The outgoing editor of Confluence Denver, Eric Peterson takes stock in the last four years and welcomes a new editor to the publication.
It's been an exciting four years to cover Denver. From the debut of recreational marijuana to the transformation of RiNo to the unveiling of Union Station, the city has been an incredibly rich source of subject matter in Confluence's first few years. The world has been watching.
Now, after writing more than 300 stories and editing another 1,000, I'm passing the baton to Ray Mark Rinaldi. It's the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Confluence. You're in good hands with Ray, formerly of The Denver Post, the mind behind One Good Eye and one of the top arts and culture scribes in the city.
It's also an exciting new chapter for me. It was a tough decision to step down as editor, but I've felt like I've spread myself too thin for several years running. There are simply too many stories, and too little time to write them. I'm hoping to slow down and focus on my craft, rather than crank out one story after another.
You'll still see features by yours truly here at Confluence. I'll continue to contribute features to the site as an editor-at-large and plan to continue to cover topics like ADUs, alley activation and my award-winning compost pile for the site. You'll continue to see my byline at such local publications as CompanyWeek, ColoradoBiz, Building Dialogue, and Colorado Life.
And I'm getting back to my roots writing about travel and national parks for Rand McNally and started covering healthcare and outdoor recreation for RootsRated. I'm also hoping to have enough time to get back to a few pet projects I've launched over the years, namely Ramble Colorado and possibly Greenmilepost.
And I'm going to put a bit more time into Weird Al Qaida -- Denver's foremost hard listening act. Mind-warping musical psychedelia doesn't write itself, and our new Plastic Family LP (on glorious vinyl!) isn't going to promote itself, either. (If you've got a turntable and $10, hit me up.)
This summer, I'm planning to go hiking more often with my wife, Jamie, and hounds, Duncan and Aoife, and hug our 10.5-year-old Great Dane Mini more. (Mini doesn't hike.)
Don't get me wrong. I'll miss editing Confluence. Since taking the reins in early 2013, I've grown as a writer and editor, and it's been rewarding to shape the site's content and voice. And it's been even more rewarding to cover the city I love. For all of its challenges as it perpetually reinvents itself, Denver forever has my heart, and covering it in an era of such dynamic change has been a career highlight for me. Alas, there are only so many hours in a day.
As always, thanks for reading. Send me a note at rambleusa@gmail.com if you ever want to get in touch.
See you soon, Denver.
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Eric is a Denver-based tech writer and guidebook wiz. Contact him
here.