Home » Building Community in Edmonton Through Magazines
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By Ado Nkemka
Trudy Callaghan’s early love of magazines developed into a publishing house that celebrates Edmonton’s vibrancy. She’s been telling stories since creating her first magazine at nine years old.
“I really like magazines because they’re two things: beautiful images plus powerful words, especially if they’re written well,” she says.
Callaghan is the president and CEO of Odvod Publishing, which produces Edify – a lifestyle magazine described by readers as “a fascinating magazine showcasing Edmontonians as they should be” – and Urban Affairs, an online publication offering in-depth journalism and unique perspectives on the city.
Callaghan says, about founding Edify in 2020, “I really wanted the magazine to be about Edmonton in every way. Its diversity. Its really big art scene. We’re a little bit quirky. We’re kind of mavericks. We just get things done. We’re not that corporate. So I just felt it needed to reflect that. It doesn’t mean that we’re not business-like. We are, but we aren’t all white collar and big business.”
Her dedication to telling Edmontonians’ stories comes from an active desire to build community. She gives back to the publishing industry as an Alberta Magazine Publishers Association (AMPA) board member, while initiating conversations with government, funders, and business leaders about what a magazine does for a city.
“It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. You have to have a commitment to the community you live in. I always say to people, ’If you want to live in a great city, you have to participate in making it that way.’ If we all just shrug, if we all are just apathetic, we’re not going to enjoy where we live,” she says.
As a recipient of the 2024 Achievement in Publishing Award, Callaghan praises Edify and Urban Affairs Editor-in-Chief Steven Sandor for his commitment to journalism and excellent writing. “Having him as the editor is the first way in which I ensure that we have writers and illustrators and photographers all coming with their best work. And then on the art side, Kim Larson is a really well established, well known, multi-award winning art director, and so having the two of them together on the team is really how we bring Edify to the level that it is.”
Supported by a solid editorial team at Odvod Publishing, Callaghan makes staying plugged-in to Edmonton’s unique urban landscape accessible.
“A magazine is a cultural artifact and it connects all the various parts of the city. We write about the culinary scene. We write about the arts. We do business profiles. We feature something that’s going on, in or around or with our city, connected to people. And if you are reading the story about a restaurant that has opened, in the magazine, your eye might also fall onto an ad about an upcoming cultural event and maybe you’ll take that cultural event in. You’ll attend it because you saw it. Otherwise, how would you know?” she says.
Urban Affairs is available online and Edify is distributed free, across Edmonton, on almost 500 stands. Pick one up at a grocery store, a boutique, restaurant or wine bar!