Editor's Letter

From the Editor

May is the month to celebrate mothers. You’ll notice that general theme throughout this issue of Benicia Magazine, from this month’s Booktails pick to our feature on mother-daughter run businesses in town. One mother-daughter business we didn’t have room for in this feature was this business: Benicia Magazine. So, if the kind reader will indulge me, I’ll write about it here.

I have been helping out at Benicia Magazine since my mom, Mary, became the editor back in 2019. I’ve enjoyed watching her put her own flavor and some of her signature personality into the magazine and have reveled with her as readers have generally responded favorably. As has been the case with many businesses, the pandemic created a real challenge for the magazine. But if you know Mary, you know she is tenacious. Under her leadership, the magazine persevered and made it a priority to give voice to some of the people and small businesses who needed support during the lockdowns.

She has since purchased Benicia Magazine, given herself the new title of publisher, and brought me on as editor. We work collaboratively on all issues of the magazine, and it has been a privilege to learn from her years of business, marketing, design, and publishing experience.

There is another mother-daughter team of sorts at work here at Benicia Magazine. Our art director, Margaret Bowles has been a part of the magazine since its inception. Of late, she has been working with her daughter-in-law, Cooper, who has been creating illustrations for the magazine and sharing some of the design load. We love that this, like the other mother-daughter businesses in town, can be a collaborative effort between generations.

Speaking of my mother, there is no “From the Publisher” from her this time. My mom, after evading for over two years, finally caught Covid. At the time of writing this, she is on the road to recovery, but doesn’t feel up to writing. Look forward to hearing from her again next month.

—Genevieve