Tucson’s digital media got a newcomer in October from a familiar voice.
Tucson native Gloria Knott launched Tucson Love Letter, dedicated to stories about the people, places and small businesses that make the city unique.
“I just want people to see the Tucson I see,” Knott said. “To discover it alongside me and to fall in love with it all over again.”
Knott worked nearly seven years at the Arizona Daily Star, including four as editor of its digital This Is Tucson site. She left the job last spring.
Tucson Love Letter blends traditional reporting with a conversational, reader-centered tone shaped by community feedback.
Before launching in October, Knott spent the summer speaking with more than 80 Tucson residents about what they felt was missing in local media.
“Gloria is all about serving her audience,” said Jill Jorden Spitz, her former editor at the Arizona Daily Star, who worked closely with her for several years. “She asks questions, listens to the answers and is single-minded about creating the publication her readers tell her they want and need.”
Knott’s approachable writing style—“Like she’s chatting with a friend,” Spitz said—has long set her work apart. But Tucson Love Letter is also an experiment in how local journalism can sustain itself.
Knott’s model focuses on collaboration with small businesses, offering affordable partnerships and event opportunities that connect them directly with readers.
The project reflects a broader shift in local journalism toward listening and engagement similar to Tucson Spotlight, Tucson Agenda and the Arizona Luminaria.
“Journalism used to be about offering up stories a publication thought its readers needed to know. That has evolved into more of a focus on finding out what the audience wants and needs by asking and listening. Gloria is a master at that,” Spitz said.
“If she’s serving people who love Tucson, it makes sense that she also helps support the local businesses her readers love,” Spitz added. “Her idea to collaborate with businesses and offer very low fees for them to participate in her events is smart and innovative.”
That approach has already resonated with Tucson’s creative community.
Artist and small business owner Hyejin Lee, who runs Girthy Gochu, said Knott’s openness and support meant a lot to her as someone building a brand outside the norm.
“Some people see my art and say it’s not family-friendly,” Lee said.
Her work, under the name Girthy Gochu (a play on the Korean word gochu, meaning chili pepper, which is also slang for penis), features playful, exaggerated depictions of penises in cute or humorous forms, including stickers and prints.
“But Gloria just saw the creativity behind it. She thought it was fun and worth celebrating, and that really made me feel seen,” Lee said.
Lee first met Knott when she was still running markets through This Is Tucson. Knott reached out to Lee before launching her site for feedback on what Tucson’s creative scene needed most.
“I told her we need more spaces that feel colorful, vibrant and fun,” Lee said. “Her newsletter captures that perfectly. It’s made by someone who really understands the people here.”
Knott runs the publication largely on her own, posting a few stories each week while managing social media and outreach. The process, she said, has reminded her of the value of slowing down and staying grounded in purpose.
“When I slowed down, I finally had space to think about what kind of journalism I wanted to do and who I wanted it to serve,” she said.
Her former editor said she’s confident the project will succeed.
“I have so much respect for her,” Spitz said. “I have absolutely zero doubt that Tucson Love Letter will thrive under her care.”
Readers can explore Knott’s work and subscribe to Tucson Love Letter at tucsonloveletter.com or follow tucsonloveletter on Instagram and TikTok for updates and stories from Tucson’s people, places and creative scene.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
