Amy Bridge, Lifestyle Magazine Owner, Returns to Centenary

Amy Bridge—owner, editor, and publisher of lifestyle magazine The Journal—detailed the process of putting together her magazine to The Cyclone Chronicle on Tuesday, April 21. 

The Journal is a popular lifestyle magazine, featuring stories across the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, which publishes eight times a year. Bridge brought copies of her latest spring issue for the class. 

“To write,” said Bridge, “you have to be versatile.”

Bridge described how precisely a magazine needs to be organized. “We do the same format every time,” she said. “It’s like a Rubik’s Cube as far as what size ads go in, how long each article is, and how many photos.” According to Bridge, she works closely with a graphic designer to do so. “When we edit the magazine, it’s really important to check everything,” said Bridge. 

The fifth page includes the table of contents with phrases that summarize the article. “Sometimes, it’s a little snarky, but that’s kind of my style,” said Bridge. 

Each edition begins with a journal entry and poem, both of which were written by Bridge in this spring issue. “It’s just silly stuff that I write. Other times, it can be more serious.” However, she rarely writes the journal entries in previous issues. According to Bridge, heads of non-profits, film festival coordinators, and other local people have had published entries. 

This edition’s art story features macro photography, a story by Armand Ensanian. Bridge was contacted by Ensanian about submitting an article several years ago. According to Bridge, he had written a book on motorcycles. “I thought, how cool?” she said. “I’ve never featured that subject before.”

Ensanian wrote another article several months later on old cars. He wrote another on Donut Dollies—women who served coffee and donuts on the front lines during World War II. Ensanian had befriended and photographed the Donut Dollies when he served in Vietnam. 

While in Vietnam, he discovered a love of photographing the native flora and fauna. Bridge encouraged him to write a how-to article on photography.

“When he first handed it in, it was way too technical,” said Bridge. “I said, I think you need to add a little more about your personal background and what got you interested in photography.”

“We’re a lifestyle magazine,” she said, “so we’re looking beyond the facts. What is the impetus? I get that he’s a photographer and the beauty and technique is important, but I want to appeal to people who don’t care about that.”

The magazine also includes a food story on Gabrielle Cerberville’s book, Gathered: On Foraging, Feasting, and the Seasonal Life. Cerberville is known as “The Chaotic Forager” across social media. 

“This is great. I love this lady’s voice, her tone, and the way she approached the book,” said Bridge. “This book is about foraging. She grew up homeschooled and spent a lot of time playing in the forest in Mildford, PA. She’s a very talented woman. She’s getting her Ph.D. She’s into music. She’s a good writer.”

Cerberville will be at Foundry42 for a book signing and author talk in Port Jervis, NY, on Saturday, May 23.

The history section of the magazine features an article by Jessica Storch Bathgate, the daughter of the town historian of Branchville, NJ. Bathgate wrote about her mom’s life story, just in time for Mother’s Day. 

The life section holds a story on the Hubble Telescope exhibit at the Everhart Museum in Scranton, PA. Bridge and her staff writer, Marilyn Rosenthal, were given a tour by the curator and CEO of the museum. Both Bridge and Rosenthal interviewed their tour guides, a discussion of which led to advice for the student-journalists. 

According to Bridge, one of the best times to get interesting information is after the interview has finished, which she referred to as a “sidebar.”

“Nine times out of ten, it’s where I start the article,” said Bridge. “They let their guard down, relax, and talk like a regular person.”

“You have to be a curious person. You have to want to learn, because that's what it is all about. In the end, it’s about sharing your knowledge,” said Bridge.

“I think the most important piece of advice I could give,” said Bridge, “is you can’t rush a story. You have to put it aside overnight or for a few hours and look at it with new eyes. Every time I read an article, it’s like I have a different head on. Sometimes, I’m looking for punctuation and grammar. Sometimes, it’s story flow. I also look at it as though I know nothing about the subject to see if it makes sense.”

According to Bridge, “magic happens when you can take words and put them together.” 

The students of The Cyclone Chronicle appreciated Bridge’s visit. 

“I learned that writing is an art,” said Nick Storms, junior communication major. “I also learned that even when you receive feedback that comes off as a criticism, it’s advice to get better.”

“I loved learning more about the process, role, and impact of magazine journalism through Amy Bridge’s visit,” said Tanner Sullivan, senior communication major. “I commend her passion for The Journal. She provided great advice and insight into her writing process, along with the distinct nature of magazine writing.”

“I really liked listening to Amy speak today,” said Reece Smith, sophomore business major. “I liked her insight on writing, and I definitely thought about it differently.”

“I thought it was pretty cool to learn about journalism photography,” said Jeremy Moore, senior communication major. “She talked about what makes her journal different. This was unique and cool.”

“Stories come from anywhere, even from something that may seem small and random,” said CJ Bowker, freshman communication major. “I enjoyed every story and the backstory behind it.”

Keep an eye out for copies of The Journal. To read more about Amy Bridge, check out Alexis d’Ambly’s article from 2024 and Bridge’s commentary on AI in the latest article by d’Ambly and Samantha Swayze, managing editor.