Stories about storytelling in The Story magazine
The Story launched last year as a literary magazine with a difference. As its name suggests, it’s fascinated by stories and storytelling, and in its pages writers and artists explore the meaning of what they do. They ask why we need to tell stories, how they manifest in such different ways, and why writing can be so bloody difficult sometimes. The whole thing is presented in lovely, bright colours, with loads of photography and illustration to break up the lengthy text.
Published in Australia by Fireside Agency, it’s the print version of a project that has been running online since 2021. Once upon a time, agencies would sink money into a print magazine as a kind of calling card, using the publication as a way of winning new business. But that doesn’t seem to have been the motivation in this case. In fact the editorial team use the introduction to make it clear that the whole enterprise is precarious: “Making a magazine has always been a reckless proposition. Making one in 2025 feels actively delusional.”
So why do it? I think the answer lies in where the magazine came from. The Story’s publishing director Louise Bannister and creative director Lara Burke launched Frankie magazine together in 2004, and grew it into a phenomenally successful women’s magazine. They launched Smith Journal in 2011 as a sort of men’s equivalent to Frankie, and The Story’s editor, Chris Harrigan joined Smith Journal as an editorial assistant, working his way up to the top job as editor.
Listening to him speak now, it feels like The Story is a chance for him and the rest of the team to get back together and enjoy the fun and depth (and stress, and problems) of publishing a print magazine. Drawing on what they learned in the 2000s, they’ve come together for one more job, using The Story as a way of reflecting on what exactly it is that they do, and why they love it so much.
I had a great time speaking with him and hearing his thoughts on media and publishing today, so I hope you’ll enjoy our conversation too. You can listen via the podcast above, or watch the whole thing in the video below. And if you’re not already on our lists, please follow us on Spotify or YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts, and we’ll be able to deliver all our new episodes to you as soon as they’re ready.
