Atlantic Books Today celebrates turning 30 with a special edition

The magazine also features a special extended digital edition that will include a spotlight on longtime Halifax radio-show host Rick Howe and his new memoir, ‘Behind the Mic’

CITYnews halifax \ Steve Gow

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Although Chris Benjamin has only been at the helm for about six years, he got a good sense of the importance of Atlantic Books Today to the Maritimes early on.

“In an early edition I did, I got a Facebook comment from the first editor and she said, ‘you know your next one will be your 25^th anniversary year,’” recalls the magazine’s editor. “So when I lasted this long, to 30, I thought, now we should do something big.”

Now celebrating the magazine’s 30^th year of publication, Benjamin has indeed cooked up a special fall edition of the publication that is dedicated to showcasing books and literature from right here in Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada.

Capitalizing on the three-decade magazine’s reputation for spotlighting authors and books that raise hot-button issues, particularly those impacting the East Coast, Benjamin — a professional environmentalist with several years experience — decided to dedicate the 30^th edition to environmental literature.

“Every issue is themed and it’s a product of the books of the season really,” notes Benjamin, adding there seemed to be a surge of new releases that focus on climate change and environmentalism in the aftermath of the pandemic.

“It is sort of a return to an even bigger crisis that people are concerned about and thinking about, so people are writing about it.”

Among the subjects in the book is an article by journalist Erica Butler who discusses the “dual need for books exalting the nonhuman world and books lamenting its decline at humans’ hands.”  In that cover story, Butler explores Atlantic books serving one or both of those functions and includes an additional reading list of books on the environment.

“It revolves around seven books that are new (and) that includes two photography books, a poetry book, fiction as well as non-fiction,” notes Benjamin. “I just gave her a long list of books and said, ‘pick ones that resonate with you’ — and I think she ended up using most of them.”

The issue also delves into diversity with a variety of articles that range from a basic guide for people learning about racial privilege to a personal perspective from Sister Elder Dorothy Moore on her lived experience to work towards reconciliation.

The book also notably celebrates another milestone with a feature on Breton Books publisher and editor of 50 years, Ronald Caplan.

As well, Benjamin is releasing a special extended digital edition of the magazine that will feature a spotlight on longtime Halifax radio-show host Rick Howe and his new memoir, Behind the Mic: Five Decades Covering the News in the Maritimes.

“I was really happy (with) how it turned out,” says Benjamin of the Rick Howe article. “It’s a lovely two-page piece that I feel gives really nice insight into the man and what he went through with his illness — or what he’s still going through really — but also how he’s been really positive about it and found this new joy of writing.”

While this special edition is a celebration of the magazine’s successful 30 year run providing and promoting Atlantic Canadian literature, Benjamin reassures that there is no concern for the future of Atlantic Books Today.

In fact, he says that they are fortunate to receive grants and membership fees through their partnership with the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association, which helps stabilize the magazine’s ability to remain on shelves as other print publications struggle.

“Number one, you need funding and it’s a free magazine. We don’t make anything off the cover price (but) we sell ads which helps,” states Benjamin, adding that the main reason for the magazine’s steady success is its faithful readership.

“It’s just been recognized as our voice and its important to have that conversation going on about books in a non-biased way,” continues Benjamin. “Whereas a catalogue is a catalogue and if we put out a catalogue, we’re just going to say, ‘buy all these books — they are amazing!’”

For more information on Atlantic Books Today’s 30^th anniversary, visit the website.