Uptown! Anonymous

The mayor named it Uptown. It’s really just downtown. Take Exit One, go sixty down Second Avenue until you hit Broadway. We are downtown kids, brought together by those brick buildings a street over, home of our beloved Springer Theatre Academy. That’s where we spend summers, celebrating our true selves on stage and inspiring the next generations to do the same.

Iron Bank is the corner coffee shop that afternoons casually fill. Whenever you walk in, there’s bound to be a familiar smile, pulling out a chair for you. Even when summer ends, our friendships continue. Together, we are the raucous that turn the irritable away to shake their heads, but in the right group, we are fervent proponents of each other. We are vicariously excited for your accomplishments, reassuring when you’re insecure, and comforting when you feel alone.

Theatre is what makes us genuine; it’s our portal to soul wracking dreams. On days with nothing to do, we lay out on Chattahoochee rocks and watch clouds, wishing we could grab hold and trail away. Springer taught candid self-expression, so we had unabashed conversations about our thoughts.

These adventures in the mundane were my biggest inspiration, and with them in mind I decided to publish a magazine...