Book publisher Sara Angel has been named editor-in-chief at women's magazine Chatelaine.
Angel will join the magazine on June 1, Kerry Mitchell, publisher and vice-president of Rogers Consumer Publishing, announced Thursday.
Angel, an entrepreneur who started a small publishing house, has not previously been associated with Chatelaine, but says she's read it for more than 20 years.
Sara Angel promises 'more opinion, more entertainment, more ideas' in Chatelaine.
(Courtesy of George Pimentel)
Chatelaine is "my mother's magazine" and "my grandmother's magazine," Angel said in an interview, pledging to keep the magazine relevant to a new generation of women.
"Chatelaine has such a unique voice," Angel said. "I have been a fan of it for decades and it holds a special place in my heart."
In 2000, Angel founded Otherwise Editions and Angel Editions, publishing firms that specialize in books on history, popular culture, art, design, food, and photography.
Among its titles are Susur: A Culinary Biography by Susur Lee, Canada's House: Rideau Hall and the Invention of a Canadian Home by Margaret MacMillan, Marjorie Harris and Anne Desjardins and The Trudeau Albums by Mordecai Richler et al.
Angel has a background in graphic design, having worked with Bruce Mau's studio in 1996 and for Phaidon Press in London in 1997.
She said she will be working with Chatelaine staff to determine any new look or direction for the magazine.
She promised "more opinion, more entertainment and more ideas," for the venerable title, once famous, under previous editor Doris Anderson, for its feminist slant.
In its current incarnation, the magazine has a mix of lifestyle and feature articles, and has 4.5 million readers, according to the Print Measurement Bureau.
"I want to make it a place for the most talented writers in Canada who are able to deliver writing on the most important issues," she said.
Previous editor Kim Pittaway quit nine months ago after what she said was "a fundamental disagreement" over which areas of responsibility were hers and which were the publisher's, according to Canadian Press.
After Pittaway left, executive editor Beth Hitchcock was named interim editor, but she left Chatelaine less than five months later. In January, Chatelaine also lost Kim Zagar, who had served as the magazine's senior designer only since last summer.
Angel began her career in Canadian publishing in 1992 editing literary non-fiction at Macfarlane Walter & Ross. In the late 1990s, she wrote for Saturday Night magazine on art, social issues, politics, lifestyle, food and gardening. She also has been an arts commentator for CBC Television.
Angel takes the position while pregnant with her second child. She lives in Toronto with her husband and 19-month-old son.
"I have had great fortune in having the support of Chatelaine and support in my home life," she said. "It is saying something about women in the workplace that I would be offered the position at this time."
Angel said she has one book project still to be completed, but will not be taking on new projects at her publishing firms.
