The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Ask Libby Stoker-Lavelle about her new career and watch the floodgates of enthusiasm open. The incoming editor of Cottage North is ready to put her stamp on the magazine known as Northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan's Storyteller. 'It's pretty amazing to be in a job that really feels like a good fit,' says Stoker-Lavelle with a kid-on-Christmas-morning sparkle in her eye. Originally from Toronto, Stoker-Lavelle comes to the bimonthly magazine with a wide range of writing _ and life _ experience. She studied English and international development at Halifax's Dalhousie University, later earning a teaching degree from the University of Toronto. See 'Really' on pg. Continued from pg. Teaching proved a good fit, but not a perfect fit, for the energetic Stoker-Lavelle. Halfway through a teaching stint in Ecuador between 2009 and 2011, she had to be honest with herself. 'I kind of took a step back and just realized that I really wanted to focus on my passion, which was writing, words and language,' she says. 'It has taken me a while to make the transition from teacher to editor, but I have learned a lot from teaching and from my other roles as well. The marketing and communications work I've done over the past few years, including writing for online audiences, should serve me well at Cottage North.' Stoker-Lavelle began tapping the keyboard to expand a repertoire of writing related to travel, arts and communications, among many other topics. When she moved to Flin Flon last summer with partner Daniel Dillon, a teacher at Hapnot Collegiate, she had no idea the opportunity that would soon come her way. Julian Kolt took over as editor of Cottage North in May 2010, fresh off of earning his B.A. from the University of Manitoba, where he majored in English. A well-spoken, sophisticated young man who grew up mostly in Flin Flon, Kolt relished the chance to head The Reminder's sister magazine. 'There's a tremendous amount of freedom to working with Cottage North magazine,' he says. 'You're able to go after the stories that you want and really try to put forward what you as an editor feel needs to be looked at in the North.' But Kolt knew he would one day move on. By the time he met Stoker-Lavelle at a writing workshop last fall, he was ready to hint that the top job at Cottage North might be opening up. When Kolt formally announced his departure earlier this year, Stoker-Lavelle was the favoured replacement. She was hired and has now spent the past several weeks learning the ins and outs of magazine production. With today his last day at the office, Kolt knows he is leaving Cottage North in more than capable hands. 'I really think that Libby is going to do an excellent job as editor,' he says, 'and I think she's going to put it forward to new places and to do new, great things.' As for Kolt, he is ready to do some new, great things of his own. He is going to spend weeks at the family cabin in northern Ontario, where he will secludedly begin a major writing project. Will it be a grand novel? A collection of short stories? All Kolt knows is that it will be fiction, his favoured genre, and that he will let his imagination lead the way. Pilgrimage In early July, Kolt, a devout Catholic, will fly to Europe to take part in a pilgrimage through France and Spain that retraces the steps of Saint James. He will travel on foot for 63 days, staying in hostels along the way, before flying back to Manitoba in early September. So then what happens? 'Well, that's for the future to decide,' Kolt says without a hint of uncertainty-fueled anxiety. Kolt is leaving behind more than just Cottage North. Like his parents, Mark and Crystal, he has become a familiar face in the local arts scene. He is a member of both Ham Sandwich and the Flin Flon Community Choir. His portrayal of Billy Flynn in the choir's recent production of Chicago earned him overwhelmingly rave reviews. Kolt is also a member of the Flin Flon Writers Guild and, outside of his other work duties, operates the local constituency office for MP Niki Ashton. At Cottage North, Stoker-Lavelle knows she has big shoes to fill but is up for the challenge as the magazine celebrates its 10th anniversary. 'I want to make sure that readers learn more about their communities through the magazine,' she says. 'There is so much that this region has to offer: dynamic cultural events, fascinating local history, beautiful wilderness. I want readers to really see themselves, and their lives, reflected in Cottage North magazine, and I want the magazine to add something to their lives as well, even if it is in a very small way.' Stoker-Lavelle invites any and all submissions of photos and articles for publication consideration. She can be reached at (204) 687-3454 or through the magazine's website, which, incidentally, she created, at Cottagenorthmagazine. ca.
