A Salute to Bill McGill!

November 2, 2008

Before I go any further with this blog, it is incumbent on me to salute the other person who has been most instrumental in the survival of Spitball Magazine over these past several years: former Managing Editor and our continuing Editor in charge of poetry submissions, William J. McGill. Bill came to us in the middle of the previous crisis of survival, and what a Godsend he has been. From the very beginning Bill’s involvement has been marked by class and a remarkable lack of ego. Bill had been thinking of starting his own literary baseball magazine when he learned of our distress, and instead of doing that he decided to join us and come to our aid; subverting his opportunity for founder and head honcho status to our needs.

As we were delighted to learn, the humility of Bill’s entrée, which would be typical of all facets of his involvement, masked his great abilities: as an editor, as an executive, as a publisher, and as a writer. This is a guy, we discovered, who is not only highly talented but ultra-cooperative. Bill is not one to rush his opinion to the forefront. He is instead content to let you learn how valuable his opinion is when asked for, and we did learn that lesson well and quickly.

Readers and writers may not know Bill personally, as we do, but if they pay attention I am certain that they get a sense of his character through his writing, his correspondence, and the outstanding book reviews he does for the Magazine and for the CASEY Banquet. They are, as are we all, better off for having encountered the man. Where does Spitball find people like Bill McGill? How do we find them? I’m not sure myself. I’m just grateful that we do.

After four or five years at the helm, Bill has stepped down as the Managing Editor of Spitball, but neither he nor his beloved St. Louis Cardinals are going anywhere. Bill will remain as Poetry Editor, and he will be able to communicate directly with you all through his own blog. What a treat you are in for!