EDITORIAL

New faces, travel places

Changes are afoot in the Mslexia attic. As founder Debbie Taylor focuses on some well-deserved writing of her own, two of us are stepping in to fill her shoes: while Debbie will remain a consistent presence – as a contributor to the magazine and Roadshow – I will be responsible for preserving the unique vision and voice of the magazine. I’ll also be working closely with director Carol Seajay to strengthen and expand the brand and reach of the Mslexia we all know and love.

We’ve lined up a bumper issue for you, with our New Writing section setting a bit of a theme: travel writer Sara Wheeler has selected the best of your prose and poetry; travel-writer-turned novelist Emily Barr explains how she got off on the wrong track; and a pair of determined women writers explain how they published a successful anthology of expat experiences in Turkey.

But it’s not all travel: Danuta Kean explores the hot-button issue of plagiarism; novelist Diana Evans gets chatty in the author interview; and Shami Chakrabarti describes her reading habits.

Whatever changes Carol and I consider, the magazine will maintain its winning combination of being topical, professional and fun, upholding that dynamic and supportive community of writers that defines Mslexia. And, as always, we’d love to hear from you, so send us your feedback – let us know what inspires you and what you’d like to see more (or less!) of. I look forward to this exciting new chapter in the life of Mslexia.

Daneet Steffens
Editor