Letter From The Editor – Thank You All For 2023

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment magazine in the UK“, editor JJ Barnes shares her wrap up of 2023, and a thank you to all readers and contributors to The Table Read.

Dear All

2023 has been a very hard year for me, both professionally and personally. I have lost a lot, struggled in ways I cannot begin to explain, and doubted myself constantly. That said, throughout, and even on my darkest days, The Table Read has stood out as a shining light of positivity, creativity and hope. Every day I wondered if I could get up and do it all again, and every day I found the motivation because of this project, and, mostly, because of the incredible people I get to work with on it.

I would like to conclude 2023 in my role as editor of The Table Read with an expression of gratitude.

Firstly, I would like to thank the incredible creatives who I get to feature on these pages. My inbox is constantly full of emails from authors, artists, musicians, and filmmakers, either directly or through their representatives, and every day I am excited to find out what wonderful things they are telling me about and asking me to help support. Every day I get to interact with people who fascinate and inspire me, people driven to create in a way I respect and understand. Whether it is because of networking with myself or someone I am working with on The Table Read, I am truly delighted to discover what you are going to bring to this website next. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your creative life, and for the overwhelming positivity you bring to my professional life.

And our readers. You wonderful community of people who love art, music, film, books and more with such passion. You genuinely care about the people who I feature; not just their work but also who they are as people. You respect the effort they put into their creations and you like, share, comment and celebrate their work no matter whether they’re brand new to the scene and launching their debut project, or a long established and award winning person with a huge existing audience. What matters do you is not their celebrity, it’s their creativity, and for that reason I truly believe that the audience for The Table Read is the best audience in the entire world. Thank you for letting me do the job I love so much, and encouraging me to keep going through your love of these people I love sharing with you.

As we say goodbye to this year, and look into 2024, I can say with absolute certainty that while I am glad to see the end of 2023, I will never feel anything but love and joy for the wonderful people I got to connect with during the last 12 months.

I’m so blessed to be able to say that, both professionally and personally, this year is ending on an unexpected high for me, and I am feeling able to look forward with a confidence and excitement I doubted I would ever feel again. So, to all readers and contributors to The Table Read, thank you for being with me during these months, may you have a wonderful year ahead, please keep coming back to these pages, and good luck with all creations you are working on, be they big or small.

Lots of love and eternal thanks,

JJ