Two of The Grind’s founding editors who put in countless hours to build the publication are moving on from their roles. While it’s sad to say goodbye, we want to take a moment to celebrate their contributions and wish them well.
Phillip Dwight Morgan was The Grind’s first arts and culture editor, starting in 2022. Phill brought a wide range of writers to these pages, highlighted local artists, and shouldered the enormous task of managing the event listings for many issues. He profiled performer, choreographer and poet Aisha Sasha John for a cover story, took readers being the scenes of It’s OK* Studios, the now-beloved event space on Queen West, and worked with independent bookstores around the city each issue to get their freshest book recs.
Fernando Arce was a senior editor since we launched The Grind in 2022, writing and editing many of the news articles that filled these pages. Fernando wrote about tenants’ rent strikes and other struggles with landlords, dealt with AI scammers when we got pitched junk articles for the food issue, and did essential reporting on the Palestine solidarity movement.
The Grind gets by on a shoestring budget with no permanent staff. Not being able to pay salaries naturally means most people can’t stay involved forever. Phill and Fernando have recently made exciting career changes, and will be far less involved with The Grind. We wish them all the best and are super grateful for everything they’ve built with us. Thank you, guys!
This article appeared in the 2026 Summer issue.
