The Utne Family and the Utne Family

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With this issue, we celebrate 20 years in business. It seems like both an eternity and an eye-blink. It has been inspiring to look over past issues and to think of all the people who have contributed in so many ways over the years. Between those who have passed through our salons and the many current and past staff members and interns, we have become an astonishing extended family of heart, brains, and talent. You can add to that clan all the people whose ideas and writings and art we have featured and then add all the readers whose lives we are privileged to have touched as the magazine's influence has rippled outward. A huge thank-you to all of you.

Embedded in the company's history is our family's history. From the early days, when we held editorial salons in our living room, with toddlers and dogs in attendance, to today, when Leif, my stepson, is responsible for our story on the 'radical middle,' our whole family has lived with the odd little newsletter that turned out to have a life of its own. Eric, my husband, maintains that he started the magazine for two reasons: to make the world a little kinder and a little greener, and to have a legitimate excuse to lie on the couch reading when I had different priorities for him (like doing the dishes and taking out the garbage).

Over the years, the two of us have sweated and fought, deliberated and celebrated. Keeping a small publishing business afloat has been a challenge. It was a particular challenge to keep our marriage from capsizing during the storm and stress that accompanied Eric's handing the business over to me. Certainly we have had our share of rough patches (who hasn't?), but this anniversary gives us an opportunity to herald the future even while we're appreciating the past. At various arduous points along the way, we've promised each other that the time would come when we both would be able to wholeheartedly celebrate the unorthodox path we've been following. For us, this issue marks that occasion.

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