Letter from the Editor: The Final Fête

District Fray’s editor-in-chief Monica Alford reflects on 2023 and shares a sneak peek of what’s to come in the new year from her, the team + our community. 

The moment our final issue of the year goes to press is one of the few times I slow down enough to reflect on all the amazing opportunities my team and I have had and the hard work we’ve put into championing D.C. and bringing people together.

As I approach my eight-year mark at the helm of the magazine, I’m feeling a bit more introspective than usual. My dream has always been to tell people’s stories through celebratory journalism, and I couldn’t be more grateful to close out 2023 with what feels like the most impactful year yet.

Looking back, everything I’ve done with the magazine has been a direct result of building an incredibly talented team and extended family of D.C. creatives contributing to my vision and punching far beyond our collective weight.

During my three years at On Tap Magazine, I had the opportunity to revamp and breathe new life into the publication to increase its relevance in the city’s media landscape and highlight the culture scene more prominently. A huge component of this was bringing in a young and hungry team, and a new stable of freelancers who boosted visibility and helped put On Tap on the map within our creative scene.

I feel immense gratitude toward On Tap’s publisher Jennifer Currie, who has an entrepreneurial spirit and endless hustle. She taught me how to think beyond just the written word and extend our reach within the community through events curation and production, and other revenue-drivers that were critical to helping keep local journalism alive.

At the time, I thought the most difficult balancing act of my journalistic career was at the beginning of 2016 when I started my dream job at On Tap — only to find out I was pregnant with my son Finn a month later. While navigating a demanding new role and impending motherhood came with its own set of challenges, it was just the first of three pivotal moments in my career — and the magazine’s — where we were put to the test.

L to R: Nicole Schaller, Monica Alford, Claire Smalley + M.K. Koszycki. Photo by Scott Suchman.

In early 2019, On Tap was purchased by DC Fray and we began a 12-month transition into our new home in Brentwood. I readily admit I’m not always one to embrace change with open arms, but the shift to Fray was the kickstart we needed to make bigger waves in the city.

The support of a bigger entity with more touchpoints within the D.C. community afforded us new opportunities to dream big and expand our reach — including an ever-evolving and growing team who we continued to strengthen bonds with over time. In March 2020, we finally launched District Fray Magazine after months of creative brainstorms, strategic planning and a complete reimagining of our publication.

I will never forget the night my team went to press for our first issue of District Fray. My editorial designer Julia Goldberg, deputy editor Trent Johnson and I pulled two 18+ hour days at Fray’s office, putting together a magazine that would normally require a significantly more robust staff. As we walked out of the office at 7 a.m. and gave each other one last weary but proud look, I felt my heart burst with pride.

To this day, I have never been in the trenches quite like that with anyone else, and I will forever be grateful for their unwavering trust and loyalty because I couldn’t have crossed that finish line without them by my side.

Two weeks after our first issue was published, and one week before a 1,000-person launch party that we were set to cohost with our dear friends at No Kings Collective, Covid made its harrowing debut as our third and most difficult hurdle.

L to R: Maps Glover, E$, Joy Kingsley-Ibeh, Monica Alford, Maggie O’Neill, Ashley Jaye Williams, Brandon Hill + Maria Bastasch. Photo by Scott Suchman.

Yet somehow, the newly minted media arm of our company was the only one able to motor on like the Little Engine That Could through so much uncertainty. I am extremely appreciative that our publisher Robert Kinsler shared my belief in the power of print and remained committed to District Fray’s success — especially when so many of our peers were shuttering or hitting pause — and that I had the chance to work in lockstep with Fray’s COO Brittany Rheault on new ways to support the community during the pandemic.

We even redesigned the publication to be all-glossy and perfect bound, which had been a dream of mine all along and well-deserved given the sophistication and quality of our design, photography and creative direction.

The first year of the pandemic also allowed us to shift the narrative, expanding our content beyond what you can do for fun in D.C. and refocusing on the city’s heartbeat: the people who live here. We entered a new era that forever changed our path and charted a new course for the publication.

District Fray was never going to just be a magazine again. We became community builders, providing thoughtfully curated and unique experiences to locals craving interaction and connection. Our collaborations became more intentional, our stories more authentic, our curation more inclusive, our labor of love more steadfast.

We’ve only gained momentum, pushing harder than ever to shed light on the city’s diversity, vibrancy and hunger for community through every issue, curated event and conversation. For the first time in nearly a decade, there is no doubt in my mind that D.C.’s creative community needs us just as much as we need them.

L to R: Nicole Schaller, Monica Alford, Claire Smalley + M.K. Koszycki. Photo by Scott Suchman.

This issue, our “final fête,” is a different kind of love letter to the city. It starts with my current team on the cover: a group of women who command a presence in a way I never could have dreamed of when I first walked into On Tap all those years ago.

My creative director Claire Smalley has given me the invaluable gift of true creative partnership while elevating the magazine to be a work of art every single month. My deputy editor Nicole Schaller’s work ethic and integrity are unmatched, and even though our years together have been the most tumultuous for the magazine, they’ve also been the most rewarding — in large part because I always knew I had the fiercest advocate for what we’ve built by my side.

M.K. Koszycki, my managing editor, is living proof that we can go through a media acquisition, pandemic, two-year hiatus and all of the emotional noise that comes with just one of those life events and still find our way back to each other. Our unbreakable bond and her creative spirit have been so restorative to me and helped rebuild confidence I needed to think big picture about what possibilities might lie ahead.

Photographer Scott Suchman captured my team in a perfect moment for the December cover, just as I’ve always seen us: an indestructible force emanating resilience, quiet resolve and a knowing glance of exciting things to come.

The fête continues with Suchman’s stunning shots of the most dynamic, colorful and insanely gifted group of artists, creators, curators, entrepreneurs and visionaries I am lucky enough to call members of my chosen family. We celebrate these seven frequent collaborators as this month’s District Denizens, a nod to their massive influence in the city with a sneak peek of what they’re manifesting next.

L to R: Maps Glover, E$, Joy Kingsley-Ibeh, Monica Alford, Maggie O’Neill, Ashley Jaye Williams, Brandon Hill + Maria Bastasch. Photo by Scott Suchman.

While our cover subjects and denizens are among my most valued creative partners, they only scratch the surface of the vast network of contributors who’ve made a mark on the magazine including editors Jamie McCrary and Abi Newhouse, who understand the voice of our content and inner workings of what it takes to go to press more than anyone else.

Our cover location, the French-inspired Petite Cerise, is one of 35+ dining establishments highlighted in this issue. From mom-and-pop mainstays to Michelin-starred standouts, the December issue is a celebration of D.C.’s thriving dining scene featuring intimate interviews with chefs and restaurateurs and a behind-the-scenes look into kitchens, smokehouses and much more.

I want to close out this last letter of 2023 by extending the biggest thank you my heart can hold to the countless bold and brilliant collaborators who helped build this spectacular publication; every iteration of my core team for their commitment and contributions to our shared vision; my mentors and creative partners who made me feel seen before I had a seat at the table in local media, and who continue to believe in and inspire me daily; and the D.C. community for reading our words and giving us so much to celebrate.

This has been the most incredible ride I’ve ever been on, and my beautiful tribe of talented minds and I are ready for the next chapter. To quote my sonic anthem, the voice in my head and the mantra of my creative collective’s bright future, “Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side.”

Thank you, D.C. We’ll see you next year.

Monica Alford
Editor-in-chief

Monica Alford