Many readers don’t know that our company also produces two subscription-based magazines, Smoky Mountain Living and Blue Ridge Motorcycling Magazine. We don’t often market them across platforms, but since we’re going through a transition at Smoky Mountain Living — and since I want to put politics and elections out of mind for a while — it seems as good a time as any to let folks know what’s going on.
If you aren’t familiar with either magazine, Google them and visit their websites. Both magazines do a good job of storytelling about this region, so I’d also suggest buying a print subscription if you like what you read.
Our longtime SML editor, Jonathan Austin, decided to finally retire after spending more than 40 years as a reporter and editor. When we hired Jonathan, an Asheville native, almost 10 years ago to take the reins at Smoky Mountain Living, we were excited to get someone who had deep WNC roots and was also a talented journalist.
Back in 2016, Jonathan was a reporter at a newspaper in the U.S Virgin Islands, so he traded one sought-after vacation spot for another when he relocated to Waynesville to take on duties at Smoky Mountain Living. He brought a wealth of energy and skill to the job, and the magazine benefitted from his expertise and dedication. If you haven’t read his farewell column, you can find it on the Smoky Mountain Living website. It’s a great read.
All of this is my way of saying, don’t expect a ton of changes moving forward. Over the next several months, I look forward to meeting with and talking to many of our longtime writers and talking about the future. Anyone who follows current events even from afar knows that the world of journalism is changing fast, just like many industries. Who knows where AI and new technologies will take us over the next few years? Perhaps our editorial focus may get tweaked, but there won’t be any wholesale changes.
I’ve been publisher of Smoky Mountain Living since we purchased the magazine back in 2008, and in that time, we’ve transitioned through a few editors. And each time, we’ve been fortunate to have found skilled journalists who brought new energy and insights to the position. I look forward to having my chance to serve in this role for a while.
I’m more of an adventure and outdoors person than Jonathan. Mountain-and road-biking, motorcycling, hiking and camping, skiing and watersports are all high on my list of how to spend time outside of work. Perhaps we’ll have a few more stories about the people who partake in these pastimes and the places where they happen. Maybe we’ll do more on the restaurant/craft beverage/distilled spirit world. I encourage any writers who can create compelling stories about those topics to contact me.
But when it’s all said and done, Smoky Mountain Living will remain a place where the stories of this region are the guiding light. From North Georgia to West Virginia, the southern Appalachians are our cornerstone, a place unlike any other in the world. This region has become a hotspot for newcomers while remaining the multi-generational home to so many interesting people with fascinating family stories.
And, in addition to its people, it also happens to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Every day when I get in my truck and take the time to just look around me, I feel blessed to live here.
(Scott McLeod is the editor and publisher of The Smoky Mountain News and Smoky Mountain Living, and the publisher of Blue Ridge Motorcycling Magazine. info@smokymountainnews.com.)