This issue might seem a little smaller than what you’re accustomed to. It’s a 72-page magazine versus our more robust page tally of 80 or 96 pages. But it marks a major accomplishment nonetheless: This is the first August issue of Alameda Magazine, and as such, it means Alameda Magazine is a true monthly magazine appearing in your mailbox and on newsstands 12 times a year.

When I became editor in 2003, the publishing frequency was six issues a year, although our default setting soon became seven issues per year. Now, 16 years after its debut, Alameda Magazine is monthly.

Our cover story, “One Rad Mama,” page 31, is about as Alameda as it gets. If you have young daughters and long to introduce them to progressive female role models, Kate Schatz, our profile subject, might have made it on your radar back in 2015 when she released her first children’s graphic book, Rad American Women A-Z. Today, she is a Haight Avenue mother of two writing best-sellers for kids. She’s also a teacher, a feminist, and a founding member of Solidarity Sundays, a monthly get-together for women to help them translate their voices into political action. Julia Park Tracey, who left the beaches of Alameda a few years ago for the wilds of the Russian River Valley, trekked back to the Island and the East Bay a few times over the summer to watch Schatz in action, at a Children’s Fairyland reading, at a fun-loving Haight Street block party, and at a busy Solidarity Sunday. Schatz has struck a great partnership in her series of “Rad” books with Berkeley illustrator Miriam Klein Stahl. That’s her woodcut-type illustration of Schatz on the cover. Their newest book, Rad Girls Can, was released in July.

This issue also devotes a lot of ink to where and how you can continue your education, “Who’s Getting Their Learning On,” starting on page 22. These days, a lot of learning occurs — surprise — outside classroom settings. Sure, you can go the traditional route to earn an MBA or MFA at a local college or university, or take classes online, but if those options sound too dry, confining, or boring, there are options, many options. Lifelong learning never stops, and to aid you in your journey to work out your gray matter more, we’ve compiled “The Guide: Lifelong Learning,” page 26, which covers programs from beekeeping and glass blowing to sailing and dancing as well as writing, podcasting, and leadership classes.