Closing remarks:

We close this year’s Bread Loaf Journal with a reimagined fairy tale, much in the way we have had to shift our romanticization of our idyllic summers in Vermont. The threats to the natural landscape have been omnipresent as we drive past downed trees and must reroute to avoid flooded roads. Among Dan Reed’s final words in our collection we encounter the line: “But the law was dead now.”

In the aftermath of the floods, the laws that governed us were cast aside. Grounds crew members and other local volunteers worked through the night to evacuate Ripton residents and salvage what they could. We found new routes down the mountain. We were grateful for outlets, hot food, and warm showers.

In what we must increasingly consider part of our digital landscape, our community is also considering the implications of AI and the perceived threats this poses to how we critique and engage with writing. We ask questions about assessment and integrity. We wonder about the future of our field. The flood of information and disruption of our status quo is here.

If the laws of nature and how we engage with writing are dead, what new life will take its place?

The rainbow on our cover reminds us of our commitment to renewal. We will weather the storms because we must. We will recover from the wreckage, we will find our way down the mountain, we will revive literary tradition in whatever forms evolve. We will not forget to stand in awe of rainbows.

Emily Falk, Coeditor