Letter from the Editor

Hi Everyone,

Wow. 2024 is over, and with it, A Year in Philadelphia has come and gone. 366+ entries later and I can’t believe this project is finished AND that I would even consider it to be a success.

When I came up with this project in the fall of 2023, I was feeling stuck in my life and wanted to give myself something to look forward to every day. (I guess normal people would have picked up a new hobby or gotten a cat or something.) I desperately wanted something to happen that would change me, and I thought that maybe doing A Year in Philadelphia would do that. While that was maybe too tall of an order, what the project did was confirm what I already knew about Philadelphia and its people—that they are so passionate, sensitive, creative, good-humored, altruistic, and hard-working. I am so grateful to everyone who shared bits of their lives with all of us. I love that A Year in Philadelphia quickly transformed from my idea into our project.

A Year in Philadelphia was going to continue into 2025, but I have decided to take a break. I originally started this project to have something to look forward to, and I began to dread the thought of doing the logistical work that this project involves for another year. The whole purpose of the project was to bring me joy! That is not something I am willing to compromise on.

Perhaps there will be another iteration of this project in the future. For now I must log off and spend less time on the computer reading about other peoples’ lives in search of ways to enjoy my own. I wanted this project to distract me from my everyday life and for its participants to teach me something about how to live. I guess it’s time for me to try putting that lesson into practice.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the project. I learned so much from your entries and it was a privilege to put them on this platform. Thank you to everyone who helped me recruit people to write entries and those who supported the project from afar. It’s truly a testament to the people of Philadelphia who are down for anything and to my friends and family for not questioning my ability to pull this off.

The world is scary right now and there is so much uncertainty. Time and time again Philadelphia has taught me that we keep each other safe, that we are each other’s most important resource. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy 2025.

Sincerely and with so much gratitude,

Molly