As you might have heard and read, my time as both editor of skirt! magazine and as a columnist and editor at The Commercial Appeal is officially over tomorrow. (The link above is my last CA column; here’s The Flyer story from this week.) Of course I’m excited about my new job as the Director of Advancement — that’s development, communications, alumnae relations — at St. Mary’s Episcopal School. But I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking this week about my time at The CA, and what it will mean to step away from this place after 15 years. (FYI, the photo with this post was taken in 2005, right as I was beginning iDivamemphis. I’ve always loved these pictures — Shane McDermott in the newsroom did my Diva face cartoon from it.)

You might be surprised to hear that I never really expected I’d work at The Commercial Appeal. I’d been Editor of Memphis magazine, and was freelancing when the then-Managing Editor called to offer me a temporary position running the features department. And I wanted to keep it temporary, believe me, at first. The newsroom was alien territory to me, filled with characters and wags who weren’t all that interested in helping a newbie who hadn’t ever worked at a paper figure stuff out. The features staff saved me, though, and finally the temp job turned permanent.

It has always been working with reporters, photographers and designers that has made this work so exciting. Seeing reporters like Mike Lollar, Cindy Wolff and Marc Perrusquia up close is to know people who work hard, listen well, and really care about their jobs. There are some awesome editors in this place, too, particularly Louis Graham, who has forgotten more than most of us will ever know, and is the best-sourced person in the newsroom, hands down. (The house is in Florida? Are you sure?) Editing metro columnist Wendi Thomas is one of the highlights of my career, as was working with now-departed faith reporter and columnist David Waters (check out his very popular blog).

When I stepped into the world of iDivamemphis, I knew that my traditional newsroom jobs were probably behind me, and even more so when I became editor of skirt! in late 2007. It was an old pal from newsroom days who finally helped me understand … for many folks in the newsroom, when I left for skirt!, I left the paper, even though I was writing a weekly column. It has helped me understand the, well, understated reaction to my impending departure from my friends in the newsroom.

It’s also hard to overstate how difficult it has been in the last years to be in the ”mainstream media.” You read stories nearly every day about circulation dropping, print news going away, and of course you see the value of your own 401(k) dropping like a stone. Even in the (relatively) comfy job at skirt!, I got sicker and sicker of hearing about how I was a dinosaur, irrelevant.

So let me say, finally, what I’ve been wanting to say for weeks: The editorial staff of The Commercial Appeal, by and large, are not stupid, lazy, out of touch or any of the less complimentary words I’ve heard used to describe them over the last few years. Most of them, in fact, care more than they should about the accuracy, integrity and quality of their work. The business model that the print newspaper has been built on is broken, for sure. And yes, many people in the newsroom need to know more about that business than they do.

But good journalism, and quality reporting, especially about issues that are only important to those of us who live in the Greater Memphis area, have never been more important. As I go, I will continue to write on this blog and elsewhere about ways to keep it alive, and I’ll continue to celebrate the good work that my friends and colleagues do every day.

It’s been a terrific privilege to work at The Commercial Appeal and skirt! for all these years. Thanks to everyone for helping make it that way.