Gross to be honored as editor April 11

Amy Gross '63

She has been lauded for her ability to know what women want to read and anticipating which issues will resonate with them.

Now Amy Gross '63, editor of O, The Oprah Magazine, has won a top award from New York Women in Communications for outstanding work in her field. She and seven other winners of the organization's 2005 Matrix Awards will be honored April 11 at a lunch at the Waldorf-Astoria hosted by The New York Times.

Each woman is being recognized for her work in a different area of communications; Gross was selected in the magazine category. Other honorees include CNN's Christiane Amanpour and actress Edie Falco.

Hearst Corp., which launched O with Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Entertainment Group, cited Gross in 2001 for her work as an editor and for building a terrific staff. Her advice to live by was, “Be moved, inspired, stimulated, energized and encouraged by what you do.” Gross said she enjoyed planning each issue of the magazine — watching ideas turn into words and images, then pages and finally a magazine.

The payoff, Gross said, was “being inspired by the woman whose name means inspiration.” No one in the world comes close to matching Winfrey's ability to do that, she said.

Cathleen Black, president of Hearst Magazines, said Gross's experience gave her the ability to know what readers wanted and which issues would appeal to them.

Gross, who was awarded the College Medal from CC in 1996, was named editor of O in July 2000. A founding editor of Mirabella, she was that magazine's editor when it won the American Society of Magazine Editors Award for General Excellence. She was editorial director at Elle from 1993 to 1996, and has written for a wide variety of magazines, including Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart Living and Modern Maturity. Gross is also co-author of Women Talk About Breast Surgery: Diagnosis to Recovery and Women Talk About Gynecological Surgery.