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An Interview with Linda Cortright of Wild Fibers Magazine
by Janel Laidman

Linda Cortright is a woman with a passion. She is responsible for the quarterly feast that is Wild Fibers Magazine which is a magazine dedicated to fiber bearing animals, their role in our culture and the bounty of their fiber. Wild Fibers is filled with lush photographs, profiles of different cultures worldwide, and fiber tips and techniques for all fiber artists. But Linda's love for fiber bearing animals goes beyond the pages of her magazine as you'll see in this interview. I caught up with Linda via the internet.

S: Putting out a publication like Wild Fibers is a labor of love, how did you get into magazine publication and what made you decide to put out a print magazine?

LC: Contrary to popular belief, my background is not in publication. In fact, I started off as a dog groomer in New York City many years ago and eventually moved to Maine to raise cashmere goats. Wild Fibers was the natural outgrowth not only of my love for cashmeres, but an inherent interest in other fiber bearing animals as well.

My reason for choosing a print format versus online has more to do with my own preference for the reading experience. Even though I can take a laptop anywhere in my house, I have never experienced the same degree of "intimacy" with the written word when it is on something different than the printed page. But I will also concede k that answer is perhaps a bigger statement about my age as much  anything else.



S: You get to travel to lots of interesting places in your quest for Wild Fibers material.   What was your favorite place so far?

LC: I think every place I go is utterly fascinating from the northern desert in Kazakhstan to the mountains of Swaziland. But I do have a favorite place  - India. I don't even have to think about that.  As a writer I find it  extremely challenging to capture the spirit of India in words and even more - the heart of the nomadic people who live in the High Himalayas and raise cashmere goats.



S: The photos in Wild Fibers are absolutely gorgeous. Do you take all the photos for Wild Fibers?

LC: Absolutely not. I am miserable at taking photos and if it weren't for the cost-free nature of digital imagery, Wild Fibers would have long since become an eight-page black and white newsletter.



S: You have such an affinity for fiber, are you a spinner?  Knitter?  Weaver? Other fiber artist?

LC: I should probably categorize this response as BWF - Before Wild Fibers. So "Yes" - I used to spin; and "yes" - I used to knit, and "no" I am not a weaver. Someday I will get back to the craft itself, but right now I believe my mission is more about creating unique bridge between all aspects of the fiber industry.



S: I have noticed that you are involved in something called "Keep the Fleece." What an intriguing title, please tell us about the "Keep the Fleece" project.

LC: Keep the Fleece is an ambitious project based on the United Nations International Year of Natural Fibres 2009 (IYNF). The declaration was issued by the UN in Rome at the end of 2006 and I flew to meet with them soon thereafter. Because of both the economic and political scope of the UN, the IYNF does not seem to have a strong focus on the side of the fiber industry that many of us who are producers and artisans share. They have a keen interest in cellulosic (plant-based) fibers, so there are international meetings on the production of cotton, hemp, jute, etc. "Keep the Fleece" is the project I have created for North America to share in the UN's year long celebration. There will be an international fiber contest, a number of workshops, and the grand celebration will take place next year at The New York Sheep and Wool Festival and will involve bringing a diverse group of fiber producers and artisans from around the world to share their "world" of fiber with ours. It is a big project but I can't think of a better occasion to have the world in general learn about natural fibers.

S: How can people find out more about it and enter the contest?

LC: The information will  be available on the web site www.keepthefleece.com when I can get it finished. Unfortunately, my print schedule, my travel schedule, and my ability to get the website completed in a timely manner is not perhaps the most ideal timing. I am leaving for Rome in two weeks for another meeting at the UN and I will certainly have more conclusive information after that.



S: Tell us a little bit about where you live?

LC: I am tempted to tell you that I live in airports, but I actually live on a lovely little farm near the coast of Maine. It is heaven!