Opinion by Ann Brown

"I dwell in possibility."

I take the opening line of Emily Dickinson's poem literally: Dwelling in possibility, being receptive to options and knowing when to seize an opportunity.

In November 1997, the Star offered me an opportunity to join the staff as a features reporter after doing event planning, writing and editing for Tucson Newspapers since 1989.

Last week I chose the opportunity to accept a voluntary severance package from the Star and am dwelling in new possibilities.

I am among a group of nine Star employees who volunteered to take a severance package. The Star, too, will be dwelling in possibilities, as it makes adjustments to accommodate lower staffing levels while bringing the news to readers in print and online.

Leaving the Star was my choice. It was a tough, bittersweet and personal decision. It's a chance for me to explore other opportunities, develop some new skills and do some of the things I've put off. (Hey, Mom, the University of Arizona apron I bought the fabric for and promised to make two years ago — it's moved up on the to-do list.)

I am proud of my accomplishments at the Star and will miss tremendously the work, the product and, especially, the people.

November is my month of possibilities at the Star. I was tapped in November 1998 to work on the team that created Caliente, the Star's entertainment section, which debuted April 16, 1999. I edited that section until four years ago — again in November — when I was named editorial page editor.

Shaping Caliente into a comprehensive and reader-friendly guide, and watching and reviewing some of our community's best theater and music was enriching and rewarding.

Caliente is a dynamic publication. It has been gratifying to watch it evolve to meet the needs and expectations of the Star's readership.

As editorial page editor, I've tried to be "our community's best friend and most constructive critic," to borrow a line adopted by our publisher and editor, John M. Humenik.

I've had the opportunity to talk with Southern Arizona's congressional delegation, governors, legislators, local elected officials and bureaucrats, nonprofit and business leaders. I rode the Straight Talk Express through Iowa for a few days with presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain and visited other cities and wrote about what Tucson can learn from them.

These are experiences few other jobs could have afforded me.

My goal was to bring civility, balance and reason to the Editorial and Op-Ed pages, and to focus on policy, not partisan politics or personalities. I fell short sometimes. There were disagreements with our positions — one legislator declared war on the Star and told folks not to read the paper— but I tried to respect opposing views and to deal with our community with integrity and openness.

At the end of the day for me, however, the Star experience is about the people here. The newsroom staff has shared the great moments of life together — weddings, babies, graduations — and the saddest. The Star is an extended family made up of journalists who are committed to their craft, the community and the news.

I don't know the shape of all the changes at the Star, but I do know that the Star's focus remains on the journalism, bringing you local news and information that you cannot read anywhere else. It has been a blessing and privilege to work here.

There will be an emptiness tomorrow morning when I don't head down to Park Avenue and Irvington Road. That void will be filled with possibilities.