Celebrating Two Decades of American Spirit!

American Spirit magazine and its companion Daughters newsletter turn 20 this month! We’re celebrating by sending an issue to every current member with the hope that more will subscribe to our award-winning periodicals. We recently achieved our goal of reaching more than 50,000 subscribers. Our next objective is to exceed the Society’s highest subscription rate of more than 56,000 when our membership was at its highest in the late 1970s.

Although our National Society has had a recurring publication since July 1892, the current format of a magazine worthy of display on your coffee table was first introduced in the summer of 2001 during the Watkins Administration. The previous versions of our periodicals contained both feature articles and DAR news; now, Daughters, which is mailed to subscribing members, contains all the most important Society updates and is a companion to American Spirit, which focuses on the history of the Colonial through the Federal periods, the same era as our DAR Museum.

For this historian, my favorite part of the meeting is when we discuss the content for each issue. What fascinating new places, facts, people and events will we bring to our readers? The conversation is excited and very open, and we also try to weave subtle themes or connections between the different features in each issue. See if you can guess the nickname we are giving to our September 2021 issue when it arrives in a few weeks!

After deciding the bulk of the next year’s content (though we always remain flexible to incorporate new article ideas or highlight an unexpected feature), the Hammock Team makes a production schedule, assigns researchers and writers, and manages deadlines. About two months before an issue of American Spirit arrives in your mailbox, the initial manuscript submissions are being reviewed and edited by myself, the Printing and Publications Office Department Head, the DAR Publications Coordinator and the Hammock Team. After all manuscript reviews, the article and photo layout for each feature is posted on a secure cloud site, and we again review them all. The Daughters newsletter process, meanwhile, varies significantly in that its content is produced within DAR Headquarters, led by our incomparable Publications Coordinator Elizabeth Partridge. Finally, about a month before mailing, both editions are reviewed by our Team and approved by the President General.

Based on feedback from our subscribers, I also know that some are frustrated by what they consider “late” or “missing” magazines at other times of the year. Please know that the cutoff for the next issue is seven weeks before an issue will be mailed; for example, in order to receive the September/October 2021 issue, your subscription or renewal needed to be completed by July 10 (If you just missed this deadline, never fear! Email our gracious Subscriptions Coordinator LaVonne Chappell ASAP at [email protected].)

Keep in mind, too, that paying for your magazine subscription with your dues can cause delays, as those payments are often held by your chapter until November, though you may have submitted your check in September. Given mailing uncertainty, it is also fastest to renew or order a subscription online (even gift subscriptions). No matter how a subscription is ordered, the chapter receives credit for the Spread the American Spirit Magazine Contest, as long as your National Number is included and your Chapter Regent is a subscriber.

We always appreciate article ideas from Daughters, and we look forward to feedback to ensure the magazine is a superior product year after year. Email me anytime at [email protected].