St. John Magazine To Hit Newsstands November 16

Native craft is featured in the inaugural issue of St. John Magazine. Photo Courtesy of MaLinda Media

Advance copies of St. John Magazine arrived on island and the full shipment of the luxurious, full-color, glossy, 9” by 11.5” feature magazine was expected to arrive in plenty of time to be unveiled at a launch party Thursday, November 15, and to be on island newsstands Friday.

St. John Magazine publisher MaLinda Nelson, who also publishes the St. John Tradewinds, was circumspect about the magazine’s content, but did confirm that it highlights the “best aspects of the island,” in areas such as beaching, hiking, boating, dining, fashion and art.

“The dedication of the contributors, from the story subjects to the writers and photographers, has made this project extremely rewarding and fun,” said Nelson. “I’m very excited and really proud of producing something like this and working with so many professional people on island.”

It was important that the magazine be a true island effort, Nelson continued.

“In light of the recent press the U.S. Virgin Islands received in National Geographic Traveler, it’s important to present the insightful information that natives and residents can provide, which is far different than anybody off island can do — that’s what St. John Magazine is,” said the publisher. “It really gives readers a sense of the true nature of an island and its community.”

Everything from the magazine’s photography, writing and editing to its layout  — with the exception of the printing, which could not be done on island — was done locally.

St. John Magazine Long-overdue
“It was a total island effort,” said Nelson. “I’m happy that it was all done locally in the Virgin Islands.”

Caneel Bay Resort, a major advertiser in the magazine, strongly supported Nelson’s dream from the beginning.

“MaLinda has a vision; she has passion, enthusiasm and a committed, professional team to work with,” said Rosewood Resorts Marketing Director Patrick Kidd.

“We are thrilled to see MaLinda’s dream become a reality and honor her achievement.”

“I think it is long overdue that St. John has its own high-quality magazine, sharing the best of what our destination has to offer with local residents and visitors to the island,” Kidd added.

“After I received my advance copy in the mail on Tuesday, I e-mailed my printer to tell him how beautiful it was,” said Nelson. “His reply was ‘I took a copy home to show my wife, and she wanted to call the airlines and make a reservation.’”

Kudos also came from Cool Signs in Red Hook, which used photographs from the full-color publication to create displays for the magazine’s launch party at Caneel Bay this week for advertisers and contributors.

“Sue at Cool Signs told me, ‘The pictures are so beautiful, it makes us want to lock the door and come to St. John,’” said Nelson.

Look for a list of places St. John Magazine will be distributed in next week’s Tradewinds. Subscriptions for the twice-yearly magazine are $20 a year. For more information, visit www.stjohnmagazine.com or call MaLinda Media at 776-6496.