Hello, Rookies!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! As of Wednesday, this website will be one year old. I can’t believe it! So much love has gone into this collection of pixels, so thank you to our AMAZING staff of editors, writers, illustrators, and photographers for all that you do. Much of this love comes from you readers as well, so THANK YOU LOTS. We would not exist if you didn’t read us, and we would not be as good if you didn’t tell us what you’d like to see, or send us your work (both of which we encourage you to do more!). Honestly, nothing has ever made me as happy as seeing the Rookie community come together and watching you people find each other, online and in person at our road trip meet-ups. That is not an exaggeration. Like, for as much as I act like I hate people when I’m at school or in line at Potbelly, I’m actually maybe the #1 fan of humans and of humans relating to one another and of humans relating to things other humans make. I think it’s kind of the best, and it happens with Rookie because you help make it such a welcoming community, and for that I want to buy you all the thank-you cards at Walgreens and make them into a mosaic of your face.

As previously mentioned, a print edition of the best of the best of our first year’s content is available for purchase TOMORROW, September 4! You can buy Rookie Yearbook One here, and on Amazon, and in some Barnes & Noble stores, and in some “finer” bookstores, like independent ones that sell zines and whatnot.

Rookie’s shop will also have goodies like those Rookie T-shirts you might’ve seen popping up recently. This is all so REAL. SO REAL THAT I MADE THIS VIDEO TO “GOT TO BE REAL” BY CHERYL LYNN.

To add to the REALness, we’re holding a reading and Yearbook signing at McNally Jackson in New York this Sunday, September 9th, at 7 PM. A bunch of the staff and a few guest writers will read, and it’ll be a nice little reunion for those of you who made it to our road trip meet-up!

Thank you for being with us, whether it’s been a year or a day. Thank you wonderful staffers, thank you wonderful guests, EVERYONE IS AWESOME YIPPEE.

Love, love, love,

Tavi