This is the 15th post of a blog by Matt Porubsky called “satisfactual,” which will be updated whenever he damn well pleases, discussing odds and ends about Topeka history and culture, with a little opinion thrown in for good measure.

There is a new magazine in town. Brand spankin’ new. We here at seveneightfive have been trying to keep it “hush-hush,” but now is the time to start spreading the word…we just want to make sure the info you are hearing and reading is true. My friends, that’s why I have always been here for you. XYZ magazine is our new magazine and it is here for you and everyone else you know. XYZ.

Our tagline for XYZ is “everything for Topeka families.” Months ago, the editors of seveneightfive recognized that everything that happens in Topeka cannot be covered in seveneightfive magazine and those omitted topics seemed to center around family and child oriented material. We saw that there was no publication in our fair city that exclusively curtailed to this audience. It is Topeka’s widest audience, from great-grandparents to grandchildren, and there needed to be a voice that shared information with them about Topeka that they may not know. XYZ magazine came from those realizations.

There has been a lot of information circling around town about our new sister magazine. This really hasn’t been a surprise to us since we know we have been a little tight-lipped about it. We are glad everyone is talking and sharing anything they know about XYZ. It is something we are very excited and proud of and we are glad that the excitement is shared by our future readers. So, to go along with everyone else, I am going to share the information I have about the publication, which is right from the horseseses mouths. By horseseses, I mean the publisher Kerri Mapes and the editor Leah Sewell.

This is what I know about XYZ magazine:

- XYZ is a quarterly magazine by season. Yesterday was the first day of summer, and the magazine that came out on that day is the summer issue. Subsequent issues will be released for Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer again and so on. It is a fifty page magazine (with more pages slated each issue) and it is full-color. It gleams with vibrancy. Verily.

- We got the issue in-hand yesterday. It arrived two days earlier than we thought it would. We were able to distribute it to our advertisers and a couple of the businesses featured in the articles. In the coming days, we will be getting them out to more places. Here are some sure fire places to pick one up: Warehouse 414, Via’s Pizzeria, O’Dooley’s, Merry Maids, the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library, ERC, The Mulvane Art Lab and Envy Salon. Check our new website, xyztopeka.com, for a full listing of places.

- What do we cover? Just about anything. We answer questions on where to go out to eat with picky eaters and where to have the coolest kid parties. There are recipes from local chefs/moms/grandpas/teachers/doctors…something always different. There is information on youth art and artists, how to save a boatload with coupons and picture searches where you have to find what is missing or changed. Not to mention a stellar calendar of events.

- The staff is made up of quite a few of our regular seveneightfive staffers, talented photographers and writers who were enthusiastic when we approached them to write about kids and families. There are some newbies, too, like Heather McKee, the calendar editor, who has been running TopekaParents.com for over a year, Justin and Bailey Marable, local artists who know a whole lot about art for children and Karli Davis, with her superhero-like design skills.

- Find us on Facebook for updates and check out our website for everything else: www.xyztopeka.com, which is still in its infancy, but will grow with each day. You will be able to subscribe to XYZ magazine on the website. This is very important, which leads me to my next point.

- This first issue is FREE. After this issue, XYZ will be a subscription-based magazine with there being a few local places of business where they will be available. These places are yet to be determined, but go to our website for updates or subscribe now at a discounted rate.  Business subscriptions are available and are a great way to offer the publication in your office.

- You can also pick up a magazine and subscribe at our launch part on June 26 at Kansan Grill, 705 S. Kansas Avenue, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. The discounted subscription price will be available at the event along with live music, balloon animals, face painting and 20 percent off your lunch. It is a part of the Topeka Tweet Up, and afterwards, at 4 p.m., you can join us for the ReThink Topeka event, “Micah’s Kite Flight.”

That’s what I’ve got. You might have more questions and feel free to ask. I’ll talk to the horseseses. One thing you can do for us is keep spreading the word. We are proud to be celebrating the fourth anniversary of seveneightfive magazine this summer and we are extremely happy to have a new little sister, XYZ, to share the celebration with. Please, if you believe in Topeka and believe in the people, places and families that make it great, share XYZ with them and join the good times all around town.

Matt Porubsky is not a licensed therapist, statistician, historian or medical professional. But he is the 2009 Distinguished Kansan of the Year in arts and entertainment. Take that! Most of the time he just makes stuff up. But all of these stories are based on actual events.

[ June 2010 | Matt Porubsky | image courtesy XYZ Magazine ]

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