We admit, this editorial is a little self-serving. But we like to think we”d have an opinion on Catfish Alley, even if someone else produced it.
Our new quarterly magazine hit the stands today, and we couldn”t be prouder. Our goal was to showcase the best of our community with a glossy magazine of our own, and we like to think we succeeded.
Much of the credit for this new showcase of Southern culture goes to Stacy Clark, the magazine”s editor in chief; Jan Swoope, The Dispatch”s lifestyles editor and the primary content contributor; and Adrian Bohannon, Dispatch designer, who shepherded many of the sophisticated layouts.
Other Dispatch staff writers and photographers contributed, but this is a separate product from the newspaper, so you won”t find it in these pages. The magazine is available through subscriptions, in our office, and at retailers around town. To help make this a successful startup, we mailed copies to a select number of Golden Triangle households, a strategy which will continue for a limited time.
While Dispatch staff contributed, perhaps the happiest outcome of this project was the talent we found outside of our own walls. Who would have known that a doctor of pathology at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle was such a talented fashion photographer? His amazing photo shoot graces the magazine”s pages. We also put out a call on Facebook for fashion models, and the response was overwhelming. Some of those talented young women are featured in this issue, and more will be seen in future ones.
We found a gifted freelance writer and photographer, Carmen Sisson, who wrote a great travel piece on Meridian. And, Matt Garner”s nature photographs cannot be missed — Matt produces pages for The Dispatch and we”re happy to be the first outlet for his amazing work.
And of course, our popular ”Scene and Seen” feature in the paper has put on a black tie for the magazine. Our local folks have never looked better.
We invite you to pick up a copy of this special product. We”re proud of it, and have never been prouder of the community we showcase in its pages.
To subscribe or comment, go to www.catfishalleymag.com.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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