I wish I could write this sentence in such a way to convey a sense of it emerging with a flourish from behind some glittery, billowing curtains amid a fanfare of trumpets and confetti-dazzle. Because IT’S THE FIRST MONTH OF DESERT COMPANION’S TENTH-ANNIVERSARY YEAR!!!
Quick history: Sprung Athena-like out of the Zeus head of the annual Nevada Public Radio Fall Cultural Guide, Desert Companion proper came into existence in 2007. It was a simpler time. Home values were soaring, a magical device called the iPhone was captivating the world, and a DayGlo buffoon wreaking environmental and economic havoc on the country merely described Homer’s role in The Simpsons Movie. Art Director Christopher Smith and I started here in January 2010 as the magazine’s first full-time staff, aspiring to develop what had been a lively sidekick to the radio station into a distinct, fully fledged editorial platform of its own. But we hardly did it alone. Convinced that Southern Nevadans desired and deserved a true city-regional publication that balanced the verve of a lifestyle mag with the mission-mindedness and integrity of public media, founding publisher Melanie Cannon led our rapid evolution into a monthly magazine in 2011. Ten years, 90 issues and four additional staffers later, we’re happily counterpunching the received narrative about print journalism gaspily dying in a smoke-wreathed post-truth liescape. Indeed, in a media world reshaped by the recession, the internet and dramatic changes in ownership, Desert Companion remains a modest testament to the proposition that, shocker, providing meaningful content still matters.
And you, the reader, certainly deserve thanks for being part of the equation. So consider this an invitation to a year-long party. For this anniversary year, we’re converting our Notes & Letters page into The Look Back, a riffy retrospective on stories we’ve written, issues and people we’ve covered, and factoids we’ve accumulated like so much linty sofa change. Online, we’ll dust off some stories at greater length, check in with sundry topics and subjects, and face up to any embarrassing predictions we’ve made. Also, if you’re a reader (but not yet a subscriber) whose monthly ritual is shaking out the 17 subscription cards we lovingly spam into each issue, go ahead and grab one this time around and take advantage of our $10 home-delivery offer. And be sure to watch the desertcompanion.vegas website for special 10-year-flavored events. It all culminates in September’s official 10th anniversary issue, which, if the promise of our preliminary experimental laboratory testing comes to fruition, will be made of cake.
I’d be obtuse not to acknowledge that 2017 will mark something much more significant: the presidency of Donald Trump. And Nevada, with its diverse population, vast federal land holdings and tectonic tensions between Western libertarian and urban progressive values, is on a course for deep impact. In “ In the face of uncertainty,” staff writer Heidi Kyser sets out to find what that impact might be, spending time with people, organizations and interest groups likely to be affected — for both better and worse — by a Trump administration. After an election campaign marked by hyperbole and rancor, I’m confident that readers of every political persuasion will find Kyser’s even-handed and earnest assessment refreshing. Perhaps most importantly, it’s another instance of the thing we do best: Introducing you to the fascinating range of people who call Las Vegas home.