Longleaf Style wins Gold and Silver GAMMA Award

ANNISTON, AL, May 9, 2008 — Longleaf Style magazine and Consolidated Publishing, Co. received two awards at the 19th annual GAMMA Awards banquet, May 6, 2007, presented by the Magazine Association of the Southeast (MAGS).

In recognition of work in 2007, Longleaf Style won a Gold Medal in the Best Essay category and a Silver medal for Single Best Cover.

• The Best Essay, You Have to Go Home Again by H. Brandt Ayers, a memoir about Willie Morris, was in the Summer 2007 issue. The GAMMA judge said, “In a short amount of space, H. Brandt Ayers is able to relate not only the life and work of a great editor and writer-Willie Morris-but he also evokes a place, a region (the American South), and the friendship he shared with Willie. One of the hallmarks of a great essay is its ability to convey so much information and mood in a limited number of words. Even if a reader were to know nothing about Willie Morris beforehand, he or she would come away understanding and admiring this person.”

• The Best Single Cover, a pink Gerbera photograph taken by David Walters of Avalon Studio in Anniston, Ala., was the Spring 2007 cover.

The Magazine Association of the Southeast is one of the largest magazine organizations in the U.S., with more that 100 titles among its membership. The GAMMA Awards recognizes editorial and design excellence in magazine publishing.

Longleaf Style is published four times annually by Consolidated Publishing and is distributed in Northeast Alabama. Longleaf Style began publication with the Summer 2006 issue. The full-color magazine covers a wide range of topics related to life in Alabama and the South. Profiles and features in 2007 included Kathryn Tucker Windham, Cal Breed, Hal Holbrook, Alabama folk art, and the first original short story by Pulitzer Prizewinning author, Rick Bragg.

Longleaf Style editor-in-chief, Josephine Ayers, said, “There we were among the leading magazines of the Southeast region and we could see that our sales effort, design, and editorial content stands up well to our peers. Winning these awards is not only an honor but also an incentive to be even more creative and successful with future issues.”