As some of you were aware, until mid-April I worked full time at a local women’s magazine called brava (website is now a little outdated). It ceased operations and left about a dozen wonderfully creative people without jobs. Half of that group stuck together to try to figure out a way to work together to get brava back into production. I finally have good, no, great news to report: brava is back! Here’s the official press release:

BRAVA MAGAZINE AND MADISON WOMEN’S EXPO ANNOUNCE RELAUNCH
Brava magazine confirms release date of August 1, 2009

Madison, Wis. — June 4, 2009 — Brava magazine, the monthly lifestyle publication dedicated to celebrating the lives of women in south central Wisconsin, announces it will re-launch the popular magazine on August 1, 2009.

Erickson Publishing, LLC, former publisher of brava magazine, its sister publication the annual encore edition and producer of the Madison Women’s Expo suspended operations in April.  The fate of the products was unknown. Kristin Erickson, owner of Erickson Publishing, LLC, is happy to have sold the business to a core group of former employees. “I am so proud of the impact brava made to our readers, our advertisers and the community as a whole,” Erickson says.  “It was extremely hard to suspend publication, and I am absolutely thrilled that this team of talented professionals will continue to take the products to new exciting levels. I am delighted to pass the baton to Laura Houlihan.”  Erickson will also remain working with the team as a consultant.

“The team is assembled and has been working behind the scenes for weeks in the hopes the purchase would go through,” says Houlihan, the newly named publisher of the magazine. Houlihan brings to the table her past experience running Skirt Magazine in Jacksonville, Fla., as well as her sales experience at brava. “The outpouring of support from our readership and advertisers has been amazing. We couldn’t let it die,” says Houlihan. “It’s like having our family back together.”

The Madison Women’s Expo, a yearly event produced by brava and held the weekend before Thanksgiving will also return for its 11th year. Marketing and Events Director, Michelle Page-Alswager, will remain at the helm.  “What can I say?  Women look forward to this event and exhibitors love the results they get from the thousands of attendees visiting them.   It’s the perfect tie in — the premier women’s magazine in south central Wisconsin, and the best Women’s Expo, I’m lucky to be part of both,” states Page-Alswager.

More information to follow.

For more information, contact Michelle Page-Alswager at (608) 235-3857 or Laura Houlihan at 608-609-9149 or holdthathought@gmail.com.

As always, you can follow our progress at our interim blog, hold that thought, although I can’t make any promises for regular updates since we’ll be working so hard to get this magazine launched. Feel free to leave any comments here or there as to what you’d like to see in brava as it moves forward.