THE LEVANTE JOURNAL

Editor: Paul Kavanagh


Introducing Ourselves

Welcome to the first edition of The Levante Journal, we hope you enjoy our new magazine. There are already many free publications in this area, and readers could be forgiven for asking what is the point in another. But the Levante Journal is different, our purpose is to bring our readership original, informative and intelligent writing from south eastern Spain.

El Levante is the traditional Spanish term for the south east of the country and refers equally to the region of Murcia and the Valencian Community. The word Levante is authentically Spanish and has been used to refer to this region since Roman times. ‘Costa Blanca’ and ‘Costa Cálida’ were invented by advertising salespeople during the 1960’s as a means of marketing Spain’s beaches to the mass tourism market; they are as authentically Spanish as the Mexican straw sombrero hats sold in the beachside markets. In one word, Levante sums up this magazine’s ethos, it means we promise to bring you the authentic Spain - in English.

History, lifestyle, health, original fiction from local writers, you’ll find it all here, and covered in greater depth than you will find elsewhere. All our articles and stories are printed in a decent sized font which is easy to read, not in tiny letters that have you reaching for the magnifying glass. We also keep to a simple two column format throughout the magazine, meaning you won’t lose your place whilst reading an article.

Unlike certain other local free publications, we are not simply a vehicle for advertising. Our focus is on our readers; just because you are not paying for this publication doesn’t mean we don’t have your interests at heart. And it doesn’t mean that we can insult your intelligence. This is a magazine which we want you to sit down and read, not flick through and discard.

We make a particular point of featuring the work of local English language writers, as well as local Spanish language writing which we have translated into English. You won’t find our contents anywhere else; none of our articles have simply been downloaded from the Internet and printed off as our own. We guarantee a fresh and original read every single month.

Some readers may recognise many of our writers and our layout and format from a previous, now defunct, publication. Former readers of that magazine will find all their favourites here, Old Bill’s gardening pages, Nik Morton’s short stories and reviews, Carol Drewry and John McDonnell’s feature articles, and a great deal more. The Levante Journal is distributed over a larger area and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce all these great local writers to a new readership. We also have informative articles about various areas of life in south eastern Spain written by local experts, everything from pet care to property owners’ communities.

For our advertisers we offer a better deal too. By producing a magazine which local people actually want to read, and often to keep, we ensure that our advertisers’ publicity has a longer shelf-life. And by making sure that our magazine is packed full of interesting and informative stories and articles, we produce a magazine that will be picked up again and again, giving our clients’ advertisements greater exposure. It’s a win-win.

On page ?? of this issue you will find a list of regular distribution points where you will be able to collect your copy of The Levante Journal every month. We want to make it easy for you to become a regular reader.

We welcome letters and contributions from our readers. Contact me at the address below if you have a short story or non-fiction article you feel might be of interest to our readers. If you have a question for one of our regular columnists, just reply to the contact details given at the end of the article concerned. If you would like to write into us on any other topic, whether it’s praise, brickbats, suggestions, questions or comments, or even just to sound off, drop us a line at:

The Levante Journal, Readers’ Letters,
Apdo. 292, Orihuela-Costa, 03189 (Alicante)

or send an email to:
levantejournal@telefonica.net