At the time we proposed co-editing this issue, we did so with our friend and colleague, TyAnna Herrington, who is deservedly cited multiple times in the CoverWeb for her critical scholarship. As we envisioned the issue, we did so with an explicit division of labor. Karen would focus on issues of ownership, John would focus on issues of authorship, and Ty, naturally, would focus on copyright law. Within the context of the CCCC Intellectual Property Caucus, Ty was unusual in that she had bolstered her sustained interest in writing pedagogy with a law degree. She knew the law inside and out, and she was continually making her colleagues aware of the law's vexed relationship with writing and composition in 21st-century contexts.
As our work progressed, it became increasingly clear that Ty was seriously ill, but this never undercut her enthusiasm for her work on this project. Indeed, our experience was that Ty never conceded that being our co-editor on this special issue was anything other than a top priority. To accommodate her increased physical limitations in typing alphanumeric text, Ty and Karen scheduled a meeting to video-record an interview that would become her contribution to the special issue's CoverWeb. It came as a shock when Ty died the day before that interview was scheduled to occur.
We have moved forward with the issue keenly aware of the tremendous loss of the expertise that Ty carried with her throughout her scholarship and her collaborations. We have also moved forward with a sense of profound loss over the death of our colleague, our mentor, and our friend.
We hope our work helps establish this issue as a fitting memorial to Ty. We hope to honor her incredible commitment to her scholarship and to helping us all better understand the intersections of law and the humanities, and especially the teaching of writing.
It is in this spirit that we dedicate this issue to the memory of TyAnna Herrington, J.D., Ph.D.
Karen Lunsford & John Logie