Today we are two.

SMITH Magazine launched exactly two years ago, on January 6, 2006, after we raced to launch timed to what I had learned was National Smith Day. National Smith Day has nothing to do with storytelling (until two years ago, at least), but is in fact a holiday cooked up to celebrate the birthday of one of the country’s original Smiths, Capt. John Smith, the English colonist who led the Jamestown settlers. Here’s what I wrote two years ago about the beginning of the beginning.

I want to thank everyone who has given this storytelling labor of love real legs—none more leggy than cofounder Tim Barkow and senior editor Rachel Fershleiser. We’ll soon* be unveiling a whole new look, feel, and in many ways function for SMITH, one we feel is the natural evolution of a people-powered storytelling site. Assuming lead relauncher Mr. Barkow doesn’t collapse or kill me, this next stage in SMITH’s young life is going to be one giant step. We’ll be celebrating two years of storytelling and the release of our book, NOT QUITE WHAT I WAS PLANNING: Six-Word Memoirs By Writers Famous and Obscure, with a big fete on February 9 in New York City, and some events around the country shortly thereafter. Details coming via your next SMITH Newsletter—stayed tuned.

That’s our story on year two. What’s yours?

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*What can I say? We had hoped to push the button on the redesign on the exact day of our two-year anniversary. But it’s hard out here for a SMITH. And let’s face it, few of you would have remembered this was the anniversary date without reading the above post, so we figure why unleash this beast before its time. But it will be ready shortly: we’re dancing as fast as we can.

Birthday cupcake via Flickr user and self-described “mama, blogger and overachiever” gisarah, who coincidentally lives in Portland, Oregon, where Tim Barkow toils.