With this issue, City Newspaper says goodbye to a valued staff member, Erica Curtis, who later this spring moves to Oregon with her husband.

In her three years with City, Erica has made enormous contributions. Some of them --- beautifully crafted features --- bear her name. Others are less obvious. For two of those three years, Erica has served as features editor, editing and helping plan all of our arts and entertainment coverage and special sections and working with staff writers and freelancers who contribute to that part of our paper.

Writing coach, devil's advocate, reader's advocate, language cop: an editor's job is a crucial, demanding, behind-the-scenes position. Erica has carried it out with talent, wisdom, patience, and exceptional grace, guiding her writers in producing award-winning journalism week after week. She leaves, for all of us, a big hole in our hearts.