Could this be the official magazine for millennials of the 716?
Nina Grenga
With its first issue releasing just last year, Buffalo Black Book has had great success with their magazine, recently selling out of their latest issue, “MOVEMENT.” Buffalo Black Book, also known as BBB, is a quarterly print magazine that looks into the lives of individuals of Buffalo and focuses on culture, creativity and relationships. The edgy table print magazine “busts social stigma” with its stories of Buffalo locals living their lives to the fullest by being authentically themselves. Each issue is a mystery, as readers have no idea what to expect or who they will discover inside. “When I think of magazines, I think of photoshopping and diet plans, celebrity drama and just pretty useless stuff,” Emma Smith, a Niagara University sophomore, said. “But the Black Book is so different and cool, it encourages younger people to express their creativity and the photographs through out it are really great to look at.”
Elizabeth Siematkowksi is the mind behind the Buffalo Black Book, coming up with the idea two years ago. She revealed the first ever BBB was a pocket sized, hand made magazine she would randomly place all around Buffalo. Siematkowksi thought of the idea while working in the Counseling Center at Niagara University. ”You never know what someone has been through, is going through, up against or what they most yearn for.” She said. Siematkowski found there was not enough media truly displaying this and the dynamics of people. Thus Buffalo Black Book was born.
Along with the physical magazine, BBB has its own various social media accounts such as Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat along with their official website. The website allows customers to not only order issues of the magazine, but it also features blogs and mixtapes created by local music producers. “I go on the site when I’m bored honestly.”Alyssa Alvarez, a Niagara University sophomore, affirmed. “It’s definitely on the trendier side, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing, really. I’m always interested in what the blogs are about. The music they post is cool too.” With social media constantly expanding, the company has been able to stay up to date on all platforms and stay connected to its community.
The BBB’s purpose is to discuss stories not heard everyday and to shed light on creative, incredible people of Buffalo. When finding those to interview, Siematkowksi pays a close attention to her surroundings as well as social media. Instagram has helped tremendously with connecting with her interviewees. Surprisingly, it is just Siematkowski working on the entire magazine and it takes about a few months to complete an issue. She revealed that there is a lot of research going into each story. For example, in her second issue MAGIC, she interviewed a witch and had to do a vast amount of research in order to truly “exhaust” the topic.
When asked what she hopes readers take away from Buffalo Black Book, Siematkowski stated the following. “It is the bravest, hardest thing in the world to be yourself, but also the most rewarding. The more free you are in yourself the more you can do in life. I want people to feel that way when they read and look at the magazine.” Many would agree that statement embodies the heart of the magazine and embodies the dedication put into each and every issue of Buffalo Black Book.
Checkout the website: http://www.buffaloblackbook.co/home/
Featured Photo Credit: Website of the Buffalo Black Book
Niagara Wire 