July 02, 2007

Glossy Recommendations

Print media, they say, is a dying art.

Not if I have anything to do with it.

I doled out at least £75 (nearly $150) on magazines and newspapers this month. Let’s not even talk about books. This is a bit higher than usual as I am on the prowl for new freelancing outlets, but not too much of an exaggeration from the norm.

My purchases:
The Purple Journal
American Cosmo
British Cosmo
Company
Elle
Seven
The Press Gazette
Smoke
Aesthetica
Amelia’s Magazine
The Big Issue
Glamour
Marie Claire
Marmalade
Mslexia
Scarlet
Adbusters
The Guardian
New Internationalist
Monocle
GQ

My mom also sent me a copy of American Jane and Graffiti was free.

All of these (besides Graffiti and The Big Issue) can be picked up at Borders on Oxford Street.

My name is Stephanie and I have a problem. I am a magazine addict. Clearly. And it’s nearly time for the August issues to hit the stands. Since I arrived in London, I have made a few marvelous discoveries, so I thought I would share 10 of my newfound favorites, in no particular order.

1. Smoke: A London Peculiar
Made up of words and images inspired by the city, it is described on the website as a “love letter to London, to the wet neon flicker of late-night pavements, electric with endless possibility...”. With a punchy personality, Smoke tells quirky tales of every day London life: art, history, comics, poetry… if it has to do with London, you’ll find it here in compact A5 form.
Don’t Miss: A regular article, complete with pictures, featuring “London’s Campest Statues,” captured by readers in all their camp glory. Editor: Matt Haynes
Web: http://www.smokelondon.co.uk/
Cost: £2.50
Published: “Aims to resurface every four months.”

2. Amelia’s Magazine
Run by Amelia and her work experience staff, this mag emerges twice a year from the spare room in her East London home. With detailed design and flashy colours, it exposes unknown bands and features drawings and photographs full of endless detail that could have your eyes rolling over the pages for hours.
Don’t Miss: Easily spotted in the racks, Amelia's Magazine is known for its unique covers. “Encrusted with Swarovski crystals, lazer-cut, made out of furry flock, scratch ‘n’ sniff in different flavours and glow-in-the-dark” varieties have previously sheathed the mag. The current issue is very shiny with yellow flowers.
Editor: Amelia Gregory
Web: http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/
Cost: £10.00
Published: Bi-Annually

3. Graffiti: London’s Art Magazine
A new A5 publication that is slightly more upscale than its name implies, Graffiti is distributed to selected homes in the posher areas of London: Belgravia, Kensington, Chelsea, Holland Park, Notting Hill and Hampstead. Image-packed, it is easy on the eye, providing information on both famous and amateur contemporary artists.
Don’t Miss: Fill in your little black book with loads of upcoming exhibitions and student art shows. There are plenty announced here.
Editor: Peter London
Web: http://www.graffitimagazine.co.uk/
Cost: Free, for now (Call 07795 074843 for a copy.)
Published: Quarterly

4. Marmalade Magazine
With a handmade, scrapbook-y sort of look, Marmalade appeals to its artsy readers, 23% of whom, according to the website, don’t read any other mag. The latest issue is built entirely from MySpace content, meaning the staff must have had a blast in the office last month.
Don’t Miss: The random tidbits of information, like this month’s enlightening fact that Playboy has been available in Braille since 1970.
Editor: Kristy Robinson
Web: http://www.marmalademag.com/
Cost: £4.25
Published: Bi-Monthly

5. Mslexia: For Women Who Write
It claims to be the UK’s bestselling magazine for women writers. The title plays on the word ‘Dyslexia’, a condition in dealing with words that is more prevalent in men. Mslexia refers to the difficulty of female writers to find their place as writers/authors in a world where men still dominate the press.
Don’t Miss: The flow of concrete, practical advice for writers, including the useful and informative 'writer's kit' which can be found on their website at http://www.mslexia.co.uk/writerskit/writerskit.html. The site also has a handy resources page.
Editor: Daneet Steffens
Web: http://www.mslexia.co.uk/
Cost: £5.50
Published: Quarterly

6. Aesthetica: The Cultural Arts Magazine
Sleek and shiny, Aesthetica focuses on contemporary writing, art, music and film. In 2006, Cherie Federico, the founder and editor, won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year by The Press Business Awards. The year before that, her magazine was nominated by BBC Get Writing as one of the top four recommended literary publications in the UK.
Don’t Miss: Like many of these magazines, Aesthetica has all sorts of side projects going on. For something a bit different, check out their creative non- fiction writing project for the elderly community at http://www.aesthetica-online.com/virtualmemorybox.htm online.com/virtualmemorybox.htm. It is meant to be a “virtual time capsule to be captured by other generations.”
Editor: Cherie Federico
Web: http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/
Cost: £4.50
Published: Quarterly

7. The Purple Journal
Expect a thick cultural collage of short stories and some artsy photographs, mainly black and white in this French publication. The summer 2007 issue boasts an impressive lineup of 47 contributors from 40 cities around the world from Berlin to Tokyo to Nashville, Tennessee. Most of the contributors are veteran published authors, photographers, filmmakers and musicians.
Don’t Miss: A cultural education at your fingertips while cozy’d up with this journal and a cup of tea on a lazy Saturday morning.
Editor: Elein Fleiss
Web: http://www.purple.fr/
Cost: £6.50
Published: Quarterly

8. Scarlet: The Magazine That Turns Women On
The “UK’s hottest women’s magazine” is burning up indeed with female-friendly erotica, a look into the complicated male brain, nude models who cover the bare minimum, and a bit of fashion to boot. A step up from the sex-driven Cosmo, this sex-splattered publication has been dubbed controversial by some. Read it in secret or share its powers. I’d choose the latter.
Don’t Miss: Cliterature, the free monthly insert of hot reading material, some pushing the boundaries, others a bit tame. Either way, it’s bound to get the imagination rolling and the rabbits buzzing.
Editor: Sarah Hedley
Web: http://www.scarletmagazine.co.uk/
Cost: £2.95
Published: Monthly

9. The Big Issue
Labeled ‘street trade, not street aid,’ 80p of the cover price goes directly to the homeless vendor who sells the £1.50 issue on the street. Not only is it for a good cause, but the content covers solid issues like the Uganda crises side by side with Hollywood’s latest gossip. It was set up as a business in 1991 to give homeless people a voice and a chance to help themselves by earning a bit of cash.
Don’t Miss: The opportunity to make someone smile when you purchase The Big Issue from them. It is a magazine that feeds the people who sell it and gives you some insight into their experiences at the same time. Editor: John Bird
Web: http://www.bigissue.com/
Cost: £1.50
Published: Weekly

10. Seven: Serious Issues from the Seven Continents
Another brand new magazine with high morals (check their website for more info). It was launched to push the boundaries of journalism, aiming to have a global impact by addressing key issues on every continent. Through culture, music, film, fashion and art, it hopes to expose injustice and crimes against humanity and try to offer solutions instead of just tossing around problems.
Don’t Miss: The cultural education and the chance to keep up with the major issues people are dealing with in other parts of the world. Some of the articles are truly eye-opening.
Editors (for this issue): Siradeth Seng and Lucy Stallworthy
Web: http://www.se7enmagazine.org/
Cost: £3.95
Published: Monthly

The Web may be taking the lead as people are becoming accustomed to receiving content the second it becomes available, but print media is still hanging on. All of these magazines have websites and most of them are used to foster the development of side projects sponsored by the publications and act as a supplement to the real magazine rather than a substitute.

It is my opinion that there will always be a market for print journalism. There is nothing like flipping the pages of a glossy between your fingertips.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wicked entry Steph! I will check out each of these mag's websites while I'm at work. I mean... on my spare time. :|

Ness said...

i wish we had interesting magizines like that here. ours are sooooo boring!

Steph said...

This email from this entry:

"Hi Stephanie,

Thanks for the comments on your blog.

We appreciate people for supporting the project.

I'm glad you enjoyed the magazine.

Marc
Seven Group Director

www.se7enmagazine.org"

Amelia said...

Hey, just found your blog after some random google action - thanks so much for your kind words,
love Amelia x

Amelia said...

Hey, just found your blog on a random bit of google action - thanks so much for your kind words,
love Amelia x