Water is everywhere around us, all the time. It is from this apparently simple, but dizzying, observation that the magazine “Soif” was born. After a first issue released last June, the small team supported by a layout designer, an illustrator and around ten freelance journalists and photographers published a second copy at the beginning of December. At the cost of a commitment that does not count its hours.
“Putting out an issue is not insurmountable, but releasing a new medium is almost a kamikaze given the current state of the press,” admits Pauline Boyer, a freelancer for nearly twenty years. Last summer, the magazine launched with a minimum budget which for the moment only allows freelancers to be paid. Neither Pauline Boyer nor the two other co-founders of the magazine have abandoned their profession. “I planned to dedicate myself solely to editorializing. Finally, I also manage delivery to bookstores, orders, labeling. It takes up all my free time. »
Find your readership
When it comes to time, we also have to persist. Well established in the network of water stakeholders, the creators of the magazine have so far succeeded in doing well. Long responsible for communication in various fields, Émilie Laurent has specialized in raising awareness around the themes water for several years. She now works on her own and for the Joint Syndicate for the Study and Management of Water Resources in the Gironde Department (Smegrem). “Soif” was thus able to count on its knowledge of the environment and the support of numerous institutional actors: the Ecological Transition Agency (Ademe), the Bordeaux Métropole Water Authority and the Adour-Water Agency. Garonne.
Finally, “meeting up” is not only the title of the second issue, but also symbolizes a challenge for the journal. “We must not disappoint” warns Émilie Laurent. For the moment, the two editions have been printed in nearly 1,500 copies each and the feedback is quite good. “As for professionals, who make up a good part of our readership, we discover that water is also a political and societal issue. Among newbies, we learn where drinking water comes from,” summarizes Pauline Boyer.
A current and timeless subject
In short, the subject is inexhaustible. “’Thirst’ refers to the scarcity of water resources. The 2022 drought in France acted as a trigger in public opinion. We began to think of a world without water with the first villages losing their supply. The scarcity of snow and flooding in Valencia are also raising more and more questions. »
So, the idea is to bring together all these questions in a single review, by not eliminating subjects that at first glance cause anxiety but by deciphering them and proposing possible solutions. “Water is also an element that constitutes us, which can be very beautiful and which we must know better if we are asked to protect it,” agrees the two colleagues.
Orders are placed on the website www.soif-la-revue.fr
