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Short: What Reader's Digest Means To Me

Apart from Mills & Boons (don't deny it all you 1980s teenage girls out there!!! 😁) and boxfuls of second-hand books I have no idea where my dad got from, if I had enough money on me, I would spend it on a Reader's Digest magazine.

Filled to the brim with everything from wound-salving stories of rescue missions to life-changing scientific discoveries, the packed magazine presented me with a world outside of my young life. It was a reservoir of both joy and knowledge for a young, curious mind!

Challenging myself to discover new English words, laughing out loud at rib-tickling anecdotes and jokes, and gawking at mind-blowing pictures of bucolic landscapes of faraway lands was what Reader's Digest was to me. I kept and re-read them which didn't make sense to some of my friends.

The magazine has scaled down a fair bit over the years, no thanks to the Internet and the fact that very few people actually read these days. I often feel a sense of camaraderie when I see someone holding a real book. A high five just begging to happen.


The book is no longer the heavyweight that it once was but there's a sense of honor that comes with being associated with Reader's Digest. An evergreen publication with undying devotion to the lives of people from all around the world. It was also the language building block for the region, I venture an argument. I am thankful that with a consolidation of operations in the region (Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and, I think, Australia), we can still find them in select bookstores.

They continue to offer $50 - $100 per anecdote/joke, up to $100 per story about Smart Animals, up to $150 per story about Kindness of Strangers and $250 for My Story.

They're also looking for Field Editors made out of basically enthusiastic readers of the digest who would like to get involved in the production of the magazine and keeping it alive.

I am thinking about it and wondering if there's enough time for me to shuffle around the calendar to contribute to it. Admittedly, at the back of my mind is confusion and self-doubt. Despite wanting to offer, I have never done so. There's a standard they hold their writers to and like everyone else, I wonder if I meet it.

But Field Editors are volunteers and the digest is looking for people who want to share stories and memories with others. It's not a way to make a steady income; instead, it's a way to improve oneself and be recognized for the effort.

If you're interested, write in to them for info at AsiaFieldEditors@readersdigest.com.au. I might join you 😂 simply because Reader's Digest was a part of my childhood. It's still a part of my life.

Write them at Reader's Digest Asia
Editorial Department
Singapore Post Center
PO Box 272, Singapore
or email them at asiaeditor@readersdigest.com.au
or visit rdasia.com/contribute

Man...I am such a nerd.

It's Friday! 💓💓💓🎉🎉🎉
TGIF, people!
Marsha

Note: If you find anything offensive, inappropriate or grammatical errors, please email me and I will edit it immediately. Thank you!

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