EDITOR'S LETTER

editor's LETTER I've never met Mary Hinwood.

I'd like to, but I haven't. Regrettably, I don't know much about her, either. All I know is that she lives in Tucson, her handwriting looks a lot like my grandmother's - the Zaner-Bloser method - and she's kindhearted. She's also a subscriber to this magazine. That's our connection. The ink and paper. The fresh collection of words and photographs that we harvest for her every month. She's especially inspired by the “beautiful photographs.” So am I. It's another connection.

Until a few weeks ago, I'd never heard of Mary Hinwood. Nevertheless, despite the anonymity, she sent us a Christmas card - like a second cousin in Narragansett, we made her list. Thank you, Ms. Hinwood. We're much obliged.

Bruce Reynolds sent us a card, too. He lives in Huntington Beach, California, and his handwriting is elegant - a generous man born with the calligraphy gene. He included a poem and a salutation: “Gracious Season's Greetings and Youthful Yuletide Yodelings to you, Robert, and the entire publishing staff. May you be abundantly blessed with good health, peace, prosperity and fulfillment in the days ahead.” Letters. Yes, we get letters. A lot of letters. And opening them is a sacred ritual for me, especially those that are handwritten and delivered through rain, snow, sleet and hail. I'll never know the joy that doctors and nurses feel when they discharge a COVID patient who's spent months in the hospital. Or the pride a teacher feels by simply being a teacher. But relative to what I've experienced so far as an editor, the back-and-forth with our readers is the greatest reward.

Even when those readers aren't happy, like the gentleman who called me a “liberal” because of the inclusive tone of my December column. Or the woman who said she wouldn't go out to slop the hogs dressed the way I'm dressed in my editor's photo. Or the man who couldn't understand why our recent story about Desert View Watchtower referenced an effort by the National Park Service to make amends with the Indigenous people who have a physical, spiritual and cultural connection to the Grand Canyon. “Heaven forbid that someone is kept from picking up piñon seeds or selling their goods inside the park boundaries,” he wrote. “I stop reading the articles when I come across your attempts at political and social indoctrination, and the magazine goes in the trash.” He went on like that for 637 words. (By comparison, this column is 978 words.) We hear from both extremes, but most of the response is somewhere in between. Like the letter from Aaron De Baiso, who works as a paraprofessional at Bayview Elementary in Proctor, Minnesota. “These challenging times mean that I'm working in the classroom more,” he wrote. “After reading your December 2020 issue, I've decided to show my students the wonderful array of photographs in that issue. By doing this, I hope they'll develop a greater curiosity, appreciation, respect and understanding of locations outside of Minnesota. Geography is essential to education. Your magazine will make a wonderful addition to my lesson plan.” We hear from students, too. One of them, Julija Kordež, is studying photography at the University of Maribor in Slovenia. She asked me about David Muench. Specifically, she wanted to know about his first photograph in the magazine. “Our lecturer, Tanja Verlak, who is a well-known Slovenian photographer, tasked us with finding an interesting photo and discovering more about its author,” she said. “After researching a few nature photographers, I found one with such an amazing portfolio - David Muench. I started collecting sources from which I would make a presentation, and I was more than impressed that at the age of only 18, he'd already had a photograph published in a well-known magazine - Arizona Highways.” That image appeared on the cover of our January 1952 issue. I sent a copy of it to Ms. Kordež. About a month later, as we were going to press with this issue, she wrote back: “Greetings from snowy and frozen Slovenia. I have presented my research, and my teacher was really excited.” Like Ms. Kordež, Rory MacLeod was looking for something specific. “I've enjoyed some of your recent issues,” he wrote from his island home off the west coast of Scotland. “They've been sent to me by a generous couple who made my acquaintance when they visited the Isle of Skye. The reason for getting in touch is to request a copy of the May 2020 edition. I'm particularly interested in your title piece: Native Peoples: Stories of Hardship and Hope.” That's one of my favorite issues from last year. We sent a copy of it to Mr. MacLeod.

Rory MacLeod, Julija Kordež, Aaron De Baiso, Bruce Reynolds, Mary Hinwood... they're among the thousands of readers who write to us every year. And so is Lynne Werle. She sent a letter about our Letters to the Editor: “I'm always amazed at the diverse and completely opposite opinions and reactions you get to your stories from various readers. In November 2020, you had a reader so disappointed in your Maynard Dixon issue that he found it a total waste of space, while at the same time, three other readers were delighted with the choice and the coverage. I guess that can make your monthly decisions quite challenging.” Yes. It does.

“We inhabit a universe that is characterized by diversity,” Desmond Tutu said. With subscribers in all 50 states and more than 100 countries around the world, our audience is a reflection of that. The common denominator, I believe, is a profound appreciation for the history, culture and landscape of Arizona. It's something we're privileged to share with you every month, through words, photographs, ink and paper. And we're grateful for the commentary you give in return. Thank you for taking the time to write.