Once upon a time, I was a recent college graduate with a Computer Science degree, headed into the world at the height of the dot-com crash. I managed to survive college with undiagnosed Neurodivergence and crippling anxiety, and was entering the world as an adult for the first time having no idea what being an adult meant or how to take care of my own needs in a challenging world. I was also chasing my artistic dream of touring with my band, which occupied even more of my time than the retail and contract jobs I parsed together. Needless to say, I was searching for answers and even more for my place in the world.

I met a girl, and we dated so briefly that I only remember her first name. We didn’t have a ton in common other than we both liked to read, and she lent me the most tattered copy of The Eye of the World I’ve seen. We parted ways before I even cracked the cover, and it collected some dust in my bookshelf until I discovered it a few months later and decided to take it for a spin.

From the first mention of the Wheel in the opening lines, my life was injected with poetic magnetism drawing me strongly into a world and story bigger than I could have ever imagined, with characters so deep and complex I could see myself, I could see my friends, my family, and most importantly I could see the arc my character needed to take in order to embrace the light and not succumb to the dark.

As I finished the book, I immediately ordered all of the then-available remaining books in the series and did not put them down until I finished Winter’s Heart. I showed up at the bookstore on release days for each of the books to follow. And didn’t put them down until I read every word.

This fandom has already survived the loss of our dear author, Robert Jordan. But that would not end this tale. This fandom came together to embrace another creative source to finish what was started. And the next iteration, brought to life by Rafe, et al, united the fanbase across social media in a way that was not possible before. The community that has been created through the screen version of the Wheel of Time contains breadth, depth, and is steadfast, patient, and will endure.

We stand together in appreciation of characters who have been in our lives longer than most friends, characters we see ourselves in, who we celebrate with when they win, and we suffer with when they lose. The relationships we’ve created in this community are founded on that cornerstone, and while maybe newer, are powerful, supportive, and very real. This community will endure, and we will be there to answer the call when the on-screen version of this turning of the Wheel continues.

We are extremely grateful, and we are steadfast. We will be here for each other, and we will be here for the Wheel in whatever turning comes next. We would all revel in the ability to continue the current iteration on screen, and are begging those with the ability to make this a reality in our real life turning of the Wheel.

Thank you.

Barry.