Spring 2008
Inside VL: A Season of Change
Spring is a time of change and renewal, especially here in these pages of Vermont Life. With this issue, we have introduced a new structure and design to the magazine that we hope will better support our commitment to covering contemporary Vermont.
Readers will notice a new front section of the magazine devoted to highlighting interesting ways to spend free time — both indoors and out. Our expanded calendar (page 8) starts with a quick look at some of the most intriguing events of the season, followed by arts attractions (page 12) and a look at literary Vermont (page 15).
Our food expert, Marialisa Calta, continues her popular "Vermont Eats" column (page 18), which now includes recipes and her pick of notable restaurants and food-related happenings. "Getaways" is just that: great inns, hotels or B&Bs that offer a special experience. Our new "Outdoor Recreation" series will tell how to begin some activity that you've always dreamed of doing. This issue, the topic is kayaking (page 28)!
If one thinks of these articles as inspiration for the weekend, then the focus of the latter part of the magazine is Vermont at work — the more serious and just as vital aspects of life in Vermont. With each issue, we will explore our working landscape, our vibrant downtowns, our first-rate schools and universities, our creative, entrepreneurial economy, as well as our legendary civic-mindedness. Vermonters are passionate stewards of our land and heritage, but also active agents of a better future. "Practicing What You Teach" (page 66) looks at one example: Middlebury College's environmental studies, which began at the dawn of the environmental movement in the '60s — the oldest such program in the nation, and still one of the best. In another in-depth back-of-the-issue story, editor emeritus Tom Slayton contributes an exquisitely sensitive discussion of the transition occurring in Tinmouth. The town's situation is typical of many small Vermont communities, as the number of farms diminishes and newcomers arrive (page 62).
As the media world changes, Vermont Life is finding new ways to keep you informed. We've revitalized our e-mail newsletter — 802: Green Mountain News — which is now aimed at giving you timely updates between issues of the magazine. Sign up to receive it free each month.
To the outside world, Vermont may seem frozen in time, but those of us who live here know a more dynamic Vermont. We hope you enjoy the evolution of Vermont Life, whose mission will always be to capture the essence of this amazing state.
Mary Hegarty Nowlan, Editor
Email: mary.nowlan@state.vt.us