The Lady Slipper, the newsletter of the Kentucky Native Plant Society, has been published since 1986 (see all back issues here). The Lady Slipper serves to inform and engage members and the wider community about native plants, their conservation, and the society’s activities. The newsletter serves as a vital communication tool, providing updates on events, conservation projects, educational opportunities, and other relevant information.
The very first issue, Vol. 1, No. 1, February, 1986, was typewritten. In 1995, a contest was held to name the Society’s newsletter. The winning name, The Lady Slipper, was introduced in Vol. 11, No. 1, February, 1996, the start of the 10th year of publication. With Vol. 23, No. 3, Fall, 2008, we began publishing our newsletter in color. In 2019 we changed the format of The Lady Slipper to a blog on our website. All members and non-member subscribers receive a monthly, email digest that contains excerpts and links to all posts that were published in the preceding thirty days.
Our long-time Managing Editor of the Lady Slipper, Susan Harkins, has recently had to step down from that role, though she remains as an Associate Editor. We are in need of someone willing to take on the job of Managing Editor.
The Lady Slipper Managing Editor is responsible for writing, editing, and designing blog posts that engage members, donors, volunteers, and the local community in support of the organization’s mission of education, preservation, and protection of the native plants and ecosystems of Kentucky. The editor’s core responsibilities are:
- Story Gathering & Collaboration: Solicit articles, news items, field trip recaps, member photos, society event notices, and native plant related posts from KNPS members, board members, scientists, volunteers, and community partners.
- Content Creation & Editing: Write, proofread, and edit submissions to ensure clarity, factual accuracy, and alignment with the Society’s mission, editorial, and botanical standards.
- Layout & Design: Organize text, photography, graphics, and infographics into a cohesive digital layout.
The KNPS website runs on the WordPress platform. The articles are put into the WordPress blogging platform and then formatted and edited. Experience with WordPress would be great, but even if you are not familiar with WordPress, the Society’s webmaster can help you quickly come up to speed.
If you love native plants and like to write, edit, and organize articles, we would love to have you on the team. Even if you are not interested in being the editor, but are interested in writing articles for the Lady Slipper, please contact us. If you have any questions or have an interest in helping out, just email LadySlipper@knps.org