Welcome to the 20th anniversary birthday issue of The Cud!

Did we just read that correctly? Is it really 20 years since we launched The Cud?! 20 years -two WHOLE decades- since our first issue premiered back in November of 2004 with a launch party at the Hotel Hollywood in Sydney's Surry Hills? At the time, along with my old pal and co-founder Oliver Pennington, our shared mission was to produce a monthly online magazine that could consistently offer 'free-form articles and opinion pieces on subjects from across the spectrum' and engage our readers with the challenge to 'Entertain A New Perspective: Chew The Cud.'

It was most certainly a labour of love, and has remained so up until this very day, over 200 issues later.

Over the years our readership ebbed and flowed, we've seen countless contributors come and go, and we have navigated a rapidly changing media landscape, particularly with the growth and expansion of social media. And yet, against the odds (and with a great many rival online endeavours having fallen by the wayside), we're still here 20 years on- and that is something we take great pride in.

Today The Cud enjoys a dedicated readership based primarily in Australia and the United States, but monthly reader emails continue to arrive from throughout the globe, never ceasing to amaze and surprise us by the reach of our little magazine, and offering feedback and comments on articles both old and new. We have made SO many friends through this venture and consider ourselves truly blessed, not least as recipients of such stellar, informed and talented writing from well over 500 contributors, many of whom have continued to collaborate with us for years.

And yet, all good things must come to an end. This hasn't been an easy decision, but we wanted to announce on this anniversary that our next issue -for January/February of 2025- will be our last. Put simply, 20 feels like a good number and achievement on which to end The Cud, and we'd much rather call it a day when the magazine still feels alive, vibrant and celebrated, and not running on mere fumes and absent of any readers. This isn't a decision based on finances nor a lack of enthusiasm, it just feels like the right time. We are also wise enough to add 'never say never' to this announcement! Our intention is to keep the website up and running as an active archive and record of work from so very many wonderful and dedicated individuals, and perhaps down the line we may return with new articles and opinion pieces, cartoons, short fiction, poetry and more. Perhaps our work will even return in a different format? Who knows. For now though, it's time to take a little break from chewing all that Cud.

As is our annual birthday tradition, we have compiled a 'best of', of sorts, voted by you, dear reader- but in contrast to our usual annual review, this issue represents some of the highlights and most popular pieces of our twenty year history. Please note that this issue is but a brief glimpse drawn from in excess of one thousand Cud features. We hope you enjoy, and invite you to explore our archives!

Thank you to everyone who has helped make The Cud happen over the last 20 years- we couldn't have done this without you, and hope that you will please keep in touch. Until then, here's to our next and final issue, and let's just wait and see on what else might come up down the road...

Evan Kanarakis
Editor, The Cud