An experience of a lifetime: how being editor of Loudly Magazine at Kingston University transformed me

Not many people can say they’ve been sub editors and reporters for an online magazine—but I am one of the lucky ones who can. During my studies at Kingston University, I was fortunate enough to be the copy editor and a contributing writer for Loudly Magazine, a brand that I’ve created together with my incredible colleagues.

It wasn’t easy, that’s true. Sub editing everyone’s articles and also making sure I published quality articles regularly was a time-consuming and sometimes overwhelming task, especially at the beginning. However, it was also incredibly enjoyable and exciting, as I got to edit and write something new every week, and it challenged me to push myself in terms of writing for online and get more experience in this area.

 

Picture taken by me for my article on a Black History Month event published on Loudly Magazine

There’s obviously still room for improvement, but I think I did a good job at being both sub editor and writer for Loudly. As the sub-editor, I did my best to make sure the copy was free of any grammatical or spelling mistakes and constantly used the style guide for reference—and it paid off, as most of the articles were published without any mistakes. 

As a contributor, I covered a variety of topics that were tailored for our audience, the Kingston students--from lifestyle (for example, the article on Kingston’s three best cafes) to politics and environment. I wrote in a concise manner (my articles were generally 350-400 words long) which is specific for online publications and I wrote them regularly to maintain a good rhythm and keep the audience engaged and interested constantly.

One of the pictures I took, used in the online article on the best cafes in Kingston

If there’s one thing I regret, is possibly my lack of involvement with social media. While we did have a designated editor handling this task, I should’ve played a more active role and interacted with the audience through Facebook and Twitter more. 

Overall, this has been an incredible experience that has taught me a lot about being a multimedia journalist and I will treasure it forever.

A crazy creative adventure: My experience creating my own magazine cover

We all love and admire all the beautiful magazine covers every time we pass by a newsstand. But not many people can say they know how to make one. Well, I’m one of the lucky people who had the opportunity to learn how to create magazine covers and while I’m not a pro, I feel confident I can create professional looking covers for all types of magazines.

Over the years spent at university, I learned a lot about creating magazine covers, and I’ve poured all my knowledge, experience and passion for this in my last cover for a fictional health and wellness magazine for seniors. Named Ambrosia (after the god’s drink that gives immortality), this magazine concept and cover was born after seeing there was no magazine targeting this audience. Thus, I decided to make this my mission.

My finished magazine cover

As it is a health and wellness magazine, I wanted it to be light and full of happiness. This is why I chose this specific photo, as well as the colour scheme. I wanted the magazine cover to send an essential message: that you can feel young at any age, and I think my choice of cover image and the overall theme clearly suggests that and I believe it fits with what my target audience is looking for.

However, there are definitely areas I can improve on, one of which is creating the cover lines. While I do believe the chosen ones are suitable for the publication and would attract readers, I feel like they could be more clever. The same goes for the technical side; while I tried to keep the fonts and colour scheme simple to make the cover lines easier to read, I believe I could’ve done a better job at making them stand out more and be more special and attractive.

Although there’s definitely room for improvement, I’m proud of the cover I designed and it shows my evolution as a designer and also my love for magazines.

Historic heritage hunt for Stanley Arms pub in Preston

Stanley Arms Pub is searching for its historic heritage and is asking for help in discovering its ancestry.

 

Stanley Arms Pub, located on Lancaster Road in Preston (Photo credit: Andreea Dulgheru)

Paul Simon Butcher, the owner and manager of the pub, has started this search after discovering the building’s large cellar spaces and the Stanley shield dating back to 1138, which is now welcoming visitors at the entrance.

“We became quite interested in finding out the role of the Stanley family in the Wars of the Roses, WW1 and the Stanley Cup, all the works in Vancouver and Canada, and yeah, it just seemed like a really interesting thing to do, to research the namesake of the pub,” he added.

He started his search for the history of the pub and the Stanley family by posting on Facebook, asking local people on the Preston Past and Present webpage for any information on the ancestry of the pub and the Stanley family.

The Stanley family crest was placed at the entrance of the pub 

(photo credit: Andreea Dulgheru)

In just a few days, he received over 30 responses from citizens in Preston, eager to help trace back the history of the establishment.

Stories discovered include details about the Stanley Cup, that was awarded to the Canadian Ice Hockey League by Lord Fredrick Stanley in 1882, during his time as viceroy of Canada.

Other earlier records of the Stanley family date back to the Wars of the Roses, when Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby played a crucial role in putting Henry Tudor on the throne in 1485. 

However, according to Steve Halliwell, local historian and owner of the Preston’s Inns, Taverns and Beerhouses blog, the Stanley Arms Pub appears in previous records as “Stanley Arms Hotel” (also known as Knowsley Hotel) and was not always in the same location it is today. 

Advertisement for the Stanley Arms Pub 

(then known as Stanley Arms Inn) in 1871

 (Photo credit: Steve Halliwell)

"The current Stanley Arms was preceded by another of the same name and was situated on Church Street at a time when Lancaster Road didn't open out into Church Street. It was demolished and re-erected to its current position," he says. 

Butcher continues to search for more information as he feels it’s his privilege and responsibility as owner and manager of the pub, to know about the history of the establishment and the Stanley family tree and heritage.

“I’m hoping to find a little bit more about the role of the Stanley Family in the Crusades, possibly a little bit more about the Stanley Family through Elizabethan and Georgian times, see if there’s been any big battles and big changes in English history that they were part of then," he says.

He is planning to use all the historic information, pictures and material to further build the image of the pub and bring back a bit of history into the modern world.

"We're going to get some pictures downstairs of some of the Stanley family history and the history of the pub, we'll probably put something on our website as well. 

The Stanley Arms pub is open from 12:00 to 23:00

 (photo credit: Andreea Dulgheru)

"We don't plan to do a tremendous amount with it. We're not going to put an exhibition or anything like that, it's more like owner of the pub, it's nice to know how it has been in the past and obviously the namesake of the Stanley family as well," Butcher added.

Anyone who knows more about this is encouraged to post on the Preston Past and Present Facebook page.