As we come nearer to the release of our Retrospective issue, it makes sense to look at not only contributions throughout this journal’s history, but contributors as well.

Currents has had a diverse and varied history, drawing from an extensive pool of great minds including those who have worked, or are working, at our very own Digital Writing and Research Lab (DWRL). These alums include Trevor Hoag, Jim Brown, Justin Tremel, and Will Burdette.

Trevor Hoag, a former DWRL Assistant Director  who conducted an interview with Rita Raley  in 201 2.and wrote “A Building that Recalls: Memory, Housing, and Politics of Living on,” currently works at Christopher Newport University (CNU), continuing to explore the interests he cultivated at UT. This includes his forthcoming book - Occupying Memory: Recalling Radical Rhetorics - as well as his prominent roles in developing CNU’s Digital Humanities Task Force and keeping the digital humanities alive and well in the classroom.

Jim Brown, who helped with a Currents issue the following year (“Questioning Digital Activism”), has yet to stop his research into the ethical dimensions of digital rhetoric and writing despite his move to the University of Wisoconsin-Madison. In fact, he’s a part of the school’s brand new Digital Studies group and has introduced computer programming in his English classes with the ultimate goal of discussing “ethical progams.”

In that same 2013 issue, another former Assistant Director for the DWRL and Co-founder of Viz. - John Jones -  published his piece, “Networked Activism, Hybrid Structures, and Networked Power,” concerning the power of digital networks (such as WikiLeaks). He’s since left for West Virginia University, but continues to expand his legacy as a featured blogger for DMLCentral.net (a digital media/pedagogy site).

These are only a few of the many alums who have been a part of Currents and the DWRL, and this is only a small portion of what they have gone on to achieve. We hope that our forthcoming Retrospective Issue will do them proud!