After four-and-a-half years of creating this magazine alongside our editors, writers and photographers, I see it not so much as a collection of articles that live and die on a printed page, but more as a living, breathing thing that reaches across time—an ongoing conversation with the community. For millennia, societies have understood the value in storytelling. It shapes our self-perception, builds solidarity and preserves our collective memory and heritage. Beautifully, it continues to transform.
One of the things I’m most struck by is storytelling’s ability to create connection. It’s a rare occasion after I sit down to learn about someone that I don’t come away profoundly understanding, respecting and admiring them. Of course, there are occasional stinkers who no discussion has the power to rosy up, but for the most part, falling in love is just an added benefit of the job.
Recently I had coffee with Emma Cameron, who just wrote and directed a feature film set on Bainbridge called “Detention,” a modern-day echo of 1985’s “The Breakfast Club.” We’ll be doing a story on the movie, and Cameron, in the fall issue. To hear about her vision and motivation was to be completely rapt. I know you all will be as impressed as I was. She’s just one of many recent examples.
I’m not naïve enough to believe that our world can be cured of its woes simply by leaning into storytelling, but in the meantime, on our little funky slice of the planet, it feels like a good start and something that’s not just doable, but rewarding, too. I have to say it feels downright remarkable to participate in the tradition. So, keep those stories coming, Bainbridge. We’re buying what you’re selling.
