Write Turns

In the magazine business, we talk a lot about “shelf life.” The physical nature of a magazine — the quality of its paper, its heft and its weight — makes it something that many people have a hard time throwing away months, and even years, after its issue date has passed.

We like to think the nature of our editorial content has something to do with it too, of course. Much of what we write about has relevance that is close to timeless. And the pictures are nice to look at. Keats said it: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”

I was reminded of our shelf life on a recent visit to Amish country where a resident told me he has particular insight into how long our magazines last. It seems that many years ago, the magazine ran a story about a driving tour that took readers through his neighborhood. But one of the directions was wrong. Readers were advised to turn right when they should have turned left.

As luck would have it, “right” was right into his driveway.

When the story first appeared, he and his family spent a good part of their days setting errant drivers straight. It doesn’t happen so much anymore. But it still happens.

“Ohio Magazine?” he’ll ask. He sends them on their way — the correct way — with a smile.

This month’s fall foliage tour, featuring some of the state’s most picturesque covered bridges, will once again set you touring Ohio’s scenic roads. Should you lose your way, stop and ask directions from our friends along the way. Just tell them Ohio Magazine sent you.

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The state’s journalism associations recently issued their judgments about the stories and features that are most deserving of a long shelf life. The honors recognize work published last year. Once again, Ohio Magazine was prominent on the lists.

The Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards, sponsored by The Press Club of Cleveland, named illustrator Daniel Vasconcellos the first-place winner in the single illustration category for “A Black and White Issue” in our September issue.

Art Director Lesley Blake scored two second-place honors in the multiple-page design category for “Modern Day Audubon,” a profile of wildlife artist John Ruthven, and for “Fantastic Flyers,” an article about dragonflies.

Associate Editor Jessica Esemplare took second place in food writing for “The Elemental Kitchen,” her profile of Chef Michael Ruhlman. And contributing writer John Hyduk took second place in essay writing for his 2008 “My Ohio” columns.

The Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, meanwhile, recognized both Ohio Magazine and our sister publication, Cleveland Magazine, for its top honors. We were runner-up to our friends down the hall.

Let the record show that when those Cleveland Magazine folks get lost in our wing, we always set them straight with a smile.