Independent News, Arts & Culture. Reader-supported local journalism.

The Ogdenite creates and publishes an Arts-Forward newspaper and Free pocket guide serving Ogden and the surrounding region, in print and online. Founded and run by journalists, we are editorially independent with no investors or outside influence and our readers come first.

Our pages define Ogden’s unique culture in the Mountain West: news, local politics, personally curated event listings, music, food and book reviews, humor, literature, history, reader opinions, and more – daily online and monthly in print. 

We’re also a gathering place – on the page, online, and in the streets of Ogden. We bring our community together through events, both our own and those we support, that celebrate local culture and uplift local makers, small businesses, and artists. 

Independent local journalism is the heartbeat of an informed community and healthy democracy – and without it, communities lose their voice. As community papers dissolve and print fades across the country, we exist to make sure that doesn’t happen here.

Since 2019 this work has only been possible because of readers like you.

How it all started

The Ogdenite was founded by local writer and freelance journalist Deann Armes in 2019 to fill a void in Ogden-based arts and culture coverage. It was hard to find all the amazing things happening in Ogden, so Deann started covering events, artists, and small businesses on The Ogdenite site, including "Goings On About O-Town," (now called “All Around The Vard”) a popular weekly social media post.

Readership grew quickly, and Deann launched a monthly wallet-sized “mini mag” known as the Pocket Guide in September 2022, and later a monthly print newspaper in December 2025. Both publications are 100% locally made. The Ogdenite has become a trusted publication that provides independent news, entertainment, and inspiration all in one place.

We publish daily news, events, music, business listings, and more, with support from Community Partners and Supporting Readers.

After almost a decade of freelance writing for other local publications, I saw a lot happening in Ogden that was overlooked. I knew we needed and deserved something spectacular that is our own. One night in 2019, two words came to mind - ‘The Ogdenite.’ I didn’t know yet what it would become.

I started writing a social media post every Wednesday, ‘Goings On About O-Town,’ (inspired by The New Yorker's 'Goings On About Town') that lists all the happenings for the week. Soon after, I was publishing local news and events at theogdenite.com.

I wanted to grow organically and attract engaged readers by offering what I believe people want and need — an honest voice, and all of the information in one place.
Now we are a growing team of passionate writers, artists, and designers united in this vision. And we love Ogden.

The Ogdenite is dedicated to the artists, dreamers, musicians, and readers of Northern Utah. WE ARE THE OGDENITE.

You can read more about why I started The Ogdenite and how I found Ogden here and here.

Thank you for your support!

—Deann Armes
Founder/Executive Editor

OUR TEAM

Publisher & Executive Editor
Deann Armes
editor@theogdenite.com

Associate Editor
Angelika Brewer

Contributing Writers & Creators

Alivia Ampersand, Headlines
Leon Araujo, Artist/Illustrator
Allie Armes-Hecker, Artist/Illustrator
Austin Buckius, Writer
Tyson Cole, Cartoonist
Andrea Ealy, Writer
James Gordon, Writer
Taylor Hartman, Writer
Cooper Hatsis, Writer
Rebecca Ory-Hernandez, Contributing Writer
Tenaya Hyde-Harrison, Writer
Caril Jennings, Writer/Columnist
Anika Keller, Writer
Sarah Langsdon, Columnist/History
Stephen St. Peter, Crosswords, Writer
Megan Swann, Writer
Steve Williams, Writer/Columnist
Emma Zaugg, Artist/Illustrator

Contributing Copy Editors
Ryan Christner
Susan Snyder, Writer & Editor

Production & Design
Jessica Anderson
Melissa Mae Lawrence, Layout & Design Editor

Distribution & Community Spirit
Claudia Avino
LeeAnn Ballard
Ivey Gramer

PRINTER
Ellis Printing (Pocket Guide)
Tooele Transcript Bulletin (Newspaper)

The Ogdenite was created in 2019 by local writer and journalist Deann Kristen Armes to bring independent news and cultural coverage to the Ogden area.

Ogden•ite

1) a native or inhabitant of the US city of Ogden.

"she was an Ogdenite at heart."

Deann is a writer and freelance journalist with an eye for unpolished beauty. This vision landed her in “untamed” Ogden where she relocated to seek offbeat adventures with her kids in 2015. “I love unearthing the unseen in Utah’s lands, history, culture, and people—and bringing it to light through story,” she says.

When not writing and managing The Ogdenite, she’s out hiking, kayaking, or exploring Ogden’s Historic 25th Street and beyond for the best food, drinks, and stories. Her favorite writing involves food, music, people, nature, culture, and art, and she is influenced by Walt Whitman, Mary Oliver, John Steinbeck, and The New Yorker.

Deann’s published freelance writing includes Salt Lake City Weekly, Indie Ogden Magazine, Utah Stories, C Within Magazine, Standard-Examiner, and Visit Utah.