By Leslie Senevey
I’ve been having a love affair for decades that my husband is aware of. It crossed over from flirtation to a full-blown relationship before I even met him. Stacks of evidence are out in the open in our home. My husband doesn’t mind.
The longtime object of my affection? Magazines. The printed, glossy, tangible kind you’re probably holding in your hand right now.
Some people collect stamps, or Labubus, or shoes. My obsessions are pens, tea and magazines. (Shoes are a close fourth. I’ll never understand Labubus.) Maybe I’m rationalizing, but I think my three major infatuations are appropriate for a writer.
My magazine habit started early, back before pens and tea replaced my crayons and milk. There was something about the way magazines could pull me into their pages and transport me to other worlds that was undeniably appealing.
I’ve always been a visual person drawn to color, style and beauty. I’ve also always adored words. I devour the written word the same way my dog eats her dinner. Voraciously and without restraint. So my love for magazines makes perfect sense.
Magazines were practically a contact sport for me when I was growing up. My sister and I were quite competitive about who got the mail each day and would often race to the box at the curb. I think she did it mostly to annoy me. I did it because I couldn’t wait a second longer than necessary to see if a Highlights, Ranger Rick or Kids’ National Geographic had arrived.
Nothing thrilled me more than opening the little metal door to find one of those treasures inside. (Except for a letter from my N’awlins grandma with a $10 check enclosed. Those were equally coveted.)
The first bit of writing I ever had published was a poem in Highlights. I was 9 years old and thrilled to see my name printed in an ACTUAL MAGAZINE. I don’t remember running around and showing it to everybody at school, but I’m betting I probably did like a proud dog with a bone. (My dog and I are a lot alike.)
Since that early published poem, I’ve written many things professionally, from ad copy to articles to websites to newsletters. I publish on Substack, a blog and have even written a book. Now, as the new columnist for this publication, I’m living a full-circle moment that loops back to that first poem in Highlights.
I’m reconnecting with an old love while sliding into a new season in my writing life, which brings me to this issue of 76107 Magazine. Fall is all about turning the page on one season and celebrating the fresh start of a new one. It’s also about football. And sweater weather. (We Texans can dream anyway.) And pumpkin spice everything.
Do we really need to pumpkin spice-ify everything? What’s next? Pumpkin spice dog food? Toothpaste? Wine? (Y’all, I just googled it. Pumpkin spice dog treats are a thing. I may have to get some for Wrigley and Roxie.)
But back to those fresh starts. Autumn has always been one of my favorite times of year. I remember the thrill of new school supplies (pens!), approaching holidays and switching to a warmer wardrobe. Fall meant new corduroy pants and chunky Famolare shoes. Homecoming. Notebooks waiting to be filled and pencils with full erasers not yet worn to nubs. Fresh TV episodes. Cooler temperatures and falling leaves. New activities and possibilities.
While you won’t find me in corduroy pants or Famolares anymore, I still love the transition of saying goodbye to summer and hello to fall. It’s the perfect season for me to make the full-circle dive back into magazine writing. I might even do it while wearing a sweater and sipping some pumpkin spice tea.
Leslie Senevey is a lifelong Fort Worth writer, former dance teacher, sometime decorator and full-time dog and cat mom. Her human kids live in LA and New York. Besides coveting magazines, tea and pens, she also collects way too many sheets in her quest for the perfect ones. You can find her publication, Distracted by Pretty Things, on Substack.