Covington-based
Kiki Magazine brought home five awards in editorial and design categories from the Association of Educational Publishers award banquet earlier this month.
Founder and editor-in-chief, Jamie Bryant of Anderson Township, is a text book editor who started the magazine in 2007 when her daughters grew out of their
Highlights kids magazines.
"Jamie's daughters kept coming home with
Dog Fancy magazine and she asked them why. They said 'There's nothing else out there that's interesting that you'll let us read,'" said Kiki Marketing Director Amy Mauch. "Jamie said 'I bet I can put together an intellectual magazine that doesn't speak down to girls.'"
The magazine is subscription-based, and available through 325 schools and libraries nationwide. It's also on newsstands across the U.S. and in Canada.
Each issue of Kiki features seven departments:
From the Studio showcases design, fashion history, designers, textiles, and shoes;
Art Bin offers tips for using art tools, sewing techniques and how-to projects;
World Beat profiles cultural trends and international destinations with design traditions;
Biz Buzz covers the fashion industry, finance, and managing money;
Kiki Care addresses grooming, health, and exercise;
Your Style focuses on everyday life, such as recommended reading, imagination, confidence, and friends; and
Kiki Fun is full of games, puzzles, and quizzes.
Girls also can turn each issue into a personal journal by writing and drawing directly on the pages. The magazine has an international subscriber base including all 50 U.S. states and girls from nearly two dozen foreign countries.
"Our goal," said Bryant, "is to inspire girls to engage with the world around them and become creators rather than just viewers."
Kiki was named tops among nationally-renowned periodicals for grades 6-8 in the following categories:
- Article Design: "History of 20th Century Fashion," Fall 2009
- Visual Story: "Made in Hong Kong," Summer 2009
- Whole Publication Design, Winter 2009-2010 issue
- One-Theme Issue: Spring, 2009 (Kiki is sew green!)
- Editorial/How-to Feature, "How to Build Your Own Website", Summer 2009
Kiki stood out among periodicals published by well-known heavyweights like Scholastic Inc., Weekly Reader, Highlights for Children Inc. and Owlkids.
Kiki has subscribers from all 50 states, Canada, Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Grenada, Guam, Hong King, India, Israel, Japan, Luxembourg, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Russia, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Thailand, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Amy Mauch Marketing Director, Kiki Magazine
You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiasoapbox
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