Mule
Started in 2002 by three students at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Mule has a core focus on art, music and fashion, but is equally happy profiling young farmers, Eritrean culture or any other subject its editors and contributors stumble across. Everything Mule does is distinctive and well considered, retaining the feeling of a small community magazine made by volunteers, but delivering it in a first rate package that makes it stand out from other free titles.
The Stack interview
Name
Liz Tapp
Job title
Co-founder, Editor, Designer
What is Mule?
A magazine that explores makers and doers of all sorts.
What makes it different to the rest?
Hopefully it is different in the sense that every piece within the magazine is a labor of love. Each article’s made by someone in our extended family, who’s passionate about the subject. All of our work is voluntary and we feel like even the ad space that’s bought is mostly done as a vote of support for its continued creation. All the pieces come about organically, through random living and travel.
Who makes Mule?
All Volunteers. Across various states, across the ocean, across internet lines.
Who reads it?
Our readers are just like us. Sometimes we switch places. The magazine’s dedicated readers (as well as our writers and contributors) are all people who are still excited about things – or at least trying to be. We’re not very cynical. The whole project is about trying to get re-energized.
Why do you work in magazines?
Love for combining words, visuals, and relevance – exploring why people are doing what they’re doing – to celebrate good things.
Aside from the print magazine, what else are you involved in?
Personally I like designing, playing fiddle and altering clothing. As for our main team: Joseph Shipp is involved in a lot of community-based design projects – using design for the betterment of communities. Emily Clayton and Chris Roberson both make amazing visual art (that you can see in this issue.) Jennifer Brandel does radio pieces for NPR and Nick Dupey runs a silkscreen shop called Young Monster. You can find links to all our projects at http://www.mulemagazine.com/about.html
What would you change about Mule if you could?
I would make it magically less laborious! And if I could make the actual experience of the magazine more multi-sensory I would.
Can you pick a favourite issue of Mule?
It is always the most recent.
Where do you see Mule in five years?
Hopefully continuing both in print and further exploring sister projects and other online options for “magazine making” and community building. I’d like to make more video and audio content to coincide. Maybe time travel. The future will hopefully present amazing hybrid media abilities.
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