A Compilation of her
Letters from the Editor
1998 through 1999
From Radiance
Summer 1999
Dear Friends,
Our office has been humming with
activity these past few months! Melinda’s been updating our main
office manual, as well as keeping our office (and me!) running smoothly.
I’ve spent countless hours with Earl Cory, my “web guy,” creating
a whole new look to our web site. We’ve recently added more articles,
essays, and information, which you can access from our “What’s
New” area on the main page (www.radiancemagazine.com).
I’m especially happy to announce that you can now enjoy reading Linda
Brandt Tanner’s past “In Season” columns online: tomatoes, beans,
eggs, onions, comfort foods, pasta, and barbecue, are all at your
fingertips.
We’ve also added to our online Kids
Project materials. Click on the Kids Project on our main page, to find
loads of information, fun, and support for children, teens, and young
adults, as well as for parents, teachers, counselors, and health
professionals who work with and love kids.
My thanks go to Earl, a real trooper.
I appreciate the calm and receptive attitude with which he greets the
many e-mails I send him (trust me on this,
many e-mails) with my lists of new ideas for the site. Earl and I
often meet online around 11 p.m. and write back and forth, referring
each other to pages to check where we need to change a design, add more
color, remove some color, fix a title, fix a typo, and so on. We go on
like this until around 1 or 2 a.m. Thanks
again, Earl. So, readers, go online. Count us as a site to visit often.
We’re always thinking of new things to bring to you, and to those new
to Radiance
and size
acceptance.
Before I talk about this Summer
issue, I want to say that I’ve been quite moved by your comments on
our Spring 1999 issue with its special feature on teens. I see we’re
striking a chord, and it makes me feel really good. We’ll print some
of your responses in the upcoming Fall “Letters” column.
You can be sure that as we connect with more individuals and
groups working with teens, we’ll
pass that information on to you.
Once or twice a year we’ll continue
to hear from kids (of all ages) and address issues of importance for
their support and well-being. Please share this information with others
for whom this topic is relevant. And if you come across a story idea for
us, get in touch. If you attend a parents’ group or a teachers’
workshop, contact us for copies of Radiance and subscription cards. We’re always happy to contribute
materials and respond to requests for article reprints.
Now, for Summer 1999—our Fifth
Annual Swimsuit Issue. I didn’t know when I first thought of doing a
swimsuit issue five years ago that it would become an annual feature.
But is has. Each week this past month I got calls and e-mails from
readers anxious about our photo deadline. A reader from Germany asked:
Can I send my photo via courier? And from Canada: Is there time for me
to send a picture of me and my dog? Another reader begged: I have some
great shots of me and two friends hamming it up in a pool. Can I still
send them? Yes, yes, yes, I said to all these queries. But hurry. So
here you have it: three full pages of brilliant, bright, big-bodied
babes, looking fabulous as they splash around in the various waters of
the world. If this doesn’t encourage any person of any size to go out
and enjoy this season’s delights, I don’t know what will!
Send in your photos to be a part of
next year’s Radiance “Swimsuits 2000.” No more just thinking about it and feeling that
you can’t be a model. You can. Get busy this summer and snap that
camera and send us your favorites.
In this issue, we continue our
Fashion and Art Feature Section. It’s a great new way for individuals
or companies to promote their businesses (fashion, art, jewelry,
accessories). This time we’re displaying the beautiful sculptures of
Barbara Chen, as well as artistic statues from Sacred Source. You’ll
also find designs for large and supersize women from fashion companies
new to our pages—La Reina, Paula Sanders, and Celebrating Size—as
well as fashions from companies who’ve become old friends—Junonia,
Love Your Peaches, and Abundance. Call our office for details on how to
show your wares in this four-color section. The price is right! The
information is at our web site, too (just click on “Advertise”).
Summer has lots more in store! Marina
Wolf’s “Sexy Summer Reads” is one reason you’re going to want to
bring Radiance with you to the beach. It’s hot! And I know you’ll
enjoy author Lynne Murray’s exploration of plus-size characters in
mystery novels. She gives us a great list of must-reads for fans of this
genre. I mean, how can you not go out and get copies of books with
titles like Murder Can Kill Your Social Life, Murder on a Girls’ Night Out,
and Sex and Salmonella?
I’m so pleased to introduce you to
singer and songwriter, Steve Seskin, whose work I’ve listened to for
years at our Bay Area coffee houses. His hit (with cowriter Allen
Shamblin), “Don’t Laugh at Me,” has just been recorded by Peter,
Paul, and Mary. Thanks to Toby Bielawski for another great interview.
I want to thank all our writers for
sharing their passion and expertise and attitude with us all. We sure
appreciate you.
I also want to thank our financial
contributors. In Fall, our fifteenth anniversary issue, we’ll
acknowledge those people who have sent in gifts to
Radiance over the past year. It’s never too late to become a
“Friend of Radiance.” We need you. We count on you. Please send what
you can. Help us continue to be a strong, bright light on the path to
size acceptance. And watch for the Fall issue around October 1.
I know I’m looking forward to
taking time this summer to get out and play and connect with friends. I
want to bask in the beauty of my surroundings and to swim and picnic at
the beaches and rivers in northern California.
If you see me, or another fat person,
in their shorts, swimwear, or summer duds, give us a nod or a smile.
Let’s acknowledge the mutual journey we’re on as we take our place
in the world!
With this, I welcome you to Summer
1999, our Fifth Annual Swimsuit Issue.
Take care,
Alice Ansfield
Founder, Editor, Publisher and Swimmer ©
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