DEAR READER,

Twenty years ago, I launched Shovel Magazine, an arts and entertainment rag dedicated to nonsensical wit and sarcasm. Three years later, that stone was turned over and the Weekly Dig was born. The rest, as they say, is history.

Since then, a lot has happened; we’ve seen many a politician come and go, businesses small and large rise up and disappear, and a staff that carried the torch with every burning issue until the necessary flames burnt out. I regret nothing and wouldn’t change a thing, including my mantra that everything has a timeline and everyone has an expiration date. Including me. Which is why I’m now stepping down as editor and publisher, and passing the torch.

Effective immediately, I’ve begun to transition the day-to-day operation and eventually ownership to the next generation. I haven’t sold the company yet, nor have I put in place the entire team to help me make this a reality, but the ball is rolling.

I sold the Dig in 2004 to the parent company of Boston magazine, only to buy it back in 2007, so this isn’t exactly uncharted territory, however, this time I won’t be swooping back in should the new owners fuck it up. Any and all changes will be permanent and I’m not looking back. I’ve had one hell of a run, but it’s time for someone new to make bold and exciting mistakes. I’ve always said that I’d bow out before I became irrelevant, and I’m woefully behind schedule.

I have several offers to review, but I’m open to new ideas, so if you’re curious and/or interested, drop me a line. One thing I’m considering very seriously, though, is selling the business to a non-profit and making the paper a not-for-profit venture. Not that it ever generated a profit anyway, but the idea that independent journalism should be free and unfettered from ad dollars is extremely appealing to me, and I imagine the reader as well.

Thank you, all of you, for making the past 20 years so incredibly important and meaningful. The next 20 years are not mine, but I’m confident they’ll be just as cool. Onward and upward…

Jeff Lawrence, DigBoston Founder, Publisher + Editor

OH, CRUEL WORLD

Dear Comment Dummy,

It doesn’t matter what I post about. Could be dinner, could be friends, could be politics—Oh my! It doesn’t matter to you, or so it seems, because you always seemingly ignore the topic I am trying to address, and write something like, “Hey girl, how’s the family?” Do you not understand what email and DMs are for? Do you contact people on an individual basis and sling shit at them like you are on a Facebook thread? It wouldn’t be surprising if you do, since you are a Neanderthal who doesn’t understand basic social conventions. Oh, and the fam is great, by the way. Thanks for asking.