New magazine publishers - we want you!

People love magazines. They love magazines for the storytelling. They love them for the artistry. They imbue them with their passions and aspirations. This became abundantly clear to me as I met with new magazine publishers over the last few weeks. I've spoken to an arts magazine, a creative graphic design mag, and a soon-to-be published mag for foodies. Very different subject matters, but what they've got in common is a drive that is fueled by a dream of telling unique and compelling stories. Believe it or not, even high printing costs and the complexities of circulation have not deterred them.

And this is where we come in. AMPA exists as a resource for both emerging and established publishers in Alberta. The industry can seem like a minefield of unknowns, especially for startups. We are here to help answer questions and to drive this home: glossy paper does not a magazine make. Perhaps you've never heard of advertising-editorial guidelines? You should find out what they are if you want to be a magazine readers can trust.

Better yet, we offer Template magazines (definitive how-to guides to magazine publishing in Alberta) available for purchase to anyone. It's a primer for all the questions you never knew you had to ask.

We recommend Template to newbies because they're comprehensive, yet accessible. Templates are the best place to start. Click here for details on how to order copies.

Ultimately, no matter what you say or what you aim to achieve, it's up to your magazine's pages to do the talking.

So, what do you really want to say? Think about it. Then talk to us.

More info:
www.albertamagazines.com

go Indie Pressers!!!

Late Saturday morning, I strolled down to the Arrata Opera Centre with a couple of friends to check out the treasures at the Independent Press and Arts Fair in conjunction with the 5th Annual Calgary Blow-Out. We were surrounded by amazing zine creation from local, national and international artists. Diving into the pages, we discovered sweet drawings, insightful words, inspiration and hours and hours of work formed in these beautiful objects. Alongside the tables blanketed with zines, other local artists made appearances with their hand made creations - hand dyed silk scarves, photos, jewelery, prints, drawings, sock monkeys just to name a few. My friends walked with a few zines in hand and I with the latest issue of Uppercase magazine and an embroidered badge all the way from Texas!
Huge thanks to filling Station, NoD and CJSW for putting on this event!!!
Next year, I hope to see you and your zine there!

-sw

Magazines work during Stampede week. Gasp!

That's not entirely true across the board, but the folks I know put the "over-and-above" in overtime. With Stampede kicking off today in Calgary with an extravagant parade, it seems like the whole city's hunkering down for its annual stay-cation.

Not the case for many Alberta magazines. Long lead-times can mean wrapping up stories for publication in September, perhaps even starting on October stories. The long leads also mean that the majority of mag folks won't get an all-access media pass (too bad!). But that's ok. While you're on the Stampede grounds eating your corn dogs and mini-donuts, Alberta magazines are working furiously behind the scenes. And so are we, here at AMPA. We're open Monday to Friday from 9 to 5, all summer long. Email us, phone us, come visit (just phone the office before dropping by)--we're happy to chat with you whether you're a newbie or seasoned pro.

On a personal note, I plan on hitting at least five pancake breakfasts over the next 10 days. Yahoo! Wish me luck and if you're in Calgary, happy Stampeding!

www.albertamagazines.com

Ina Saltz headlining 2010 Alberta Magazines Conference!

At this year's Mags University in Toronto, I had the pleasure of taking two courses with Ina Saltz on magazine cover design, and pacing and flow. I had heard her speak before and was impressed. This time was no different. So, I thought, why not woo Ms. Saltz to come out to AMPA's conference next March? So I asked. And she said yes!

So, mark your calendars for March 11 & 12, 2010, at the Alberta Magazines Conference in Calgary to hear the fine musings of Ms. Saltz and get invaluable one-on-one critique on your magazine design!

For those of you unfamiliar with her work, Ina Saltz is an art director, designer, writer, photographer and professor whose areas of expertise are typography and magazine design. She has worked on the likes of TIME, Golf and Worth magazines, and teaches at The City College of New York and Stanford's Professional Publishing Course.

Blow-Out Exploding Contest. Tune into CJSW on June 25th.

The Blow-Out Exploding Contest!

How deep are you? How low can you go?

You could perform alongside Clinton St. John (The Cape May, Pale Air Singers) with his band on one of his songs during his Saturday July 4th Exploding Concert performance, plus take home two Full Passes to Blow-Out, a subscription to filling Station Magazine, and a Clinton St. John CD!

For your chance to win, tune into CJSW's Writer's Block this Thursday, June 25th from 6 to 7 pm! Call in to the studio at (403) 220-3991 and read two lines of poetry in your deepest voice, and hosts Stephanie Weidmann & Paul Kennett (plus a special guest or two) will decide who's the deepest!

More about Writer's Block:

CJSW's weekly foray into literature just got a lot more local! New co-host Paul Kennett will join regular host Stephanie Weidmann to create a revamped literary program, focused on local events, writers, poets, publishers, while keeping an eye on the bigger literary picture across the country and around the world! Be sure to tune in to Writer's Block, 6-7pm Thursday evenings (90.9 FM in Calgary).

More info:
- filling Station magazine
- CJSW

Buying Cigarettes for Dogs book launches in Alberta

Author Stuart Ross is touring Alberta, stopping in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton to celebrate the launch of Buying Cigarettes for Dogs (Freehand Books), a book of short stories.

Support local literary talent and have an entertaining evening out to boot!

Calgary: Wednesday, June 24th, 7 pm, The Palomino, 109 7th Ave SW, with special guests Jonathan Ball and Helen Hajnoczky (Filling Station's Poetry Editor)

Red Deer: Thursday, June 25th, 7 pm, Sunworks, 4924 Ross Street

Edmonton: Saturday, June 27th 3 pm, Audrey's Books, 10702 Jasper Ave NW

More links:
- Vue Weekly review
- Vancouver Sun review

the 27th annual Western Magazine Awards

...and the winners are...
AMPA members are among the top at this year’s Western Magazine Awards! Congratulations to all the winners!

Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
Nickelas Johnson (research by Greg Hudson), Poemosapien, unlimited

Environmental
Chris Turner, The Big Decision, AlbertaViews

Fiction
SPONSORED BY CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS
Susan Ouriou, Violette Bicyclette, AlbertaViews

Travel and Leisure
SPONSORED BY WESTJET
Christopher Frey, Where Do You Think You're Going? unlimited

Gold Award Best Article - BC/Yukon
SPONSORED BY BC MINISTRY OF TOURISM, SPORT & THE ARTS
Chris Koentges, Tourists, Stay Away, up! magazine

Gold Award Best Article - Saskatchewan
SPONSORED BY SASKATCHEWAN MINISTRY OF TOURISM, PARKS, CULTURE AND SPORT
Allan Casey, The Little Boat That Could, Westworld

Best New Magazine
SPONSORED BY BC ASSOCIATION OF MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS
Techlife

Magazine of the Year
Alberta/NWT
Unlimited