The 'Shroom:Issue 154/Directorial Address

Directorial Address Written by:

Welcome to 2020, readers of The 'Shroom! I am, and while you might normally think of me as the fellow who writes lengthy posts and sections, I'm going to try and change things up a little by keeping this piece of the paper on the shorter side. The truth is, it's an honor and a pleasure to be trusted with The 'Shroom. That it was not the most exciting of elections only makes the interest and votes that it did attract all the more meaningful. It's clear that, for many in the community, The 'Shroom remains an important tradition, and, with this great Staff I have the opportunity to work with, I'm confident that this term can see The 'Shroom attract more attention and new writers so it can continue to prosper month to month. and I will work diligently to make that happen and to show you that your trust does not go unappreciated.

Speaking of staff, I'd like to introduce our Core Staff lineup for this upcoming term. After 100 issues as the Fake News Director, is stepping down from his Core Staff position as of this issue's release. In his place, we welcome as the new Fake News Director. After four consecutive years which saw him serving as either Director or Sub-Director at at least some point, also gets a much-needed chance to relax some, along with his most recent Sub-Director,. Considering their distinguished track records and the wealth of experience they have to offer, MrConcreteDonkey, Superchao, and Smasher will be welcomed as Staff Consultants, should they wish to accept the position. With a mixture of long-time, reliable, and experienced active staff like, , (previously known as LudwigVon) and relatively new staff members with new ideas, promising futures, and a great deal of activity in the community like , , and , we should be able to maintain the level of quality and smooth functioning achieved over the past few years while bringing new energy and new ideas to The 'Shroom.

Of course, our small little group of staff members has never supported The 'Shroom alone. The bulk of The 'Shroom's energy and ideas have always come from its writers, those of you who, with your passion for what you write, submit sections month after month and make this paper what it is. Roserade and I have promised you that we're going to attract new writers to The 'Shroom this term, and we're going to make that our primary focus from day one. Later today, we'll begin laying out our plans to the Core Staff to coordinate a drive to get new writers to apply for The 'Shroom, and we'll continue to encourage more of you readers and community members to apply throughout the rest of the term. Trust me, if we haven't already spoken to you, you'll be hearing from us soon. We've also promised you two special issues through the remainder of this term, and we'll begin working on getting those planned out and put together as they approach, starting the planning process months in advance of their release to ensure they're all they can be and there's ample time to work on them. As the term progresses, we'll also be exploring ideas for some kind of 'Shroom-sponsored event we can hold to give writers and readers alike a chance to directly interact with one another in a fun, relaxed environment, and we'll obviously be working with writers and potential writers constantly to help them improve their sections and find ways to accommodate their ideas. Please, look forward to all of this and, if for no other reason than to keep us accountable, look out for the results of these efforts.

If you read 'Shroom Recap, you'll know how important The 'Shroom is to me personally, and how much I appreciate its long history. This term, we're focusing on the present to secure the future. We need more interested writers if there's to be enough content to cover in a section like 'Shroom Recap far off in 2030, so this year's focus is expansion. If you've ever thought about applying but didn't follow through for whatever reason, now's the time to dust off those ideas and send in an application. With your help, we're going to make this term successful.

So, let's get started.

2020 Term Staff List:

&mdash;