From the Old and New Editors

Abstract

FROM THE OLD AND NEW EDITORS It is a while since I have written one of these letters, but since I am retiring as main editor after this issue, this is my last chance. The journal is in good hands with our new editor, Margaret Wan, and our formidable Editorial Board. I am greatly in debt to the latter for all the support its members have given me over the years, and to Margaret for all her help on the preparation of the present issue. I have learned a lot in the process of editing submissions to the journal (a process which forces one to become an “instant expert” in hitherto unexplored fields at the same time that one learns the importance of getting help from real experts) and grateful that my sometimes excessive and intrusive editing does not seem to have caused as much offense as it might easily have done. Although the main reason for stepping down is to be able to devote more time to my own work, I have so far not been given permission to step all the way down, but will instead be “kicked upstairs,” where I will have the new title of “Consulting Editor.” Another reason for stepping down is my feeling that I have pretty much run through my own “bag of tricks,” and it is long past the time for new blood and ideas. Please join me in welcoming our new editor and please do keep in mind that what makes our journal worth reading is the willingness of scholars to submit their work to us and for experts to be willing to evaluate that work in a fair and impartial manner. DAVID L. ROLSTON Ann Arbor, MI drolston@umich.edu First of all, I would like to thank David Rolston for the outstanding job he has done as editor of CHINOPERL. David has devoted countless hours to bringing out quality scholarship in CHINOPERL’s field, with meticulous attention to clarity. His vision has brought the journal into the twenty-first century in two important ways. First, he expanded the Editorial Board to include well-known scholars across the globe in many fields relevant to the journal. Second, he decided that it was time to make CHINOPERL available online, and went through the long process of researching potential partners and negotiating the agreements. This was absolutely crucial to keep CHINOPERL’s wealth of scholarship available to scholars and increase its visibility. As part of the process, he led the discussion about updating the journal’s name from CHINOPERL Papers to CHINOPERL: Journal of Chinese Oral and Performing Literature to make it more intuitive for those who are not familiar with the organization. CHINOPERL has been fortunate CHINOPERL: Journal of Chinese Oral and Performing Literature 35.1 (July 2016): iii–iv© The Permanent Conference on Chinese Oral and Performing Literature, Inc. 2016 DOI 10.1080/01937774.2016.1183324 to have David at the helm of the journal; he is a tough act to follow, and I am very grateful that he will continue to be available as Consulting Editor. David also greatly expanded CHINOPERL’s book review section, and Levi Gibbs’ role as Book Review Editor (besides being Associate Editor) played an important part in that endeavor. Having been one of the scholars asked to do book reviews during his tenure, I can attest that Levi was always pleasant, efficient, and effective. Levi will be taking a leave of absence from the journal to concentrate on his own research. I am very pleased that Meredith Schweig has agreed to serve as both Associate Editor and Book Review Editor. Meredith earned a Ph.D. from Harvard and held a two-year Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at MIT before assuming her current position as Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology at Emory. The article she published in CHINOPERL in 2014, “Hoklo Hip-Hop: Resignifying Rap as Local Narrative Tradition in Taiwan,” won the Rulan Chao Pian Prize from the Association for Chinese Music Research, which recognizes the best article on Chinese music, broadly defined, published in an English-language scholarly journal or edited volume. As a long-time member of CHINOPERL, I am glad to see the...