Legacy Magazine

Legacy, NAI's premier periodical, offers a forum for professionals in the field to exchange ideas and information. Articles, columns, and commentaries deal with practical issues relevant to frontline interpreters, planners, and managers.

Subscriptions are available separate from memberships. Legacy is published six times a year.

Preview the new digital Legacy       Read the Full Issue & Legacy Archive    

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Get your message out to this unique audience of movers, shakers, and decision-makers in the field of interpretation. Download a rate sheet here.

Contact Heather Manier for more information.

Contribute to Legacy

As the premiere magazine produced by the interpretive profession, Legacy seeks dynamic, inspiring writing that provides more than information. Writers for Legacy forge emotional and intellectual connections between the interests of their readers and the inherent meanings in the resources being described. In other words, Legacy articles should be interpretive, not just informative.

The first step in writing for Legacy is to submit an article proposal. Proposals are short (250-500 written words, or 2-5 minutes of recorded audio/video) “pitches” for your article. You’ll share a tentative article title along with a brief who, what, where, when, how, and why. You’ll also share why this proposed article is a fit for NAI, Legacy in general, and this specific issue. Reach out to the editors with any questions and to connect with example proposals.

If your proposal receives a positive review from the editorial board, the next step in writing for Legacy is to submit a full article draft. Full articles are generally 1500-2000 words, sharing your story, experience, project, or message with specific and sensory details, accessible language, and, if possible, some takeaways for readers to consider in their own practice. (In other words, a Legacy article is like an interpretive mini-program!)

Legacy’s editors support writers at every step with encouraging, constructive feedback. We particularly welcome submissions from first-time authors and authors of historically under-represented identities. If you bring the “heart” of your article, we’ll help you make your writing shine!

Email Legacy to submit a query.

Upcoming Themes

2026

January/February 2026: From the Archives
This special issue will highlight past Legacy articles from its 30-plus-year history, amplifying perspectives and stories that our editorial board feel are particularly resonant at this time. We are excited to share this first-ever “archival” issue with you!

March/April 2026: The Interpretation Canvas
Interpretation takes many forms: song, dance, image, story, and sound. This issue celebrates interpretive expression in all its dynamic forms. Video articles, audio tours, photo essays, and more—we go beyond the written page and invite interpreters to share how art, movement, and multimedia open new ways of connecting people and place.
Submit proposals by November 15, 2025
Full article drafts due December 10, 2025

May/June 2026: Interpreting Foodways
Food connects culture, memory, and place. For this issue, we will explore how interpreters use food traditions—seed saving, shared meals, and more—to tell stories of identity, migration, resilience, and sustainability. What might we learn about people and place when we interpret what’s on the table?
Submit proposals by December 10, 2025
Full article drafts due January 10, 2026

July/August 2026: Interpreting the United States
In 2026, the federal United States government will celebrate its 250th anniversary, though Indigenous Nations and Peoples have known this land as home for far longer. What does “the United States” mean through the lens of interpretation? We invite articles from across the nation’s many geographies, cultures, and histories to highlight the complexity of interpreting “the United States” in its multiple voices and meanings.
Submit proposals by February 10, 2026
Full article drafts due March 10, 2026

September/October 2026: Intergenerational Interpretation
Whether in internal or external relationships, interpretive sites bring together diverse generations of peoples. Interpretive stories also cross generations through mentorship, memory, and shared experience. This issue looks at how interpreters bridge age, time, and perspective, creating connections among elders, youth, and everyone in between.
Submit proposals by April 10, 2026
Full article drafts due May 10, 2026

November/December 2026: Interpreting Revolution
Revolution can mean political upheaval, cultural transformation, or quiet acts of change. Interpretation, even, could be seen as a revolutionary act. For this issue, contributors discuss how interpreters engage with the moments and movements—near and far, and past and present—that reshape communities, landscapes, and ideas of justice.
Submit proposals by June 10, 2026
Full article drafts due July 10, 2026

Meet the Editorial Board

Managing Editor

Lucien Meadows

Associate Editors

Gaynell Brady (Owner and Educator, Our Mammy’s)
Dayamiris Candelario (Blue Flag Program Coordinator, OPAS Puerto Rico)
Paul Caputo (Executive Director, NAI)
Kylie Christian (Director, Australian Practicing Interpretation Professionals)
Christina Cid (Director of Strategic Projects, High Desert Museum)
Liz Mueller (Museum Educator, International Spy Museum)
Michael Romero (World History Teacher, Menchville High School)

Editorial Advisors

Theresa Coble (E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Experiential and Family Education, University of Missouri - St. Louis)
CJ Greco (Teen Programs Manager, Lincoln Park Zoo)
Brenda Lackey (Professor of Interpretation, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
Sarana Schell (Natural Resource Specialist, Alaska Department of Natural Resources)
Julia Pinnix (Visitor Services Manager, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Complex)
Katie Shea (Tribal Policy Fellow, National Parks Conservation Association)
Wiwien T. Wiyonoputri (Co-Founder, Indonesian Society for Interpretation)

Interested in becoming involved with Legacy as an Associate Editor or Editorial Advisor? Email Managing Editor Lucien Meadows to learn more.