DoR is a magazine of Romanian nonfiction, written in English. But it’s also much more than that. Clever, sensitive, enlightening and funny, it’s a shining example of what magazines can be, and is driven by an editorial team that clearly believes in the power of independent publishing. Without going overboard, DoR is a real inspiration – everyone should see a copy.

www.decatorevista.ro

The Stack interview

Name
Cristian Lupșa

Job title

Editor

What is DoR?

DoR is the English language edition of Decât o Revistă, a Romanian magazine of groundbreaking nonfiction. Decât o Revistă (the title roughly translates as Just a Magazine) covers various aspects of modern Romanian life – social change, personal development, cultural trends, politics, and technology – assembling an eclectic and thought-provoking puzzle.

What makes it different to the rest? 

In Romania, DoR is the only magazine devoted to publishing and promoting long-form nonfiction storytelling, from narrative journalism to personal essays. We bring an Anglo-Saxon influenced view of what makes a story, and how it’s told, into a media culture that is largely superficial and reactive.

Who makes DoR? 

A bunch of writers, editors, photographers and visual artists that want to create an immersive story experience.

Who reads it? 

The Romanian edition is read by people in the creative industries, but also people involved in social innovation – be it entrepreneurship or NGO work. Locally, the English edition draws a lot of expats, many working in cultural or political diplomacy, but also people working in the corporate world.

Why do you work in magazines?
Because the purpose of a good magazine is to give you a snapshot of the world, show you what people are thinking, liking, dreaming, and buying. They can be windows into communities of thought and interest. The best ones are carefully put together by people who want to cultivate these communities, and give them the promise of a better life. That’s not a lie, and it’s not PR blah blah. We live to become better. Good magazines know that.

Aside from the print magazine, what else are you involved in?
I occasionally teach narrative journalism, and spread the gospel of good journalism at various conference and workshops.

What would you change about DoR if you could?
I’m never satisfied, so I always want to change things – wittier layout, deeper stories, a better grasp of the zeitgeist. I’d change the uncertainty of the economics, but that’s beyond my reach. I guess I’ll settle for improving the flow of the content and visuals.

Can you pick a favourite issue of DoR? 

Always the latest, as it makes me want to push everybody to do it even better next time.

Where do you see DoR in five years?
This is a tough one. I hope it’ll still be relevant, still leading the charge for good writing and good editorial design – offline and online. I hope it’ll be strong enough to be able to pay its contributors, most of whom will have hopefully matured into journalists whose work – be it words or images – can impact the life of their community, and make Romania into a better country.

www.grafikmag.com

The Stack interview

Name
Angharad Lewis

Job title

Co-editor

What is Grafik?
A magazine for and about the graphic design world, published independently, six times a year from London.

What makes it different to the rest?
We’re the only UK graphic design magazine that looks at contemporary innovation, new upcoming talent and also draws on the heroes and significant movements of graphic design history.

Who makes Grafik?
Caroline Roberts, Angharad Lewis and Anna Lisa Reynolds (editorial team), Michael Bojkowski (designer) and a whole bunch of regular contributing writers, interns, photographers, illustrators and designers.

Who reads it?

Professional designers and people interested in the visual world.

Why do you work in magazines?

It’s always moving, breaking ground, teeming with inspiring people and putting us in interesting situations.

Aside from the print magazine, what else are you involved in?

Grafik’s editorial team also runs Woodbridge & Rees, a design-focused writing bureau and events/exhibitions organiser.

What would you change about Grafik if you could?
We’d get the print magazine out to an even wider international audience – we’re reaching a lot of people with our digital platforms (website, iPhone and iPad apps) but always dream of getting the paper and ink version under even more people’s noses and finger-tips.

Where do you see Grafik in five years?
Still holding sway in print and paper but with more strings to our digital bow and an emporium of print and graphic related products. We’d also like to expand the Grafik family, work with even more inspiring colleagues and run events.

www.addresspublications.com

The Stack interview

Name
Johannes Reponen

Job title
Editor and Publisher

What is Address?
Address is a magazine about fashion, but not a fashion magazine. The concept behind Address is to provide our readers with varying forms of visual and written fashion commentary, hence there is a variety of content from fiction to poetry, scholarly articles, interviews and visual ruminations and contemporary photographic angles on facets of fashion.

What makes it different to the rest?
There are a lot of magazines that approach fashion from purely visual and/or commercial perspectives, but there is a lack of publications that critically address the subject of fashion. Address explores different perspectives on the cultures around fashion without the confinements of advertising. Future issues may contain the dialogues that are stimulated by the issues that have been raised. I also hope to experiment with differing formats for differing contents.

Who makes Address?
Apart from me, the Address team includes writer Pat Francis who helps text to take shape, Art Director Imogen Bellotti who makes everything look great on the page, and graphic designer Ela Kosmaczewska, who ensures that we are visible online. We also have a small advisory team and, of course, Address would be nothing without the expert knowledge and imagination of our contributors.

Who reads it?
The New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn read the first issue, which made me very happy. We have received orders from around the world and I am gradually hearing feedback from our readers.

Why do you work in magazines?
Making Address is a great way for me and like-minded people to think, talk, test and take forward ideas around the subject of fashion writing and criticism. The print format has its limitations but the tangibility and format is the most appropriate option for the content we have in Address – it wouldn’t work online.

Aside from the print magazine, what else are you involved in?
Teaching, studying, writing and consulting

What would you change about Address if you could?
Increase in time, money and resources would do wonders. After doing the first issue, we are now in a better position to start to evolve the content and we are listening intently to the feedback.

Where do you see Address in five years?
The first issue took shape as a journal, but I’d like to keep the format open for future issues and treat it differently if necessary to explore the possibilities of the relationship between the format and content.  If more people become involved in contributing, this will also extend its range of views. Keeping up with, but commenting on, developments in fashion will always be core to Address.

www.huckmagazine.com

The Stack interview

Name
Vince Medeiros

Job title
Publishing Director, The Church of London Publishing

What is Huck?
Huck is a youth culture magazine. It has its roots in surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding – activities that have historically challenged dominant culture. Based on that radical heritage, Huck documents culture, activism, emerging scenes, action sports and whatever we think is novel and cool and interesting. It has beautiful design and some of the best documentary photography around. The writing prioritises in-depth profiles and reportage with a high emphasis on narrative storytelling.

The title is inspired by Huck Finn, from Mark Twain’s novel. His unwillingness to ‘be civilized’ as he travelled with runaway slave Jim down the Mississippi was the key thing we picked up on. It was just a really good metaphor for what we were trying to do: avoiding the mainstream, rejecting prescriptive notions of journalism, and so and so on – it summed up the mag really well.

In more general terms, the mag was my personal response to being bored with surf magazines, which are great but focus on the action side of things, as if action sports existed in a vacuum. To me, they exist in a context that is interesting, influential and super engaging, full of radical people doing radical stuff in a totally dynamic world. So to me, writing about yet another surf contest made no sense. Huck surfaced as a personal response to that – always with the hope that there were more people out there who felt the same way I did.

What makes it different to the rest?
I would say the lens through which we see the world is key. It really takes that heritage seriously. And the criteria we apply to material is crucial as well: it needs to be original, beautiful and fun. People are too busy and the world clearly does not need another magazine. So if a magazine is gonna make it and be relevant, every single piece of the puzzle – from punctuation to narrative to photography, everything – needs to help make it an amazing mag. That same principle applies across the board. More specifically:

Writing: Intelligent but also fun, engaging and simple. Complex language and excessive use of adjectives obfuscates the story, creates additional mediation in a medium that is nothing but mediation, if you see what I’m saying. Whatever the opposite of pretentious is. Show not tell. Radical.

Photography: Beautiful documentary and arresting portraiture photography. Action that is the opposite of traditional action.

Illustration: Not my game but always good to break up a series of photo-led and copy-heavy pieces.

People: Thinkers, radical actors, people who are shaping youth culture, the arts, activism, sport and life as a whole.

Who makes Huck?
The Church of London. We also make Little White Lies, Think Quarterly (Google’s book), Access (PlayStation), among many others. As for individual players, we have: Andrea Kurland (Editor), Rob Longworth (Creative Director), Shelley Jones (Associate Editor), Ed Andrews (Online Editor), some insanely talented interns, the sales team that kills it on a regular basis, etc, etc.

Who reads it?
Everyone. The idea is that great storytelling and photography can engage anyone, no matter how young or old. Whether that’s actually the case… well, you be the judge!

Why do you work in magazines?
Magazines are unique in that they can potentially combine great literary journalism with beautiful photography. And I’m a sucker for text and images. When beautifully combined, it’s pure magic! Plus, I think a genuinely free media that illuminates and challenges authority is key to any functioning democracy. That has certainly been a personal motivation…

Aside from the print magazine, what else are you involved in?
Documentary filmmaking. I co-produced and wrote Rio Breaks, a feature-length doc about two best friends from a Rio de Janeiro favela who are bound together by their love of surfing. We spent a whole year with them and they took us on this incredible journey. I am currently looking for new projects and ideas in film.

What would you change about Huck if you could?
I would give it more pages and get it out more often!

Can you pick a favourite issue of Huck?
I think the Counter Culture Issue (Huck 22) is probably the magazine that best sums up the magazine’s ethos and take on the world. It was also truly original, with a stickered cover that invited readers to peel off the commercial cover, thus ‘de-branding’ the magazine. Underneath the cover lay a simple, blank page with the words ‘The Counter Culture Issue’ in small type. People were then invited to engage with the cover, re-designing it and making it their own. The issue featuring Spike Jonze (Huck 18) on the cover is also one of my all-time favourites.

Where do you see Huck in five years?
It would be great to see its content and values appear in different media, across various platforms, both digital but also via events, books, film, etc.

I would also like the mag to be a player in the new type of media that’s emerging… Way I see it, the internet and higher levels of awareness, and Wikileaks and Twitter, are slowly replacing that one-way top-down way of making journalism. People know better, have access to myriad sources of information and can themselves act as filters of good, bad, reliable and unreliable media. I think Huck and the other mags we make can help reinvent what journalism and the media in general are and represent. It’s a bottom-up time. It’s a time where community journalism and citizen journalism and blogging and people communicating and disseminating ideas in a way that isn’t filtered by dominant discourse and commercial interests is growing – and we’re a part of this, which is like a really empowering thing. I’m a fan of removing – to the extent that’s possible – the ideological filter behind stories. Let people speak, in a transparent way. Remove the framing and the filter. Get all interviews online and unedited. Traditional journalism has failed as a guardian of democracy. Just look at the media’s role in the lead up to Iraq. Enough said. We need a new model. I hope that Huck and the people who make it can be actors in this process – and help build this new media of the future.

Long term, if we continue to engage people and contribute to the culture, then we’re doing our job and the magazine has a place. Once that ceases to be the case, then we should stop. But I hope and expect that to be a long way away.

Voted ‘Best Designed Consumer Magazine’ at the 2008 Magazine Design and Journalism Awards, it’s all about cutting through the PR rubbish to get through to truth and movies.

www.littlewhitelies.co.uk

The Stack interview

Name
Matt Bochenski

Job title
Editor

What is Little White Lies?
A bi-monthly film magazine

What makes it different to the rest?
Each issue is themed around a cover movie, which influences both the visual style and the feature content of the mag. That feature content doesn’t just stick to film but can be about any topic connected to the cover film, whether music, politics, art, technology, etc. Visually, we make strong use of illustration and beautiful design that sets us apart from the usual rubbish on the shelves. We also have comprehensive reviews and a whole bunch of other good stuff from penetrating interviews that actually discuss real issues, to classic film and bizarre/cult stuff.

Who makes Little White Lies?
Our team comprises (award-winning) Creative Directors Rob Longworth and Paul Willoughby (who also does the cover illustrations), alongside Junior Designer Victoria Talbot, Publisher Danny Miller, myself and a band of dedicated, hard working freelancers/mates.

Who reads it?
People with excellent taste.

Why did Little White Lies start?
Because we were sick and tired of being passionate about film but totally uninspired by the film magazine market, where formula, advertising and ass-kissing were the name of the game. We had an idea to do something different and because it looked like no one else was going to make it, we thought we might as well do it ourselves.

Why do you work in magazines?
Creative freedom and free films.

Aside from the print magazine, what else are you involved in?
We have a small publishing company now that makes a number of magazines, including Huck – a surf, skate and snow mag. We also organise events, parties and do magazine gigs for hire.

What would you change about Little White Lies if you could?
I’d make it more pages and I’d pay all of our writers 100k a year.

Can you pick a favourite issue of Little White Lies?
I always think the current one is rubbish and the next one will be perfect.

Where do you see Little White Lies in five years?
Hopefully continuing to inspire, and to exert an influence in the right circles.

The place where serious food writing and beautiful graphic design meet, Fire & Knives is a new food magazine made by London-based writer and editor Tim Hayward. Big name contributors like Matthew Fort and Tom Parker Bowles will be familiar from the Sunday supplements, but in Fire & Knives they get to write about the aspects of food that fascinates them. Combining food with film, architecture, history, literature and much more, it’s an eclectic and impassioned exploration of British food culture.

www.fireandknives.com

The Stack interview

Name
Tim Hayward

Job title
Food writer and editor of Fire & Knives

What is Fire and Knives?
I could say that F&K was a brand because we have some ambitions for the name outside of the magazine world.
I could say that F&K naturally facilitates a coming together of foodwriters who can’t find a home for their best work with readers desperate for something stimulating.
I could say F&K is a desperate last bastion of quality food writing in an environment of ‘lifestyle’ pap.
Or I could stop being so pretentious and just say it’s a nice little magazine about food that looks lovely and doesn’t make any money

What makes it different to the rest?
The biggest difference is that it doesn’t get involved with advertisers, celebrity chefs or restaurant reviewing.

Who makes Fire and Knives?
Me, a couple of freelance subs and Present Joys, which is Cathy Olmedillas (Anorak and Sleaze Nation) and the utterly genius Rob Lowe.

Who reads it?
Literate food lovers

Why do you work in magazines?
Partly because I write and take pictures and I’m enough of an old Trot to want to annex the means of production. Partly because new technologies and ways of working are making it easier to get involved and the big boys seem not to ‘get it’ and are consequently bleeding out.

Aside from the print magazine, what else are you involved in?
I write for mainstream newspapers and food mags, do a bunch of online stuff and have recenty started doing TV and radio work.

What would you change about Fire and Knives if you could?
I’d pay the writers. Actually, not just that, I’d pay the writers eight times the going rate.

Can you pick a favourite issue of Fire and Knives?
The next one.

Where do you see Fire and Knives in five years?
Still very much in print though by that point I imagine that sorting out micropayment will mean we’re also available on your iPad or similar tech. F&K will also be working with its writers on projects in other media but the magazine will still be at the heart of it – a kind of nexus for quality food writing. Also, let’s face it, Rob’s logo is so damn good, I reckon it’ll be on everything.

www.verynearlyalmost.com

The Stack interview

Name
George Macdonald

Job title
Editor

What is VNA?
VNA is a quarterly street art publication thing. Basically documenting street art/graffiti/illustration/design from London and featuring artists and designers from across the world.

What makes it different to the rest?
VNA is not specific… It’s a street art magazine with a twist. It’s not a graffiti magazine but it features graffiti artists we admire and up and coming artists/designers/photgraphers that we as a team have kept our eyes on and want to share in printed media not just on the internizle.

Who makes VNA?
We have a crack team made up of designer/web/digital guy Ben, art director/deputy editor/ all round busy man Greg, designer/photographer/videographer Pete, writer/copywriter/socialiser Zang and myself editor/photographer/drunk. We also have all sorts of other writers, photographers and designers who help make it all work.

Who reads it?
Errrr… People interested in street art, graffiti, design, photography, contemporary art, illustration…

Why do you work in magazines?
I fell into it. In fact we all did… It started as a bit of fun. Now it’s a bit more serious but the amount of free booze we get out of it makes it all worthwhile.

Aside from the print magazine, what are you involved in?
I blog on our website www.verynearlyalmost.com when I’m not being pressured to do real work in my day job.

What would you change about VNA if you could?
Maybe the name… It’s kind of crap. I love it but I hate it. I know Greg would change the logo too. I don’t know… I would like it to be bigger and better but for now we are pretty happy with how it is.

Can you pick a favourite issue of VNA?
I can tell you the ones that aren’t my favorites! Nah… I love them all. I guess I really enjoyed issue 8. It was the first time me and Greg really got our teeth into it and picked the artists we both wanted in there. Kid Acne was on the cover and he was great and made it a pleasure. We packed more pages into it and I got the biggest buzz when I first saw the final printed mag.

Where do you see VNA in five years?
I think we will still be ticking along. It keeps getting bigger with every issue and with all the new interest in street art and “The Banksy effect”. Opportunities to do more interesting things with the cover and other collabs are fun. So I hope in five years we are still going strong and enjoying it.

www.itsnicethat.com

The Stack interview

Name
Will Hudson

Job title
Founder and Director

What is It’s Nice That?
It’s Nice That champions creativity, we do this by publishing content on the blog, a printed publication and through a series of events.

What makes it different to the rest?
We think the variety we post and  the opportunities that we enable.

Who makes It’s Nice That?
There are eight of us in the studio contributing towards everything we do and then a larger network of creatives and readers who we talk to and discover new things.

Who reads it?
Creative and culturally aware individuals from all over the world.

Why did It’s Nice That start?
I’m appalling at remembering peoples’ names and websites so it was the most logical way to remedy the situation.

Why do you work in magazines?
There’s obviously the tactile nature of holding a bit of print, but it has also opened opportunities to talk to people that I don’t think the blog alone would have done.

Aside from the print magazine, what else are you involved in?
We’re got a great online editor joining us next week that will help us create better content for the blog, we’ve got a series of talks that are currently running and an emphasis to run more and more events as well as a few other projects in the pipeline.

What would you change about It’s Nice That if you could?
We’re always changing it, bringing people in, trying new things, some of these you get to see and some of them don’t make it through. One of the great things about being independent is the flexibility that allows us to change up what we do and how we do it.

Can you pick a favourite issue of It’s Nice That?
Always the current one!

Where do you see It’s Nice That in five years?
Curating, publishing and directing the finest work and practitioners across the creative industry!