Changes are afoot at LeftLion again. We are delighted to announce the appointment of Sophie Gargett as our new Editor. Sophie will join the team in mid-June and you will start to see her influence on our issues from August onwards.
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Sophie Gargett as our new Editor. Sophie will join the team in mid-June and you will start to see her influence on our issues from August onwards.
Sophie is the editor and founder of creative culture magazine The Dilettante (some may also remember the free Dilettante Gazette zine dotted around Nottingham) and has been contributing articles to LeftLion since early 2015. She has spent most of her life in Nottingham and holds an MA in Magazine Journalism at Nottingham Trent University. From 2017-2019 she worked at Visit Nottinghamshire before going freelance, publishing her own magazine and contributing words to The Chap, Inkcap Journal and other publications.
“When I returned to Nottingham 10 years ago after moving away for university, I discovered the city anew and immediately fell in love with the creative spirit and fascinating history that runs within it," Sophie said.
"Lurking in the back streets, courtyards and alleyways there is such an abundance of culture, ideas, history and character waiting to be discovered. LeftLion is at the heart of all this and is such a valuable asset for the city’s businesses and creatives, so I am incredibly excited to make this move and help showcase all of the wonderful things happening.”
For those of you wondering why we are replacing George White after he himself only just got the big job back in September, well he’s gone and got himself a job as a Sub Editor at the Radio Times hasn’t he? LeftLion might be celebrating it’s 20th Birthday this year, but the Radio Times is celebrating its 100th! So we’re happy to bow to our elders on this one and wish George all the best there. Also you might still see his name in our mag here and there…
"I've loved my last couple years at LeftLion, and I've had a blast working with our incredible section editors, writers, illustrators, and photographers to put together so many quality magazines, " George said.
"I'll miss the team a lot, but I'm excited to use what I've learned at this Notts institution to contribute to a national institution in the Radio Times. If you're worried that the magazine won't be the same without my ramblings about arthouse cinema and the unrivalled talent of Seal, though, fear not - I plan on sticking around the editorial team on a voluntary basis to support Sophie and Gemma, who I know will do a phenomenal job with the publication. LeftLion is in very safe hands!"
Also joining the full-time team will be Gemma Cockrell, a 2023 MA Magazine Journalism graduate from NTU. She will take the position of Assistant Editor. Gemma has been our music editor for the last year and has also written for The Voice, The Student Music Network, Feeder Series and Clunk Magazine. She will also be the editor of our 2023 Welcome To Nottingham publication, which is published once a year and distributed to students who arrive in the city each Autumn.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
