom will always inspire me with their selfless dedication, hard work, and prompt attention to all details. Working with Donald Mastronarde for the Special 150th Anniversary Issue was a joy and a lifelong lesson to an unwavering commitment to our profession. I am also indebted to the current VP of the Research and Publications Committee, Kathryn Gutzwiller, for excellent collaboration. The team at the Journals Division of Johns Hopkins University Press was always eager to support me. Special thanks are due to Angela Taylor and Wendy Early who guided me in the production phase with wisdom and an unparalleled sense of humor. I am grateful to my home institution, particularly the former Dean of Humanities, Georges Van Den Abbeele, and the current Dean of Humanities, Tyrus Miller, for their generous support throughout. I would also like to thank the faculty and staff of the Classics Department at UC Irvine. I owe a huge debt to my family for their...