Heart & Soul Magazine's Healthy, Wealthy and Wise Notes

The Online Newsletter for the Loyal Readers and Supporters of Heart & Soul Magazine

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Heart & Soul Magazine Returns and We Need Your Help!


After a year and a half hiatus Heart & Soul, the Health, Fitness and Beauty magazine for today's African-American woman returns to its loyal readership. With a renewed commitment to making life better for the African-American woman and her family, Heart & Soul has adopted a new theme, "Healthy, Wealthy, Wise."

We've brought many of your favorite editors, writers and designers back including Yanick Rice-Lamb as our editorial director, Kendra Lee as our managing editor, Nichele Hoskins as fitness editor, Marcia Caster as beauty editor and Mocha Lee as a fitness contributor.

It's been both an exciting and challenging time for African-American media, especially magazines. Many titles have struggled to stay afloat.

posted by heart&soulmate @ 3:24 AM  

3 Comments:

  • At 3:41 PM, Blogger mochasistah said…

    I would love to see this come back. Besides, Essence, I don't have a good mag about US sisters that speaks to my heart and soul! So, I would love to see the heart and soulful articles return. I'll try to come and visit this as much as possible. My site is http://www.mochasistahonline.com and hope you visit if you get a chance. Also, did you ever have a "poetry" or literary corner. Kind of like a bookshelf area with upcoming, rising authors, on the move? - mocha sistah

     

  • At 4:24 PM, Blogger Unknown said…

    Okay, I've noticed that a lot of people are taking this time to plug their websites, which makes sense. I mean, you are a magazine and we all are looking for our "one paragraph of fame" and so I will just get mine out there on the front end. I am a full-time freelancer in Nashville, TN and my website is www.shellierwarren.com.

    Now on to what I think you really set this blog up for. First of all, I am so glad to know that you all are coming back to the print scene. Just like music, it seems that good magazines are far and few between and we're at a place where we are almost force-fed what's out there. Nothing against Essence (as a matter of fact, over the past few issues it has started to feel a little like the "old Essence again), but no one wants to eat pizza every day.

    Anyway, you say that you want to hear from us and I am assuming that you want to know what "we" want in a publication. My dream of a perfect African American women's magazine has some of the ideas enclosed below:

    1) A magazine with a clear voice and demographic. 20 year olds and 40 year olds are just not at the same place. If we are expected to purchase the same pub, then the columnists, feature writers, etc, must represent all of us.

    2) A magazine that not only speaks on spirituality but also educates on the issue(s). A lot of people don't even know what other people believe and what makes us all different, but at the end of the day also similar.

    3) Spotlights on more "common" people. There are so many movers and shakers (entreprenuers, unsigned musicians, stay-at-hom mothers, etc) who may not be moving "the world", but are definitely moving their community and home and can give other people insight on how to do the same.

    4) Cheap Chic. Tips every isssue on now to look a million bucks (via shopping for clothes, pampering, hair and nails, etc) on a TIGHT budget.

    5) I would love to see a story on Hattie Winston and Harold Wheeler. They are one of the greatest love stories in the African American arts community. He's a music composer, she's an actress and they don't get the press that they deserve. If you need more information, I would be happy to get it to you.

    6) I know mochasistah. I also would like to know and/or see an area that spotlights some of the people on the poetry/spoken word/literature scene. At this time in America, poetry is one of the few areas where we are no longer censored.

    7) A "What's your heart & soul" editorial. Something like a 500 or so word write up on what is in the heart and soul of your readers. One of the things that I think is missing in current publications is that people are using the same voices and faces over and over...and over again. I like to read on celebrities as well, but when they have already been asked the same questions in five other magazines, it makes copy boring. I think "normal women" can provide a spice and personability that is missing these days.

    8) Single women corner. That deals specifically with the needs/wants/insecurities/issues that come with single living (all aspects---never married, widowed, divorces, dating...whatever).

    9) Nip/tuck---less. Monthly, yearly, whatever spotlights on women who are doin' it and doin' it well...without surgery.

    10) What a man. Articles that deal with men whose mission is to help women with their heart and soul issues (presidents at women-centered non-profits, women's magazine publishers, good music managers, teachers, lawyers for women's focused organizations, etc).

    I could go on and on...and on...but these are some of the ones that come up on the top of my head.

    I certainly wish you the best, and you will have my support (via my wallet) when you make it back to the newsstands.


    Take special care.

     

  • At 8:43 PM, Blogger Lisa818 said…

    I was in CVS when I was browsing the magazine racks and saw a Heart & Soul peeking out from behind another magazine. I almost screamed right there in the store I couldn't believe my eyes but there it was right in front of me. I can't tell you how happy I was to see Heart & Soul back. This has been the only magazine that I've consitantly subscribe to and read every page cover to cover. In fact I keep all my issues and use them as reference guides to go back and look up information that I may need. I hope you guys are in it for the long haul. Glad to have you back.

     

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