2025 MJ Recap

Our 2025 lineup: Balance (spring), Boundless (summer), Embrace (fall), Exhale (winter)

It’s about that time again! Year after year, come December, it’s always so satisfying to hold all four issues of Magnolia Journal in my hands and to look back on all the beauty we’ve created together. And that “we” is a big one: yes, the full time staff at Magnolia, but also our partners at People Inc. and the many contributors who bring Jo’s and our vision to life. Here are some quick, fun highlights from the year:

“Balancing Act” from the spring ‘25 Balance issue.

Writing about design has always been a (good) challenge for me, but I think I finally broke through some personal walls with this one. I may have strung the words together, but there’s no way this one would’ve crossed the finish line in all its vibrant, educationally-enriching glory without Becca Beckman’s input and incredible eye, Keagan Coop’s vision and knack for innovative problem-solving, and styling expert Hilary Walker, who really helped me unlock the way into this story. Proud and grateful to have this byline!

In April, I was fortunate enough to attend an editing conference in Salt Lake City hosted by ACES, The Society for Editing. My first time in Salt Lake, and truthfully, my first time going to a swanky work conference like this! Lots of people who love to nerd out about words, stories, and grammatical tidbits that only copyeditors and proofreaders would appreciate. I count myself as a lifelong writer, but I’m still new to the editing biz—so it was fun to feel like a student for a few days and meet some really smart, driven people. My favorite part: walking around in this fun city and trying out the local fare. (Including this Italian sandwich, bottom middle, that I think about way too often.)

Clockwise from top left: Just a sunny spring visit to the Silos; the team sporting a few aprons from a fall ‘25 product story; back at the magazine cart selling subscriptions at Silobration; our team’s Christmas party; lots of holly jolly happening at the Magnolia staff party; a teaser of our cookie exchange.

There’s so much more I could say about this year… the wins relished and the struggles overcome by the broader team. The writers who made gorgeous, heart-warming poetry, prose, or how-tos look easy, and those that dove into the trenches with me so we could wrangle a tough story into something beautifully hard-won and truly memorable. But you’ve got holiday parties to get to, and I’m six months pregnant with dinner waiting for me, so I’ll leave it at this: 2025 was a lovely year for Magnolia Journal, and I’m grateful to be here doing this work with these people. And we love creating this magazine for you.

Merry Christmas, and cheers to 2026!