Thank you for your attention to “The End of Austin,” a new experimental journal about urban identity that we recently launched from our home base in the American Studies department. We want to clarify the goals of our project. Rather than peddling nostalgia for the “good old days” of Austin, we are trying to start a conversation about Austin’s rapidly changing identity, one that involves nostalgia but certainly isn’t limited to it. As we ask in the introductory essay in the current issue: “Is urban nostalgia a productive fantasy that bonds us to a particular vision of place, or a dead-end lament for the way we never were?” This is an essential question that guides “The End of Austin,” which will appear twice a year with a robust mix of art, music, scholarship, creative writing, photography and video about the hype and hope of living in the fastest-growing city in the U.S. Our project is rooted in our affection for the city, our desire to bridge UT and the community, and our enthusiasm for talking about the city and its potential in new ways.

— Randolph Lewis, associate professor, American Studies; Sean Cashbaugh, Carrie Andersen, Greg Seaver, “The End of Austin” (TEAO) editorial board