Back in 1977 Margaret Atwood–nearly a decade before she became a CanLit icon for The Handmaid’s Tail–won a Silver Medal at the very first National Magazine Awards for her “Two-Headed Poems” published in a zesty Toronto periodical known as THIS Magazine.
Founded in 1966 with the prosaic title “This Magazine Is About Schools” (cleverly truncated in 1973) with a mandate to cover education policy and “New School” philosophy in Canada, THIS has, over the last half century, evolved into one of Canada’s leading progressive publications covering issues of labour, healthcare, environment, race, Indigenous rights, feminism, LGBTQ rights and more, while also publishing some of of the best poetry, short fiction and visual art from emerging artists across the land.
And how about a shoutout to THIS Magazine, which celebrates 50 years of publishing this year. Also turning 50 this year: people going “Which magazine?” as a joke.
—Chris Turner, on stage as host of the 39th annual National Magazine Awards
Next Thursday, September 22, THIS Magazine is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a party and fundraiser at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, open to all friends and alumni of the magazine.
Since 1977, National Magazine Award-winning editors of and contributors to THIS Magazine have included Naomi Klein, Clive Thompson, Lynn Coady, Doug Saunders, Moira Farr, Lynn Crosbie, Dan David, Hal Niedsviecki, Gordon Laird, J.B. MacKinnon, Evelyn Lau, and Rick Salutin, whose “Culture Vulture” column won the Silver Medal at the 1981 and 1983 National Magazine Awards. And, of course, many many more.
In total, THIS Magazine has been nominated for 85 National Magazine Awards, winning 12 Silver Medals and 7 Gold Medals, most recently for:
- “Clusterf*ck” by Catherine McIntyre, Gold Medal, Best New Magazine Writer, 2014
- “In the Shadow of the Oilsands” by Ian Willms, Gold Medal, Photojournalism, 2012
- “Moosehide” by Min Gyo Chung, Silver Medal, Illustration, 2016
- “Let’s Get It On” by Graham Roumieu, Silver Medal, Spot Illustration, 2010
- “Crossing the Line” by Bill Reynolds, Gold Medal, Essays, 2005
- “This Land is Whose Land” by Gordon Laird, Gold Medal, Investigative Reporting, 2001
- “Confessions of a Playa Hata” by Clive Thompson, Silver Medal, Essays, 2004
The NMAF congratulates THIS Magazine on this golden anniversary. Here’s to 50 more!
