January 2003 - Check Your Head

Editor's Note

Nervy Girl is growing

When we started Nervy Girl more than two years ago with just a dream and well-used computer, we believed women wanted more out of their magazines. It turns out we were right - from the time we published our very first issue, readers called, wrote and emailed to thank us and to offer their support.

Since then, we�ve continued to grow and improve with every issue. As we enter our third year of publication, we have tons of exciting news to share with you about where we are and where we�re going.

• We got the money - To get things rolling, Nervy Girl received a business loan from the Portland Development Commission. This money will be used to bring on full-time staff, increase the frequency and page-count of Nervy Girl, and pay our writers and artists. Best yet, we�re already using it to create some awesome improvements and additions to the magazine.
• We are now monthly - Yes, starting with this issue, Nervy Girl will publish 12 great issues each year. That�s twice as much fabulous women-centered content arriving at local businesses or in your mailbox!
• We�re more colorful than ever - In an effort to better showcase women�sworks, we�ve added a full-color cover and some full-color content.
• We�re more widely read than ever - When we started Nervy Girl, we distributed 5,000 copies in the Portland, Ore. area every other month. Now, we print more than 20,000 copies and can be found in bookstores, libraries and colleges around the world.
• New additions - In order to hear women�s voices even louder, we�ve added new and revamped editorial sections to Nervy Girl, including:

  Out Spoken where readers can sound off about whatever�s on their mind (check out the rants and raves about SuicideGirls.com on page 18).
  Directions offers how-to tips on everything from how to knit a sweater to how to get off your butt and make a difference (see �Kicking the Apathy Habit,� page 20).
  Open Book is the place where readers tell us just what they think of that best seller (or bomb) on their bookshelves. To get it rolling this issue, we invited the Nervy Girl editors to review their current reads on page 47.

You�ll also notice that this issue is chock-full of our usual intelligent, thought-provoking features, including a hard look at postpartum depression (And Baby Makes Blue, 30) and an exploration of the brainy side of sex (By the Brain or by the Balls, 22). If laughter is what you crave to wash away the cares of the day, check out Coming of Age (page 42) and Elvis and Me (page 38).

It may seem like we�re making a lot of changes, and we are - but only because we believe so strongly in providing women with an alternative source for information. And, we wouldn�t be able to do any of this without you - the community of writers, artists, advertisers and readers that has supported us as we learned to crawl and then walk. Now, we�re getting ready to take a running leap forward - and we know that together, we�ll make it all the way!

Stay Nervy,

Shanna Germain, Managing Editor

P.S. - You can help Nervy Girl continue to grow and thrive - buy a subscription or give one as a gift, tell your local bookstore about us, review our themes online and tell us what we should cover, or just write and tell us what you do and don�t like about the magazine. We value your opinions, your skills and your support!

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