Publishers Noted: in which our publisher reviews the building of another publisher
When Emily Stokes became the editor of the Paris Review in 2021, she had a lot on her plate: leading a complete redesign of the magazine, switching to a new printer, and pulling together her first issue. So, understandably, she spent her first few months making some design interventions in the office. “Moving furniture around is a good form of procrastination when you are in a complete panic,” she told me on a recent Thursday afternoon.
Stokes “got craigslisty,” acquiring two couches and two armchairs for her office. She banished a bookshelf that had relegated the web people to a dark corner. She also brought in some friends with art and design backgrounds to help, including the architectural designer Nick Poe, who made three large but simple tables: one to act as a counter near the kitchen, one to sit in the middle of the office, and one that doubles as Emily’s desk and the conference room table. “Then I realized I needed to make a magazine, so I stopped and hired some editors.”
Thoug…