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Friday, July 11, 2025

Words to Create By

I carry a small notebook with me, jotting down words and ideas that, for whatever reason, inspire me. I’m often writing in two notebooks, stashed in different purses or my briefcase, and I fill them up and refer back to them. What I find I’ve annotated most often are words — just words.

In early May, my husband and I traveled to Chicago along with managing editor Louis La Plante for the annual City and Regional Magazine Association conference. As we do on an ongoing basis, we exchanged ideas with peers at city and regional magazines and heard industry experts — editors and design directors from Money, The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, and others — and came home with new hardware for winning a CRMA award for Community Service Project, an achievement honoring our 2011 Evansville Living Downtown Idea Home. We were recognized also as a finalist in Ancillary Publication for Evansville Business magazine.

During the awards ceremony, I took lots of notes as a video produced by the Missouri School of Journalism highlighted the nominees in each awards category, ranging from design to writing. Professional voice talent summarized the comments from the judges (all from widely known consumer magazines), and I found myself jotting down the words they used to describe the magazines. Later, reviewing my notes, I reflected that the words likely also describe the cities these magazines serve. Here are the words (and a few phrases) I noted, in no particular order, and I made no reference to which magazine the judges were describing.

Polished
Urban
Informed
Lively
Modern
Playful
Elegant
Ultra local
Energetic
Adrenaline boost
Lively
Modern, accessible, fun
High gloss
Enticing, gutsy
Nuanced
Dense and engaging
Trusty
Snappy
Confident
Slightly rowdy
Distinctive
Crisp
Savvy
Smart, bold

Do any of these words represent Evansville? Which words would you like to define Evansville?

As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Kristen K Tucker
Kristen K. Tucker
Publisher & Editor

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Kristen K. Tucker
Kristen K. Tucker
Kristen K. Tucker formed Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., along with her husband, Todd, in September 1999 and published the first issue of Evansville Living in March 2000. Kristen, publisher and editor of Evansville Living, holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations and English from Western Kentucky University and a master’s degree in liberal studies from the University of Southern Indiana. Kristen has recently served on the board of directors of The Catholic Foundation of Evansville, the Board of Advisors for the IU Medical School Evansville, and Indiana Landmarks. In 2007, she helped found the Women’s Fund of Vanderburgh County. She also is a member of the 125-year-old Social Literary Club. Kristen is the 2003 Athena Award recipient and the 2006 recipient of the Indiana Commission for Women’s Torchbearer Award. Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., magazines have won dozens of awards through the years from the City & Regional Magazine Association, the Advertising Federation of Evansville, the Evansville Design Group, and the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Kristen moved with her family to Evansville, her father’s hometown, in 1971. She attended Caze Elementary School, and Castle Jr. and Castle Sr. High Schools in Newburgh, Indiana. Kristen and Todd have two adult sons, Maxwell and Jackson. Kristen enjoys walking, travel, Pilates, and reading.

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