Camino Quarterly: first English print magazine about famous pilgrimage
The Camino de Santiago (also known as The Way of St. James) is a 500-mile walk across Spain, which has generated interest all over the world. People who have made the walk want to share their experiences, while others are fascinated by this ongoing 1,100-year-old pilgrimage and want to learn all they can about it.
This route leads to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Greater in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, in which are entombed the remains of St. James.
“It originated as a religious pilgrimage but today it is a melting pot of spiritual beliefs, attracting people from every country in the world,” said Chris Yavelow of Asheville, N.C., Editor-in-Chief of the Camino Quarterly, a print magazine solely dedicated to this famous walk.
The magazine is the first English print magazine about hiking the Camino de Santiago. Since 2014, the annual number of people who received certificates verifying their completion of the pilgrimage has exceeded 250,000. Official records from hostels and pilgrim offices indicate that another quarter-million English-speakers were on the path each year, but did not request completion certificates. Statistics indicate that when Camino-walkers of all nationalities who did not request completion certificates are taken into consideration, the total number of walkers in any given year is five times the number who received their certificates (compostellas). This figure is at least double during holy years, when the birthday of St. James, July 25, falls on a Sunday. Consequently, the total is projected to be close to 5 million in 2021, the next holy year.
Yavelow and his wife, Laura, found the pilgrimage to be a very moving experience. “The Camino de Santiago inspires many people to reflect on their experience, through writing, lecturing, filmmaking or music and art,” explained Laura.
And with more English-speaking people showing interest, there is an ever-growing market for an English magazine that covers the Camino. Yavelow, who has 35 years of publishing experience, released a 28-page preview issue in the spring 2014, followed by a 48-page issue #1 in the fall. With subscribers from every continutent, the project was put on hold following the unexpected death of the Executive Editor, Laura Yavelow. Additional funding is needed to produce the full-size 48- to 64-page version on a regular basis. Leading up to 2021, which will be the largest number in more than a millennium, Yavelow plans Issue #2 in 2019, #3 & #4 in 2020, and #5, #6, & #7 in 2021. The preview edition can be viewed atPreview.CaminoQuarterly.com and the first issued is available atBuy.CaminoQuarterly.com To generate the start-up capital, Yavelow has launched a crowd-funding campaign that can be viewed at Launch.CaminoQuarterly.com.
The Camino Quarterly includes information about preparing for the walk (routes, gear, packing, etc.) as well as an events calendar and a “reflections” section, written by those who have completed the walk. It os a forum for writers, artists, photographers, poets and artists to share their Camino-inspired work.