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AfterEllen.com Huddle: Print isn’t dead

Is print dead? We hope not. Unfortunately so many lesbian and feminist magazines have ceased print in the past decade, and Venus Zine is the latest to fold. In recent years, we’ve said goodbye to Girlfriends, On Our Backs, Rockrgrl, Women Who Rock, and other inclusive-publications like Jane and Punk Planet.

But we’re not giving up, and we won’t stop buying them, either. So this week we’re paying tribute to our favorite weeklies or monthlies that we love to hold in our little lesbian hands.

Mia Jones: As a tattoo enthusiast and someone who adores a woman with ink, Inked is one of my favorite magazines to stare at. I’m not sure how many articles I’ve read (I’m sure there have been some) but the beauty and art across those pages is just what I need to take my mind to another place. For me, tattoos and riding bicycles can always make a girl at least 10% hotter.

Heather Hogan: It would be easy to shake down Southern America as nothing more than a home for hillbillies, Tea Party rallies, Ku Klux Klan meetings and Baptist church revivals. But the South is also home to some of the greatest names in literary history: William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Mark Twain, Harper Lee, Frederick Douglas. Heck, we’re home to Jimmy Carter, too! And Oxford American – which has won two National Magazine Awards – celebrates the complexity and vitality and intellectual vigor of the American South unlike any other publication.

It’s not just a literary quarterly, though; Oxford American publishes paintings and photography from a host of burgeoning Southern artists. It publishes recipes from up-and-coming Southern chefs. And once a year they bring all their awesomeness to bear on their Southern music issue. I’m a born and bred Georgia girl; I’ve felt the oppression of being a lesbian below the Mason-Dixon line. Oxford American reminds me of why it’s OK to be proud of my heritage. (And, because it’s published in Arkansas, it reminds me that all good writing doesn’t come from New York.)

Karman Kregloe: Because I have an online job, I rarely venture “outside” of my house anymore, so the irony of my selection is not lost on me. Still, when I lust for adventures at sea or ashore (are there “Land Pirates”?), I find that Outside provides plenty of fodder for my imagination.

I don’t snowboard or play any sports (I spent my last trip to Mammoth at the lodge drinking Disaronno and reading The Executioner’s Song) and so I don’t actually need to know about the best “new sticks” for the season or require encouragement that, yes, I can climb Mount Rainier. But I still love the idea of it all, and maybe someday I will trade all of my worldly good (yes, both of them) for my own tall ship and sail around the world. I read Outside so that I’ll be prepared for that day.

Outside might also be of interest to any lesbians who enjoy learning about subjects like “The New Goddesses of Adventure.” Yes, that was an interesting “read” indeed.

Megan Hargroder: Wired is usually the first to break news on new software and tech gadgets and are very no-nonsense when it comes to product reviews. Aside from Time, this is my only physical magazine subscription. It’s like geek porn.

Lindsey Byrnes: There was a time when I was completely addicted to US Weekly, I guess you could say I am a recovering US Weekly junkie. I realized that I was spending unnecessary amounts of money every week and going through withdrawals before each new issue came out.

I used to be ashamed of my addiction and I would put my us weekly inside of a New Yorker so that way people would not know what I was really reading. Because what if people really knew the truth? What if people knew that I love gossip just as much as the next girl. Although I don’t buy a copy every week I still read it at the grocery store and it is still a necessary item to buy at every airport.

Hi My name is Lindsey and I am an US Weekly addict.

Courtney Gillette: I’m a sucker for a stack of glossies and a lazy day to enjoy them, but the top of my pile will always be the super smart Bitch magazine. The first publication I ever subscribed to (in high school, when my mother was less than thrilled to find her mailbox defiled with the bold five-letter-word), I’ve been loving Bitch‘s self-described feminist response to pop culture for the longest.

And what’s not to love? It’s crammed with articles, interviews, tidbits, comics, and reviews of what’s of interest to smart ladies in the world of pop culture, with a dollop of humor and heaps of insight. It’s the magazine through which I first discovered trans dude hip hop wonder Katastrophe and Zoe Trope, teen author of the queer memoir Please Don’t Kill The Freshman. It’s the magazine where I’ll read a proper thrown down on some insulting ad campaign or reality TV show and think, “Hallelujah, I’m not the only one!”

And in 10 plus years reading it, I’m still dazzled with what they print. Last month’s comic essay about gender inequality in the comic industry was downright brilliant. Plus, I love the small feminist flag I raise whenever I read my copy in public.

Trish Bendix: If I get a new issue of O Magazine in the mail, you can bet that I’ll want to snuggle up with pug and read it from cover to cover that very day. Cancel all my plans! Friends be damned! I’m reading my Oprah mag and getting inspired.

I don’t care if you aren’t an Oprah fan – O is a well-written general interest magazine that gives insight and advice on books, food, spirituality, family, home, love, relationships, health, and anything else you could possibly want to read about. And the best part? Just like Oprah’s show, it’s very lesbian-inclusive. Besides the fact that Ellen graced the cover with Oprah last year around Christmas time, and that Suze Orman writes a regular financial column, lesbian and gay men are treated just the same every month.

For instance, the January issue has an interview with a woman who owns a popular diner in downtown L.A. with her partner and a piece on Rosie O’Donnell about her new show on OWN. So often, I read women’s magazines and feel like I’m an outsider, with references to being someone who doesn’t always want to look/feel/be sexy for a man being far and few between. But with O, I don’t even have to think about it – women of all kinds are considered and thoughtfully so.

Dara Nai: While I read mags like Entertainment Weekly, US and the National Enquirer because I have to (for work… honest!) I read The New Yorker because I want to.

OK, so it’s not lesbian, nor feminist, but Brokeback Mountain was originally published in The New Yorker. Does that count for anything?

The New Yorker has serious journalism, the best fiction writers from the past two generations, contributors like David Sedaris, Paul Rudnick and Nora Ephron. I love all the cartoons, especially the ones by Roz Chast, the tiny “Constabulary Notes from All Over” and even their ads — if you’re looking for a handmade bow tie from Vermont, or a $45 snow shovel, look no further than this fine publication.

The magazine has been around since the 20s and there’s still no other of its kind or caliber. Over the years, I’ve learned many things from reading The New Yorker, the first being something I noticed in the “Night Life” section when I was just a kid: “Musicians and night-club proprietors live complicated lives; it’s advisable to check in advance to confirm engagements.”

Ruth Callendar: My favourite magazine is Melbourne based Kill Your Darlings. It’s brand spanking new, comes out quarterly and is packed full of smart, relevant commentary, reviews, and interviews as well as really good quality fiction from loads of different kinds of Australian writers, so there’s a thousand reasons for lesbians to love it. Previous issues have included articles about roller derby, True Blood, Mary Gaitskill and an interview with Sarah Waters. Oh, and the cover art is hot.

What magazine do you read faithfully? Is it lesbian-friendly?

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