Maggie St. Thomas is a multi-faceted West Coast artist from Long Beach, CA. By the age of fourteen she was a published photo-journalist fearlessly capturing the Los Angeles Anarchy punk and Goth music scenes with her Nikon 35mm film cameras. One of Maggie's most cherished moments came in 1995 when she photographed her all-time favorites, The Ramones.
Arturo Vega, legendary RAMONES Creative Director, acknowledged Maggie's talent, stating, "I enjoy seeing photographs or reading almost anything about The Ramones, but it is especially satisfactory when a written piece is done well with a true sense of understanding of punk music; this is just the case in what Maggie has written about the band. She is also very good at capturing the band's spirit in photos." -June 14, 2002
Since the early 90's, Maggie's photographic and journalistic works have graced the centerfolds, pages, and adorned the covers of over 300 print publication issues, including Billboard, Rolling Stone, and High Times Magazine. Her photographic career has given her the opportunity to work closely with legendary artists including Etta James, Lemmy Kilmister, Bo Diddley, Joey Ramone, Bradley Nowell, and many more.
Her photographs have also been featured on album covers she's been commissioned to work on including a handful with actor/ musician Corey Feldman (1998-2019), and two by Mickey Avalon, to name a few. With each collaboration, Maggie skillfully captures the essence of those in front of her camera lens with timeless finesse and grace.
In a unique twist, Maggie ventured beyond her photographic pursuits and has established a career in Death Care since from 2021-2024, assisting those who have transitioned from the realm of the living into the afterlife.
In October 2022, Maggie achieved another milestone entering the world of published authors with her debut hardcover release, "Still Life: The Photographs of Maggie St. Thomas.' With four decades of photographic work compiled into a collection of 104 pages, the book begins with a foreword written by Exene Cervenka which beautifully sets the tone for its reader. The 'unofficial'' book release and signing party took place inside the Chapel of Destiny Funeral Home in Long Beach, California October 29, 2022, with live music and framed photographs adorning the walls of the Chapel.
During the first half of 2023, a handful of book signings at B&N bookstore locations on the west coast welcomed the new author, along with her first year at Bay Area Book Festival, and a signing at Green Apple Books in San Francisco.
In Fall 2023, Maggie unveiled two new releases. "Underwater Girl," a magical and fun Children's Story that celebrates friendship, courage, and self-discovery, beautifully illustrated by Christie Shinn, and "In Print: The Articles of Maggie St. Thomas (2018-2023),'' a paperback collection of thirty-nine published features she wrote through the span of five years that were previously exclusive to the online domain. With "In Print," readers are now able to enjoy these features in the light they deserve, on the printed page.
Maggie is currently crafting her fourth book, "Subject: PUNK," a hardcover photo compilation on the punk scene from 1993 to 2023 she plans to release Spring 2024. Featuring unpublished interviews, including a rare find with Stan Lee of The Dickies, discovered among her archived typewritten files from 1996, working as a teenage freelance photo-journalist not all of her work was published. Her journey through Southern California's punk rock scene includes photographing at venues like the Showcase Theatre and Hong Kong Cafe, to working with legendary artists including The Dickies, X, The Ramones, Sick of It All, Chaos UK, GBH, and more. "Subject: PUNK" promises a dynamic exploration of punk rock through the eyes and lens of Maggie St.Thomas, with interviews, reviews, and insights by the author and various artists featured in the pages.