Summer is a strangely busy time around here, considering the September issue is one of the two for which we have a longer deadline cycle than usual. Or at least we think so at the beginning. Once we've all gotten back from our vacations, and then tracked down all of our story sources who are on their vacations (thank goodness for e-mail), our summer deadline rushes upon us like every other deadline, and we find ourselves making that adrenaline-infused push to get the magazine out the door.

Funny thing is, some of us seem to enjoy it a little bit. It's like hiking up a mountain that was higher and steeper than you expected — and the way dinner afterward tastes better than any meal you've ever eaten. Which may be why I'm especially looking forward to seeing this issue in print. After sneaking out for a 36-hour vacation of my own, in which I watched the Perseid meteor shower from the middle of West Virginia's Cacapon River, I had some time to leaf through the pre-publication pages with refreshed eyes, and was newly impressed with what we get to cover — from Sol Golomb's Friday the 13th calculations ("Golomb's Gambits," p. 15), to neuroscientist David Linden's book about how our brains make us fundamentally human ("Your Brain on Evolution," p. 18), to senior writer Maria Blackburn's story about the extraordinary work the staff of Bayview's Burn Center does for patients in Maryland ("After the Fire," p. 34). I hope you'll enjoy your post-vacation perusal of this issue as much as I have.

One announcement I'm happy to make: Dale Keiger is now the magazine's associate editor. His award-winning stories have appeared in these pages for 15 years, including this issue's "The Maestra Tunes Up" (p. 28), about Peabody distinguished visiting artist and BSO music director Marin Alsop. Dale has had articles published in newspapers and magazines across the country, and he's been on the faculty of the Writing Seminars for more than 10 years. With his combination of institutional memory and truly great talent as a writer, I've come to think of him as the elder statesman of the magazine. I have relied on his advice, judgment, and, especially, his wordsmithing. I'm sure you'll be able to recognize his new contributions right off.

Congratulations, Dale!

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