The Magical Times & Matthew Callow

I've just got issue two of The Magical Times, a pagan magazine published by Matthew Callow, who also runs the Magical Festivals in Kent. I'm so impressed with it I thought I'd write about it on A Bad Witch's Blog.

The Magical Times is a thick, glossy publication full of beautiful artwork and interesting features. Subjects covered in the current issue include dance and the modern temple, pagan drumming, magical fashion, legends of the hag Black Annis, the power of crystal skulls, an introduction to heathen ritual, what goes on at druid weekend camps and in a sacred sweatlodge, articles on fantasy artists Josephine Wall, Neil Simms, Esther Remmington, Wendy Andrew and Tiana Pitman, and pagan music, including interviews with singers Cat Von Trapp and Beck Sian.

As well as fascinating features, the magazine has lots of great advertising. Now, it might seem a bit strange to be praising adverts - after all in most magazines the adverts are something the reader flicks past to get to the next article. But I found myself looking at the adverts in The Magical Times almost as much as I was drawn to the editorial content because they are for exactly the kind of things that interest a witch - shops with websites selling occult items and jewellery, pagan events and music I might want to download.

Adverts are essential to the survival of any publication. Having working in publishing myself, I know from sometimes bitter experience any magazine that doesn't get enough revenue from advertising will struggle. I have a lot of admiration for Matthew in that he has evidently managed to draw in plenty of the right kind of advertisers.

What is particularly impressive is that Matthew, who shows such skill, professionalism and enthusiasm in organising the Magical Festivals and publishing The Magical Times, is only 18 years old.

On his website, Matthew said: "Creating a colourful hand designed magazine has been a long held dream." He began at a very young age, stapling hand copied pages together and selling them to family, friends and general visitors to the house. He was only 15 when he started organising the Magical Festivals, which have gone from strength to strength and are now a big event in Canterbury, Kent. After three years of running festivals, he felt confident he could make a success of publishing his magazine professionally.

The Magical Times comes out twice yearly. A subscription for issues 2 and 3 of the magazine costs £6.50 and includes a ticket voucher for one person to get into The Magical Fairy Festival 2009. To order, visit http://www.themagicaltimes.co.uk/

For more details about the magazine or festival, call Matthew on 07845438340 or email matthew@magicalfestivals.co.uk

Links:
http://www.themagicaltimes.co.uk/
http://www.magicalfestivals.co.uk/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/01/magical-fairy-festival-in-canterbury.html