At Amherst magazine, we pride ourselves on having a consumer magazine mindset. Those of us who work on the magazine are the only people in the world who are required to read it. We can't count on anyone else. That fact is at the forefront in every decision we make, from creating the story list to making assignments to writing headlines to choosing images. We take no reader for granted, and we always put the reader first. We hope that comes through in this entry.
From the Judges
Amherst magazine is a reader, through and through. Even the class notes—class notes, people!—offer a heroic 60 pages of delightfully earnest and mundane miscellany: an aortic valve replacement that had to be postponed due to infection (he’s fine); word of “assorted aches and pains” to which the alumnus adds, “Wherever he is, I hope Hitler has/had shingles”; an update that consists simply of a bolded name followed by the words: “is doing OK.” We love it.
Even better, the front half of the book delivers writing and design that consistently reach newsstand quality. Engaging covers, clever headlines, thoughtful essays and forays into the classroom, and well-curated features and alumni profiles (like the story a psychologist who runs a “regret lab”) combine with smart, tidy page design and lively illustrations. This magazine earns all 112 pages of its heft and would be a welcome find in any commuting bag or on any bedside table.
