Twists, turns and coming full circle

There's a song titled "Once in a Lifetime" by The Talking Heads in which lead singer David Byrne asks the question, "Well, how did I get here?" Use that as a starting point. I have been asked to contribute to a column titled "Ask the Editor" by telling how I came to be where I am now.Keep in mind that one's path can take many twists and turns. My first editor's job came when I was named executive editor of the East Tennessean, the student-operated newspaper at East Tennessee State University. I'd had an interest in newspapers since working on Hampton High School's Bulldog Bark in the early 1980s.The job with the East Tennessean had been unexpected. I'd applied for the post, but the job went to Susan Saylor. In turn, she chose me as her assistant editor. The semester had barely gotten started when she resigned. I think shock might be understating how I felt to discover that, after all, I would be in charge. The job resulted in some on-the-job growth, late nights on Sundays and Wednesdays and obligatory trips to Taco Bell and Wendy's for recharging and de-stressing. My sports writer at the time was Trey Williams. More than 30 years later, he is still writing sports for me at The Erwin Record.At the time, I had returned to ETSU as a graduate student in the Department of English. I don't think a graduate student had ever served as editor of the student newspaper. I didn't make a lot of progress on my thesis while serving as editor, but the two semesters I served as editor did convince me that I could see myself choosing journalism as a career.After college, I started work with the late Bill Williams designing pages for the weekly arts and entertainment publication, The Loafer. I also wrote about music and television. I got to learn more about the behind-the-scene work that goes into a weekly publication with Williams and his advertising executive, the late Akey Kinkaid.I learned in early 1995 about an opening at the Elizabethton Star, which at that time was published as a daily newspaper. The job was for an editor of the paper's women's section. I met with editor Rozella Hardin. I think she felt justified skepticism that a young man would want to take on the post, but I convinced her I could do it.The women (Penny and Margaret) in classified advertising welcomed me. We became good friends and worked the customer service desk together. I transformed the B section of the newspaper into a living/lifestyles section. I also launched my weekly birding column and found a receptive audience for it.My transformation of the newspaper's B section got noticed by the publisher of Jonesborough's Herald & Tribune, and I was offered the job of executive editor of the weekly newspaper for Washington County and Jonesborough. The transition during the 1999 holiday season was a little rocky, but I soon found a good team with Corey Shoun and Kathy Grindstaff.An achievement during my time with the H&T involved winning the Meeman Award for Best Editorial during the Tennessee Press Association competition for work done in 2002. This prestigious award is sponsored by the University of Tennessee's Edward J. Meeman Foundation. I won for a fiery scolding of the administration of Gov. Don Sundquist for trying to cut expenditures by reducing times when our public parks could actually be available to the public.But the job came to an end in the fall of 2003 just after I'd finished the annual special section on the National Storytelling Festival. I worked the front desk at the Erwin bureau of the Johnson City Press for a few months. The bureau chief at the time was Chris Garland.I also worked as a writer for The Erwin Record, which was then helmed by Mark Stevens, my younger brother. He had reservations about working with me. I am happy to say that the working relationship never came to physical blows; I think we actually made a decent team. I also worked for a couple of years writing restaurant reviews for the Johnson City Press in a precursor to a column that is now known as "The Mystery Diner."I also began working part-time again for the Elizabethton Star. I was invited to come back to the newspaper as the lifestyles editor once again. Not too much later, I got a promotion to assistant editor. Then, in a totally unanticipated moment, I found myself teaming up with my brother again when the owners of the Elizabethton Star named him publisher. We worked together until February of 2014 when the an Alabama outfit bought the newspaper.The abrupt conclusion to that chapter convinced me to largely avoid newspapers for the next several years. I continued my weekly words about birds and birding with an online blog. In the summer of 2014, I also had my birding column picked up by the Bristol Herald Courier.In the fall of 2014 I returned to ETSU in two capacities. I served as interim faculty adviser for the East Tennessean and also began work as an adjunct faculty member in ETSU's department of literature and language, teaching classes in composition, research and early American literature.I'd come full circle. Not only did I return to the East Tennessean for a few months, but I was now teaching. After all, I'd gotten my undergraduate degree in English from ETSU fully expecting to teach, but when the opportunity for regular work with The Loafer came along, I embraced it, and a new path forward unfurled.So, life is funny, as well as circular, and I found myself back at ETSU. I taught my classes from fall of 2014 until spring of 2021. I liked the students and a chance to interact with them in a way that I hope left them with a better appreciation and understanding of the written word.Then came the pandemic. ETSU classes took a pause for spring break in March of 2020, but we told our students we would likely not be returning to the classrooms and would be finishing the semester online. We cobbled together a way to finish that semester. Over the summer, everyone had to prepare for a transition to online teaching. The students hated the online classes, and I disliked them. The magic of interaction dimmed on a Zoom window on a computer monitor. It wasn't what any of us had signed up to do.Then, out of the blue in early 2021, came a call from Lisa Whaley. In 2003, she had been a writer working with me at the H&T in Jonesborough. Now she was the publisher for The Erwin Record and she needed a managing editor. Life is indeed circular.The timing could not have been more fortunate. I was scheduled to get a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, getting the jab at the Bristol Motor Speedway after lining up for a couple of hours. The pandemic seemed to be finally in the rear-view window.I accepted the job. Unicoi County is home to most of my extended family members and to many of my friends. Week in, week out, I work with Office Manager Ken Silvers, Associate Editor Kimberly Harr and Jana Steward in advertising. We also have a fantastic team of talented community columnists and freelance writers. Each and every individual on this team cares about this community.It's been a wild ride. I won another Meeman Award for Best Single Editorial in the TPA contest 20 years after my first win in this category. Then came the flooding of last September. The Erwin Record will celebrate a century as Unicoi County's newspaper in 2028. It's been a pleasure having this part to play in an ongoing grand undertaking.•••Bryan Stevens is the managing editor of The Erwin Record.