Publisher 1-On-1: Resurgence & Ecologist

The star of the Publisher 1-On-1 today is Angie Burke from Resurgence & Ecologist 🌟

Dubbed as the ‘flagship of the environmental movement’ by The Guardian, the magazine has been at the forefront of the ecological and social justice movements for 50 years, offering positive solutions to the global challenges of today.

Resurgence & Ecologist provides progressive, informed and original perspectives on the environment, economics, sociology, politics, science, philosophy, health, activism and the arts. Bringing together a diverse range of acclaimed writers, contributors have included E. F. Schumacher, James Lovelock, Caroline Lucas, Al Gore, Margaret Atwood, George Monbiot, Polly Higgins, the Dalai Lama, HRH Prince of Wales, Charles Eisenstein and Anthony Gormley.

Individuals and institutions can take out fully-searchable, cross-platform digital subscriptions to the complete archive and all new issues of the publication through the Exact Editions online shops.

Now we’re up to speed with the magazine, let’s get on with the interview! Take it away, Angie.

1) What’s your role within the magazine?
 
 I’m the Trust Manager at Resurgence and oversee the programmes of the charity, including the publication of Resurgence & Ecologist magazine, the Ecologist website and our events. I also edit the Resurgence website and lead the marketing team. 
 
 2) What attracted you to the magazine publishing industry?

I’ve always been interested in the power of words to shape our understanding of the world we live in. I worked on a radical political magazine in the mid-80’s, with cut and paste layouts and photocopied issues distributed by hand!

I started at Resurgence 21 years ago as an Editorial Assistant to Satish Kumar. I was drawn to the positive messages within the magazine and the eclectic mix of articles on deep wisdom, ecology, economics and culture.

I am passionate about making a difference in the world and sharing ideas that change and shape world views — publishing is a powerful tool for this.

3) If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
 
 Vegan superfood salad with foraged leaves and flowers, with roast potatoes (followed by organic, fair-trade dark chocolate — if that’s allowed). 
 
 4) If you weren’t working in publishing, what would you be doing?

Before Resurgence, I worked as an archaeologist, in a vegan workers co-op and in human rights.

I would either be working in human rights on conflict prevention and restorative justice, or working with children on projects centred around re-connecting with nature. I trained as a forest school leader years ago and there is an increasing need this. Learning from and just being in, nature is the antidote to our somewhat crazy, consumer-driven, digitally immersive world.

5) Do you have an all-time favourite magazine issue?
 
Resurgence has been published since 1966, so with 53 years of Resurgence combined with 49 years of The Ecologist it’s impossible to choose just one!

I love all the issues and the fact that so many of the articles from the archive are still relevant today.

The “Listen Up” issue (September/October 2019) is excellent editorially and visually — a balance of inspiration, information and call to action that we urgently need — it also demonstrates what a small team of dedicated people can achieve.

From the archive, one that stands out for me is the 250th issue of Resurgence (Sep/Oct 2008) — Indigenous Intelligence: Diverse Solutions for the 21st Century. Even a quick scan of the contents page brings up gems — “The time has come to respect our differences, to respect the realities of other cultures and to respect the sanctity of all life, over and above the development processes that are threatening the very future.”

The Ecologist ‘Monsanto Issue’ had a huge impact on me — both informing and alarming me in equal measure. Reading that issue galvanised me to actively campaign against GMO’s (and I subsequently met my life-long partner at a GM ‘crop trashing’ action near Oxford).

6) What’s your favourite country that you’ve visited?

It would have to be India, particularly Kerala in Southern India. I learnt so much travelling through India and Nepal in my early 20s and the experience changed my world-view.

Apart from exploring, I worked with the animal rights charity Beauty Without Cruelty, India, researching and writing for their magazine on many issues but memorably the endangered Indian rhinoceros (now on the ‘vulnerable’ list), and the moves to introduce intensive farming techniques from the west into India.

7) What do you think will have changed in the publishing industry in 5 years?
 
 The publishing industry is still going through radical change. There has been a flurry of new titles, particularly around wellbeing and healthy living, but also a steady stream of long-standing magazines ceasing publication.

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Thank you for taking part, Angie! You’ve had a fascinating career so far and we value your insight into the industry.

If you’d like to be the star of our next interview, please get in contact at publisher@exacteditions.com.