NEW YORK – The Southern Living brand announces a collaboration with The Southern Coterie, the social network of the South. The Southern Coterie founders Whitney Long and Cheri Leavy will share content with southernliving.com for its “Daily South” blog. Long is also named a contributing editor at the magazine.

The Southern Coterie (http://www.thesouthernc.com) will hold its first-ever summit to bring together the best of the Southern blogging community, businesses and brands for learning and networking opportunities on Jekyll Island, GA, May 1-3. This intimate niche gathering of Southern creatives will offer rich content, conversation and collaboration all while overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Southern Living will sponsor “Cocktails and Conversation” where a team of Southern Living editors will host a panel discussion and cocktails made using Southern Living Test Kitchen recipes will be served. Southern Living associate editor Erin Shaw Street will also lead a workshop on digital media at the summit.

“I love The Southern Coterie’s concept, content, and style,” said Southern Living Editor-in-Chief Lindsay Bierman. “The passion we share for all things Southern will expand and enrich the dialogue with our community.”

“Working with Southern Living, which has championed our South for generations, offers The Southern Coterie both a mentor and an ally,” according to Whitney Long and Cheri Leavy. “We are excited to be collaborating with The Daily South and look forward to sharing content with one another via their blog and our online community. This partnership allows anyone who loves the South the opportunity to connect and join in on the conversation.”

The duo created a Tumblr blog in November 2011 and quickly transitioned to a weekly newsletter of original and curated content. “We realized that people got tripped up over the word ‘coterie,’ so we shortened it to ‘The Southern C,’ because there are so many ‘C’ words that related to being a Southerner — cuisine, community, craftsman, characters, culture — the list goes on,” Long tells Southern Living. “In July 2012 we launched our social network that allows users to interact.'”

Added Leavy, “We call it a ‘virtual front porch.’ It’s free to register, and when you do you can share content and immediately connect with others with similar interests. There are forums for suggestions, questions and discussion such as books they are reading or a meal they just had at a great Southern restaurant. You can also share recipes, photos, videos and blog posts.”

For the full story, go to: http://thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2013/02/13/southern-coterie-the-must-visit-virtual-front-porch/

About Southern Living

Southern Living celebrates the essence of life in the South, covering the best in Southern food, home, garden, and travel. Reaching more than 16 million consumers each month, Southern Living connects consumers with the region’s rich culture through a variety of print, digital, mobile, tablet and event platforms. Headquartered in Birmingham, AL, the rapidly expanding Southern Living brand is part of Time Inc., one of the largest content companies in the world and the largest publisher in the United States. Time Inc. is a Time Warner company.

Contacts:

Jennifer Zawadzinski 212.522.9046 jennifer_zawadzinski@timeinc.com