I’ve been touched by the letters I’ve received about my absence from The Sun.

For those who didn’t read between the lines a few months ago, when I questioned whether I’d continue appearing in every issue, let me say, plainly, that I won’t. My writing will appear, but irregularly — at least for a while.

Involved as I am in The Sun — in the selection of what we print, in the editing and in the layout, in the numerous decisions that shape the magazine — it’s impossible, I suppose, for me not to be in an issue, even if my own words don’t appear. Yet, within this family of voices, I’ve always been at the head of the table, my presence expected, familiar.