Magazine Love

I am now and forever will be a lover of magazines. I horde them. I subscribe to way too many (that pile up in my office because I can’t find time to read them all cover to cover like I want to do). And I’m always finding new publications I want to try out too. It’s an addiction, really. I’ll admit it.

Some are old stand-bys. For years, I’ve subscribed to Utne Reader. Yoga Journal. Real Simple. National Geographic Traveler. Natural Home. Better Homes & Gardens. These are my old standbys, the publications I can’t live without, that I dive into with excitement each time they arrive.

Each year, I seem to add a few new ones to the list. I used to steal my mom’s copies of Sunset every time I was home. Now I finally have my own subscription. After a childhood of reading Natural Geographic, I’m now a member myself. Speaking of membership magazines, I get Sierra and Nature Conservancy. I love Readymade. And Pink. I read Folio. Ode is terrific too.

Of course, each year that I add to my list, I also have to subtract a magazine or two from it. In high school, I used to read Sports Illustrated from cover to cover. Now I look at it infrequently, only when a cover at the newsstand catches my eye. Same with Newsweek. I read Wired for a while but let that subscription lapse. That’s what happened with Health too, which was a long-time favorite that got neglected a few years ago.

Plus there are those magazines that disappear of their own accord. I lost my beloved Jane. And The Green Guide. I enjoyed Country Home. I know there are many more that have disappeared, but thinking about failed publications is sad so I'm not going to dwell on that much-too-long list.

Now I’m thinking of subscribing to Mother Jones. Discover. Science. See my priorities shifting?

The only problem is, when the heck will I read them all?

I also picked up the new issue of Food Network Magazine at the grocery store yesterday, after looking for it for weeks. And there are a couple of natural, healthy living magazines I haven’t seen before I might have to flip through.

See? It’s an addiction.

But, and this is the beauty of the freelance writing life, all of these magazines are also part of work. I may savor them with a glass of lemonade on the weekend or read them while on the elliptical at the gym. But anytime I read magazines, I’m thinking of story ideas. I’m thinking of topics I might pitch to the magazines I’m reading and to other publications too. Magazines are fun to read, but they’re also resources. Inspiration.

At least that’s how I justify my addiction.

What magazines are on your must-read list? I’m always looking for new publications to explore, so I’d love to hear what you can’t live without.