Light the candles and roll out the cake: Northword Magazine is celebrating its 10th anniversary as BC’s top read! It’s an anniversary rather than a birthday because we’re celebrating a relationship—many relationships, actually.

Some members of our community have been with us since the beginning. One, our designer Sandra Smith, has been with Northword even before it was Northword—she started at Connections Magazine, the creation of Phillipa Beck in 1997 (who now keeps us all bendy at Full Circle Yoga here in Smithers). Phillipa established Connections across the region as the voice of an eclectic, earthy, energetic northern lifestyle.

In 2004, Connections was reborn as Northword Magazine under a new owner, Lottie Wengelin. Her vision was athletic and outdoorsy, with a newsier take on northern events. I came to work for Lottie in November 2005 as a part-time sales rep. One day she breezed into the office and proclaimed, “I’m getting a divorce, moving back to Sweden and selling the magazine. Do you want to buy it?”  I said, “Hell, no!” and went home to laugh about the funny thing that happened at work that day.  

So it was that in April 2006, Northword shifted gears again and over the next few months became the magazine you see today. Each owner-publisher brings different perspectives on what makes northern living special. My take is reflected in the stories you see in our pages.  

I love living here, in the special region that is “north” of all that is southern BC. Our writers love it here, too, as do our readers. Amenity migrants, we are. We don’t live here to work; we work to live here. As a result, we’re pretty keen to learn about our region: our neighbours and our recreational options, our history. Our future is a hot topic as well, so we try to include a bit of background on issues that affect this place we love.

Many individuals have contributed to the Northword effort over the years—too many to mention by name. Presently, in addition to our stalwart designer, we have writers (dozens), editors (2), proofers (so many!), sales people (3), distributors (4 primary, many volunteers), bookkeepers (1), plus the folks at Spark Design, BC Web, International Web Express and Bandstra Trucking, as well as our distribution outlets (over 200).

And then there are our advertisers. We bring you, our readers, to them, and in return they make it possible for us to bring Northword to you. Our advertisers are our only source of income so if you like us, please like our advertisers too. Their support is infinitely valuable. Many have been as faithful as our readers, having stayed with us since the beginning (some have been with us since Connections!).

But, the relationship we want to celebrate most is the one we have with you. One of my biggest joys of publishing Northword happens on delivery day when people see me coming with an armload—nothing is as affirming as having someone grin at you and say, “I love your magazine! Can I have one?” before you even get in the door.

Let’s keep the relationship going! Let us know what you’re thinking: you never know—we might be on the same page.

Happy 10th, Northword! Here’s to many more.