Magazine Reviews
Literary magazine reviews & more new launches
By Steve Black -- Library Journal, 07/01/2009
New Reviews for July:
Farallon Review | Grist | Parenting | Where Women Create
News organizations nationwide are struggling to adapt to falling advertising revenue and competition from online information sources. The highly respected Christian Science Monitor’s approach is to now print only a weekly, relegating daily updates to csmonitor.com. The weekly edition continues the daily paper’s tradition of original, insightful international reporting that often focuses on topics and people different from coverage in other mainstream media. This is not its first venture into the magazine format. World Monitor (ISSN 0897-9472), selected by Bill Katz as one of LJ’s “Best New Magazines of 1988,” ceased production in 1993. Founder Mary Baker Eddy’s dictum, “The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” gives it special value, deserving its place in every library. One hopes this weekly Monitor will stay in publication for a very long time.
Design and Culture. 2009. 3/yr. $302. Ed: Elizabeth Guffey. ISSN 1754-7075. illus. Aud: Ac (Subject: Design—History. Issue examined: Vol. 1, No. 1, Mar. 2009)
British publisher Berg continues its steady stream of new scholarly art journals with Design and Culture, the official journal of the Design Studies Forum, a professional group dedicated to the study of design history, theory, and criticism. The editor promotes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of design and of the cultures in which design flourishes. Relevant disciplines include anthropology, geography, political economy, and cultural studies. All articles are peer-reviewed and thoroughly referenced. The inaugural issue’s six research articles cover topics such as faith-based design in electronic circuitry (e.g., a cruciform MP3 player), the tumultuous International Design Conference of 1970, and the imminent death of the CD as the favored medium for recorded music. Design and Culture includes reviews of exhibitions and books. Berg’s newest offering is a fine choice for academic libraries serving students and researchers in design or cultural studies. [The institutional subscription price above includes electronic access; E-ISSN 1754-7083; online-only subs: $257. Sample issue.]
The Farallon Review. 2008. a. $10. Ed: Tim Foley. ISSN 1937-9153. illus. Aud: GA, Ac (Subject: Short Stories, American—21st century. Issue examined: Vol. 2, Spring 2009)
The Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco are only visible on clear days, metaphorically suggesting the clarity of perspective in The Farallon Review, a slim but compelling collection of short fiction. The title is slightly misleading: the journal contains no reviews. Content is exclusively new short stories by writers based predominantly in San Francisco, interspersed with a few black-and-white art photos. The writing is quite good, with refreshingly original themes, appropriate dashes of humor, and surprising insights into the imagined protagonists’ psyches. Scenarios include ransacking recyclables for meager profit, a misguided fantasy of stealing the neighbor’s cat, and teenage online-dating angst. The Farallon Review is an excellent source of original, new short stories that will fit nicely into any collection of contemporary American literature.
Fresh Home. 2009. q. $19.96. Ed: Neil Wertheimer. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Interior Decoration. Issue examined: Vol. 1, No. 1, Mar. 2009)
Big-box home stores are filled with so many ways to personalize one’s home and drain one’s wallet, where do you start? Fresh Home features project ideas that touch on items in every aisle. In typical Reader’s Digest style, its new magazine’s content is clear, to the point, well organized, and assumes little or no prior experience. Projects include anticipated cost, skill level required, time involved, and a comparison of the cost of do-it-yourself vs. buying a similar object ready-made. This is a beginner’s magazine, and most but not all of the projects presume tools and materials can be purchased in a big-box home store. Fresh Home meets the needs of many homeowners; recommended for public libraries’ home improvement collections.
Gigantic. 2009. s-a. $11. Eds: Ann Dewitt, Rozalia Jovanovic, Lincoln Michel, & James Yeh. illus. Aud: GA (Subject: American Literature—21st Century. Issue examined: Vol. 1, No. 1, 2009)
Gigantic is hipster creativity on 16" x 22½" newsprint. The edgy, humorous, very short fiction combined with the magazine’s cartoonish roughness give it the feel of an extra-large zine. The format makes it unwieldy to bind, which may be a metaphor for the editors’ obvious intent to defy intellectual constraints. The illustrations in the examined issue are amusing and quirky—neither gory nor sexual. Some of the text is a bit sexually provocative but will probably not be offensive to readers who enjoy avant-garde literature. Gigantic is funded in part by the Arts Initiative at Columbia University, which is supported by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. Even though many such imaginative literature projects rarely enjoy long life, Gigantic’s youthful mirth, edgy creativity, and flash fiction make it an excellent choice for collections of contemporary creative writing.
Grist: The Journal for Writers. 2008. a. $29.95/3 issues. Ed: Charlotte Pence. illus. adv. Aud: GA, Ac (Subject: Literature, American—21st century. Issue examined: Vol. 1, 2008)
Published by the University of Tennessee Department of English, Grist contains short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, interviews with writers, and essays about the craft of writing. The journal accepts submissions from both new and established writers. The examined issue has 264 pages printed in large fonts with little illustration. This plain design on bright white paper is easy on the eyes and gives the journal a clean, traditional feel. The solid writing is of the caliber one would expect from a journal representing a research university’s graduate program in creative writing. While not radically distinctive from the many other literary journals published by university presses, Grist is a fine new source of contemporary American literature.
Knockout. 2008. s-a. $20. Eds: Jeremy Halinen & Brett Ortler. ISSN 1937-6367. Aud: GA, Ac (Subject: Poetry. Issues examined: Vol. 1, No. 1, Spring 2008 & Vol. 2, No. 1, Spring 2009)
Created by two former editors of Willow Springs (ISSN 0739-1277), this Minnesota-based literary magazine features writing by the world-famous Robert Bly and well-recognized creative writers Billy Collins, Marvin Bell, and Jonathan Williams. The writing is primarily short-form poetry that is creative and artful, not edgy or offensive. The premiere issue has a few translations of classic Chinese and German poems, nicely presenting them in their original languages alongside the translations. Unlike many contemporary literary journals, there are no illustrations. Knockout has a simple, attractive design in an easily shelved and bound format that complements the high-quality poetry. Intended as a semiannual publication, it has so far been issued annually. Knockout is a fine addition to any literature collection.
Mutineer Magazine. 2008. bi-m. $14.99. Ed: Alan Kropf. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Beverage Industry. Issue examined: Issue 5, Apr./May 2009)
Blurring the lines among blogging, product promotion, and magazine publishing, Mutineer’s editorial approach is a brash and enthusiastic yet irreverent celebration of specialty beverages. The editors are clearly businesspeople at heart, who nurture close relationships with festival promoters and their advertisers. Articles and short pieces cover coffee and sodas along with beer, wine, and liquor, with a distinct emphasis on the alcoholic beverages. The illustration and graphic design are competent but nothing out of the ordinary. Mutineer’s informal, youthful style borrows heavily from blogs—this style may appeal to some, but it leads one to question whether a print magazine is the best medium for this content. While Mutineer may interest readers who enjoy beer and wine and seek alternative opinions, it is an optional alternative to the likes of All About Beer (ISSN 0898-9001), Imbibe (ISSN 1557-7082), Wine & Spirits (ISSN 0890-0299), or Wine Spectator (ISSN 0193-497X). [Mutineer is available electronically via ScanLife. Sample issue.]
Newsweek. 1933. w. $40. Ed: Jon Meacham. ISSN 0028-9604. illus. adv. Aud: Ga (Subject: Current events. Issue examined: Vol. 153, No. 21, May 25, 2009)
The venerable Newsweek, owned by the Washington Post Company, is sticking with its weekly format but is shifting the editorial focus away from traditional news gathering. The redesigned Newsweek’s graphics incorporate a less dense layout and some new fonts. But the real changes are a reduction in detailed reporting of widely covered stories, more commentary by opinion leaders, and a focus each week on only a handful of features. Editor Meacham describes the goal as “longer-form reporting and more big-picture thinking,” in order to bring readers “intellectually satisfying” and “visually rich” experiences in the tradition of the best work in Esquire and Harper’s. Despite significant changes in graphic design and the organization of content, the redesigned Newsweek will remain familiar to longtime readers and continues to deserve being one of the most widely held magazines in libraries.
PainPathways. 2008. q. $20. Ed: Richard L. Rauck, M.D. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Pain—Treatment. Issue examined: Vol. 1, No. 4, Winter 2008)
This glossy is the official magazine of the World Institute of Pain, which is also responsible for the Wiley-Blackwell journal Pain Practice. Rauck is a member of the scholarly journal’s editorial board. The examined issue of Pain Pathways includes a profile of cancer survivor Elizabeth Edwards, an article about migraines, and a feature on gender differences in the incidence of pain. A notable inclusion is a directory of current clinical trials for painful conditions like arthritis, back pain, cancer, fibromyalgia, headaches, and multiple sclerosis. Targeted specifically to people suffering from chronic pain, Pain Pathways states it will be distributed to medical and pain clinics, patients, and caregivers. If it’s commonly found in doctors’ waiting rooms, do libraries need to subscribe? Perhaps, because the personal inspirational stories may create interest in back issues. Appropriate for larger heath and wellness collections.
Parenting: Early Years. 
Parenting: School Years.
ea. vol: 2009. m. $12. Ed: Susan Kane. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Child Rearing. Issue examined: Vol. 23, No. 4, May 2009)
Like most magazine publishers, Bonnier Corporation’s Parenting Group is looking for ways to sustain advertising revenue and find the right mix of online and print content. They’ve chosen a strategy of splitting Parenting magazine into two publications and offering the accompanying Sesame Street Magazine exclusively online as a PDF. Both editions of Parenting have the combination of abundant advertising, short blurbs, product placements, and a handful of substantive articles that are typical of glossy women’s mags and exclusively targeted to women. While tending to lack depth, the publications are quick, visually appealing reads that include good parenting tips. Content online parallels that in print, but subscriptions do provide content not found on the web site, which has an annoying number of pop-ups and lacks the browsability of a print magazine. It makes good sense to split editorial content and advertising in two, as many concerns and products are distinctly different for different age groups; however, the split is not fully carried through. The Early Years and School Years editions share graphic design, editorial staffs, and many of the same advertisements. The examined issues have exactly the same advisory "Mom Squad," and the letters from the editor are identical. Libraries that had Parenting should subscribe to these two very similar versions of the popular original.
Sacred Fire. 2005. q. $28. Ed: Jonathan Merritt. ISSN 1557-346X. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Spiritual Life—New Age Movement. Issue examined: Issue 8, Fall–Winter 2008)
In the examined issue, the editor states, “One of the basic premises of Sacred Fire is that the gods are alive and active in the world . . . on every level of being, each with particular attributes and tastes.” This perspective is described in articles rooted in the authors’ personal fascinations with indigenous peoples’ ancestral spiritual traditions, including animism, panentheism, and shamanism. Redesigned in 2008, Sacred Fire is a full-color, professionally produced journal that supports the work of the Sacred Fire Foundation, a group that sponsors “fire circles,” community celebrations of nature and spirit. Unlike superficially similar publications such as Circle Magazine or Modern Witch, Sacred Fire is little concerned with pagan rituals and even less so with occultism. The alternative spiritualities expressed here may interest patrons concerned with living close to nature, even if they have no particular interest in alternative religions. Sacred Fire is recommended for larger collections of spirituality literature and for patrons interested in getting back to nature.
Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade. 2009. bi-m. $19.98. Ed: Sandra Lee. ISSN 1943-8060. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Cookery. Issue examined: Vol. 1, No. 1, Feb./Mar. 2009)
The inaugural issue features “181 Fast Recipes & Easy Ideas,” written in a semi-interesting style with no pretense of boundaries between advertising and editorial content. Recipes combining prepared foods with fresh ingredients will appeal to many busy cooks and are comparable with those in Ceil Dyer’s popular book Best Recipes from the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars. The graphic design and color palette will be familiar to readers of Hoffman Media’s other publications, e.g., Victoria, Cooking with Paula Dean, and Sew Beautiful. The substantial target audience of busy women who want to create tasty meals and decorate on a tight budget undoubtedly includes many patrons of libraries. So while Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade has little other than its emphasis on using brand-name prepared foods to distinguish it from the plethora of cookery magazines and books, it could appeal to enough users to be a worthwhile acquisition for public libraries.
Where Women Create. 2009. q. $59.99. Ed: Jo Packham. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Workshops—Design and Construction. Issue examined: Issue 1, Winter 2009)
As any woodworker or other crafter knows, creating an appropriately personalized work space can be at least half the fun of the hobby. Where Women Create applies the desire for just the right work environment to sewing, quilting, stamping, and similar crafts. Unabashedly feminine throughout, this thick, lushly illustrated magazine is produced by Stampington & Co., publisher of Somerset Studio (ISSN 1096-5823) and other craft magazines. Where Women Create is highly visual, with every page dominated by photos of work spaces and the women who created them. Accompanying text is inspiring in a light way, sort of a "Chicken Soup for the Crafter’s Soul." The magazine contains little specific how-to information, but it is a visually rich source of inspiration for people interested in creating a personal space for crafting in fabric or paper.
See Magazine Reviews for January–April
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Steve Black is a librarian at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY, and teaches a course in serials at the University at Albany. He is also the author of Serials in Libraries: Issues and Practices (Libraries Unlimited), and he interviews editors on Periodical Radio. Steve would like to give special thanks to his colleague Dan Nester for his help evaluating literary magazines |
