In a first for a first lady, Michelle Obama edits More Magazine


Michelle Obama can now add editor to her long list of accomplishments.
The first lady guest-edited the July-August issue of More Magazine, which will hit newsstands June 23. More's editor-in-chief, Lesley Jane Seymour, told The Associated Press that "there's never been a first lady who's ever guest-edited a magazine and certainly not a sitting first lady." Obama pitched ideas, wrote articles — including a review of Elizabeth Alexander's The Light of the World and a reflective piece on being "mom in chief" — and approved copy for the 148-page issue, Seymour said. She "was reading every page and asking for changes up until the last minute.... She had to approve absolutely everything. She had to suggest various things, too."
The issue's theme is "More Impact," and Obama, who was not compensated, focused on issues close to her, including supporting military families and encouraging young people to further their education after high school. "What I want readers to understand is that impact comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes," Obama said in a statement. "And hopefully through this issue, what people will see is that you can have impact as a military mom changing careers, or you can be a young person starting a business, or you can be the first lady and start a whole initiative."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
How successful would Elon Musk's third party be?
Today's Big Question Musk has vowed to start a third party after falling out with Trump
-
Music reviews: Bruce Springsteen and Benson Boone
Feature "Tracks II: The Lost Albums" and "American Heart"
-
Why passkeys are the next frontier in digital security
A disruptive new technology promises to put passwords to bed forever — but not yet
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible