There can be no denying that winter is officially here now, no matter how much I’ve wanted to tell myself, “Surely there’s still someone who hasn’t felt like it’s winter yet,” but by mid-November, even I have to admit that that’s just wishful thinking.

Winter also seems to be hitting the minds of the Voice Writers this week, with our feature article being a winter first-aid kit for the soul, brought to you by our esteemed (not-a-real) doctor, Darjeeling Jones. While we certainly can’t guarantee this will cure all that ails you (especially if it’s something like the flu, which, for the record, I’ve now had the dubious distinction of contracting both strains this year, trust me, get your flu shot) it certainly won’t hurt.

Also, while I always appreciate knowing if my little rants here, or really anything in The Voice Magazine has moved people enough to send in a comment, it’s not often that I manage to set of inspiration in one of our regular writers.  However, last week, my editorial did just that, and you can see the response in Deanna Roney’s appropriately titled “A Response”.

Also this week, with Christmas fast approaching, students everywhere are looking forlornly at their wallets. For many AU students, January means a fresh year with fresh courses, and, of course, fresh tuition fees.  Top that off with Christmas, the expense of Christmas cheer, and it’s easy to understand why this time of year often sees spikes in food-bank use among post-secondary students.  To help deal with that, Tara Panrucker has put forward a number of ways that distance students, especially, can take advantage of our flexible studies to earn a little more cash for the season.

I also feel I have to point out Wanda Waterman’s interview with the band Rebel Rampage. This is a trio of guys who are not shy about having a particular point of view, and while the interview is mostly about their music, for those who are always concerned about bias in reporting, you may not like what these guys have to say.  Or maybe you’ll be in full agreement.  Either way, the point I’m making is that while The Voice Magazine believes that having a bias is acceptable, even unavoidable in many instances, we also believe that what we report should be factual and fair.  What individuals say and believe in interviews, however, is a different story. You’ve been warned.

Finally, as we near the end of November, it’s once again time for me to start assigning homework.  If you’re a regular Voice reader, or even a new one that has a bunch of spare time, I’m starting my search for The Best of the Voice 2018 issue.  This is the first issue we publish in the new year that contains a sampling of the best stuff that we’ve produced over the entire year.  It’s a great way to ring in the new year and has the side effect of letting our writers recover from New Years celebration.

More importantly, however, it always turns out to be a great issue, and your input is part of what makes it that way.  So start digging through our back issues, and, as always, enjoy the read!