Delivered by STACK January, 2012: DoR
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.
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.
