Stewart to resume her column

Wed., Feb. 23, 2005

Cesar G. Soriano USA Today

Martha Stewart’s homecoming party has officially begun.

The 63-year-old domestic diva, who is nearing the end of her five-month sentence at a West Virginia prison, will return to Martha Stewart Living as a columnist beginning with the April issue, editor Margaret Roach says.

In the March issue (on newsstands now), Roach also reveals that Stewart has spent her time behind bars foraging for wild edible greens such as dandelions, glazing a ceramic Nativity scene for her mom, teaching a nightly yoga class, crocheting toy opossums for her dogs, and reading “voraciously,” including “Bob Dylan’s Chronicles: Volume One.”

“That’s the thing about Martha – she is always Martha and never idle or distracted or down,” Roach writes.

“She remains ever the can-do optimist, starting letters even from prison with sentences like, ‘Today was a pleasant day,’ and, after a passage looking ahead to 2005, ending with ‘Let the fun begin!’ “

The editorial embrace marks a U-turn for her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which distanced itself from Stewart after she was convicted of lying about a stock sale. But since she entered prison, her star power has only grown.

In December, she announced plans to host a daytime show next fall. Earlier this month, NBC revealed a spinoff of “The Apprentice” with Stewart at the head of the boardroom table.

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