Flow Communications

Every month, without fail, my helper and I have the Magazine War. Tired of the growing piles of magazines in every corner of the house, she does a monthly cull and chucks them out.

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The invite for the gala dinner where the winners of the PICAs will be announced

When I discover that they are gone, I go hunting for them and lovingly bring them back. When my back’s turned, out they go again. So far I’ve won, though ... mostly.

I can’t resist the glossy glamour that magazines offer, no matter what the content, be it fashion, décor, travel or sci-fi.

I refuse to throw away any magazine – you never know when you might need a recipe for quail eggs and asparagus, have to build an ark or know how to defend yourself against an invading alien species.

My helper, on the other hand, knows that no matter how good the recipes are I’ll never cook any of them (she cleans the cobwebs from my stove), nor will I ever engage in hand-to-hand combat with giant lizards (I’d be cowering under the bed).

I love paging through a brand-new magazine, the crisp pages and the smell of the ink. If you want to be off my Christmas card list, start reading my magazines before I do. I love photographs and how they are used in magazines, and the way information is presented and how stories are told. So basically, I love everything about them.

So imagine how thrilled I was to be asked to be a judge in The Magazine Publishers’ Association of South Africa’s 43rd annual PICA Awards recently. The awards recognise and reward publishing and editorial excellence in the magazine industry.

For a few days, the panel of judges went through piles of magazines and entry forms, vigorous debating, discussion and scoring. Eventually we came up with the winners in the various categories.

A gala dinner will be held in November, where the winners will be publicly announced.

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