Tea Time editor is new Victoria editor

I know I'm not the only woman in Newnan who was sorry to see Victoria Magazine close its doors in 2003. Actually, to many of us, the magazine "as we knew it" ended several years earlier, when Victoria's heart and soul, founding editor Nancy Lindemeyer, departed. The folks at Hearst, in an astonishing lack of understanding of its readership, decided we no longer wanted a pretty, feminine, thoughtful magazine, but instead gave us something that looked like House Beautiful hybridized with Real Simple and Martha Stewart Living. As Queen Victoria said, "We were not amused." By the time the magazine folded, many of us were so upset at its change in direction that its departure was perhaps easier on the spirit than the ongoing slaughter of our beloved magazine. So I kept my 177 issues and have happily, if wistfully, re-read them each month.

Then, in late April, came word that Hoffman Media in Birmingham, Ala. has partnered with Hearst to revive Victoria! I belong to an Internet chat group of Victoria lovers who have been all abuzz with news of the magazine's return. We are cautiously optimistic and eager to have "our" magazine back. Victoria was largely responsible for creating my fondness for tea, teatime rituals and teawares. Since Hoffman's other magazines (Southern Lady, Tea Time) do feature tea, I felt quite satisfied that the new Victoria will be bringing us more tea news as well. Yesterday, I learned that the new editor of Victoria will be Barbara Cockerham, editor of Tea Time. Good news for tea lovers and for Victoria lovers, I suspect ...