Each issue of Paris-based Blue Moon brings together a mix of artists, musicians, filmmakers, photographers and writers ‘that are, or began on the margins; figures and harbingers of subcultural movements.’

Canadian writer, editor, and publisher Leah Gudmundson founded the magazine in Paris in 2015. She has worked at L’Officiel, Purple Fashion Magazine, and May Revue, and her new endeavour is artist book imprint Blue Moon Press, who released its first book, on Gus Van Sant’s paintings, in February. 

‘As you can probably tell from the name of the magazine, I’m obsessed with magic, mysticism, the universe,’ she tells us, ‘Wolfgang Tillmans is great because he’s a man of the stars as well as being a prolific artist. I like people who look upwards, who are curious, who are seekers’

What are you doing this morning?
This is an atypical morning for me. I’m actually in the South of France for a week. It’s a yearly pilgrimage I take to Hyères, about a four-and-a-half-hour train ride from Paris. It’s a total luxury, but it’s amazing to work on the next issue by the sea.

Normally I work from my desk at home in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. I’m quite lucky, because my commute is rolling out of bed and taking about five steps to the desk in my living room.

Describe your work environment
Well this morning it’s sunshine and sparkly blue water, but at home my desk is in the back corner of my tiny living room. I have a window behind me that lets in a good amount of light and looks onto the courtyard.

Every Monday to Thursday morning I listen to Flo Dill’s breakfast show on NTS. It’s often the favourite part of my day (big up Flo!). I honestly don’t think she’s ever played a song I don’t like. I work alone, which is nice, but I also feel myself becoming even more bizarre than I already am from not having much social interaction throughout the day.

Which magazine do you first remember?
I would probably say People magazine when I was like a toddler. My family spent a lot of time at our cabin in Northern Saskatchewan, and my Grandma and Mom and Aunts would always buy celeb gossip rags to read up there. When I got into high school, I think it would have been Nylon. We basically only had one book store in Saskatoon called McNally Robinson, and I remember always buying it and thinking the it-girls on the covers were so big city bright lights.

Aside from yours, what’s your favourite magazine/zine?
Magazine-wise, I have to say I’m a bit tapped out. I don’t like to look at other magazines because I feel like they would influence me. I like to do what I do by gut instinct. Zine-wise, it’s anything my friend Ben Trogdon puts out. Ben is a true punk and rock and roller.

He started this publication called Nuts! 25 years ago, when he was 16. He also makes a zine called Tattoo Punk, and a new iteration of Nuts! called Nuzzine. Ben’s zines are amazing because they’re OG subculture zines. He puts all his obsessive tendencies into them, and they’re all from the heart.

What other piece of media would you recommend?
Any good book. I love reading so much. It’s one of my life’s greatest pleasures. A favourite feeling of mine is sitting in the sun somewhere with a slight breeze, cracking open a new book, and within five pages you can tell it's going to be good. I think it’s so beneficial to go into other people's worlds and imaginations, to immerse oneself in different stories and perspectives.

I’ve been on a Ben Lerner kick the past few months. Everything by him is brilliant. I’m also a big Deborah Levy fan, particularly her autobiographical trilogy. 

Describe Blue Moon in three words 
Unique, honest, magical 


Congratulations on keeping your magazine going for 11 years. How have you achieved that? 
Thank you! I think it’s predominantly because I’m very stubborn. If I love something, I won’t let it go. Practically speaking, I had other jobs until Issue seven (2023). When I first moved to Paris in 2011, I interned at L’Officiel, then worked at Purple—so I had some magazine experience pretty much off the bat. After that, I was always working as an artist's assistant or studio manager while doing Blue Moon. Now I exist solely off advertising money, but all the prior jobs opened up doors that I could go through. Years of working for artists and meeting people along the way is what allowed me to get in touch with certain people for the magazine. All the wobbly paths I took ended up helping Blue Moon flourish. 

I think Blue Moon is special because it’s weird. It’s an eclectic mix of artists that one wouldn’t normally put together. Some are people no one's heard of, and then there’s someone like Wolfgang Tillmans. As you can probably tell from the name of the magazine, I’m obsessed with magic, mysticism, the universe. Tillmans is great because he’s a man of the stars as well as being a prolific artist. I like people who look upwards, who are curious, who are seekers.

The magazine is not about big, buzzy people of the moment. It’s not glitzy or glamoury. As much as it's up in the clouds, it's down to earth. It’s about artists with slow, conscious consideration about life’s big questions.


You have some impressive advertising in the issue—how have you built that channel?
Slowly but surely. I’m very fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of creative people, some who work at or have brands that have enough money to support adjacent artistic endeavours. The first advertiser was Supreme, which set a certain precedent for how I select advertisers. It has to be a brand that I have respect for; that influences or supports culture in a way that I can get behind.

With Supreme as the example, I am honoured to have them because I grew up around skateboarding. My high school boyfriend was the videographer for his little skate crew. He filmed and edited the videos, which is an art form in itself. I loved watching other skate videos, and I found out about a lot of music I still deeply love through them. For my 16th birthday, my friends all pitched in and bought me Girl’s YEAH RIGHT! VHS. I’m still a bit of a skate nerd to this day.

Other advertisers snowballed from there, but were selected with the same personal standard. Comme des Garçons have undeniably shaped culture; Études are beloved friends of mine who always do interesting collaborations with artists; Carhartt WIP are so generous with their support of arts and music; Wales Bonner has such a distinct vision. Other brands have come organically after them for similar reasons.

I’d say for other mags that want to approach advertisers, think about what fits with your magazine, and see if there is an ethos within a company that you value. It feels good to work with companies that employ nice people, or do things in a way that you align with. 

Why does the cover design change each issue?
That’s such a good question! No one has really asked me that before. I love changing the design and the typeface because it gives each issue its own personality. The design on the inside also changes. The only real recurring aspect is that it's large-format newsprint.

I like for people to be able to stumble upon each issue, not be grabbed by it because it has this giant recognisable font or logo. It makes it a bit more mysterious. Plus, I think that, much like humans, creative endeavours can have fluid identities. Not adhering to a rigid design gives me more space for growth and evolution.

Highlight one story in the issue that sums up the new issue and explain why you selected it.
It’s the obvious choice, but I’ll have to go with our cover story on Canadian artist Steven Shearer. His work is beautiful and strange, and slightly hard to place. It’s a feature on his paintings, the majority coming from his recent show at David Zwirner in London, My Moody Muse. Steven is a total enigma. There are no pictures of him online, and he rarely gives interviews. I’d say it sums up the issue, because there are aspects of all the other artists' work within his paintings: beauty, fear, timelessness, harmony, rebellion, tenderness, observation, grit, desire, mysticism, divinity.


What has publishing taught you that may be helpful to anybody else planning to make their own magazine?
Publishing and the written word are things that I love. It has reiterated the totally annoying platitude of ‘do what you love’. Life is so short, and at the end of the day I believe that vast amounts of wealth or material assets don’t bring you fulfilment. Sure I’m skint, but I’m often fulfilled by my work. If you want to start a magazine, do it. I think print has never died, and it never will die. The people who love magazines and books and physical media will always be here.


What are you most looking forward to this coming week?
Sitting by the sea and reading! I’m hoping to finish the three books I have on the go: ‘Slow Days, Fast Company: The world, The flesh, and L.A’ by Eve Babitz, ‘The Topeka School’ by Ben Lerner, and ‘Small Rain’ by Garth Greenwell. I’m also doing an interview on Friday with an artist for the next issue who I’m really excited to speak with. 

Designer Hannes Drißner

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