Best Magazines 2002

Despite a difficult economy that has sliced into advertising sales, we still saw an increase in new magazine launches last year. According to Mr. Magazine himself, University of Mississippi professor Samir Husni, 745 new magazines hit the stands in 2002 compared with 702 in 2001.

Predictably, within 12 months, more than half of these titles will fail to reach their first anniversary owing to economic stress and a highly competitive market. These days, the key to success would seem to lie with publishing specialty titles to fit ever-narrowing niches, such as those defined by Life Imitating Art, Topic, and eDesign.

On the other end of the spectrum are the high-profile, general reader publications such as O and Martha Stewart Living, centered around an already established celebrity looking to expand his or her franchise. With built-in fan bases, these magazines have high readership potential, but whether the trade-off for a sure thing is questionable product quality lies with each publication.

The industry remembers all to well the dangers of mixing the wrong product with the wrong celebrity. With 2002's Rosie, Grunner + Jahr disagreed with O'Donnell on not only who should have creative control but on what exactly Rosie the franchise stood for. While the jury is still out on that, Rosie folded late last year.

The newest famous face to try his luck is Gene Simmons, bass player for the legendary band Kiss, entering the market with Gene Simmons Tongue. Ostensibly geared toward the revved-up sex drive and hard rockin' attitude of twentysomething males, Tongue takes its cue from Maxim, providing music and entertainment news with the obligatory scantily clad models. Unfortunately, it appears to be simply an ego-trip for Simmons, who writes, "We may not in fact have very much profound content. We will certainly not pretend we do.… The magazine will, however, be an extension of my personality." If the 2002 Rosie debacle is any indicator of the success of these types of projects, the future does not look appetizing for Tongue.

Celebrity is certainly not synonymous with longevity, and present anonymity does not eliminate the possibility of being the next big thing. It seems that in this economy, the pressure of the market is forcing weaker competitors to fold. And what is the deciding factor? For once, it seems it all depends on quality.

Bookmarks
bi-m. $29.70. Ed: Jon Phillips, 775 E. Blithedale Ave., #393, Mill Valley, CA 94941-9929.
www.bookmarksmagazine.com
For those looking for their next read but not wanting to wade through lengthy book reviews, Bookmarks should be a primary reference. Similar in purpose to last year's notable launch The Week, Bookmarks is something of a clearinghouse for information from primary sources. Writings from The Atlantic Monthly, Boston Globe, and Entertainment Weekly are compiled into evaluations that are direct and to the point; in fact, a five-star rating system is a streamlined alternative for readers who want a bare-bones analysis. While the magazine also includes a feature article or two (the most recent issue takes a look at Virginia Woolf), the reviews ranging from fiction and biography to history and science are the meat of Bookmarks.

Budget Living
bi-m. $19.95. Ed: Sarah Gray Miller. 317 Madison Ave., Suite 2300, New York, NY 10017; ISSN 1541-3675. www.budgetlivingmedia.com
With articles on fashion, home design, finance, travel, entertaining, and crafts, Budget Living marries a hip sensibility with the DIY creativity and money-conscious attitude of the modern consumer. Launched in October with the tag line "Spend Smart, Live Rich," the publication plays to an audience who wants to look their best and decorate their homes with style without an Architectural Digest –sized budget. Catering to the twenty- or thirtysomething Martha Stewart who is watching her wallet, this mag handles throwing a party, decorating a first home, and shopping at thrift stores with a fresh perspective. A clean design and appealing color photos enhance the practical and entertaining writing. Everyone who is stylish yet thrifty will want to pick up this magazine.

Contexts
q. $120. Eds: Claude Fisher & Scott Savitt. Univ. of California Pr., Journals Div., 2000 Center St., Suite 303, Berkeley, CA 94704.
www.contextsmagazine.org
This publication achieves its ambitious goal of delivering sociological research to both social scientists and the general reader. With fascinating articles on contemporary sociological issues, Contexts, from the American Sociological Association, takes an accessible yet academic approach to its topics, offering the average reader a look at research without the jargon. Helpful sidebars with quick facts, the inclusion of personal essays, and book reviews are appealing. Larger public libraries will want to take a look at this.

cure: Cancer, updates, research & education
q. $20. Cancer Informations Group, 3535 Worth St., Sammons Tower, Suite 185, Dallas, TX 75246; ISSN 1534-7664.
www.curetoday.com
This unique, comprehensive journal developed primarily for the cancer patient, caregiver, and survivor keeps members of this community, as well as general readers, abreast of current issues with regard to cancer research. Cure includes facts, news, people and places, pertinent feature articles, and informative graphs outlining a plethora of remedies. In an age where patients are trying to be more proactive in their treatments, Cure is an important step toward patient empowerment. Free to patients, caregivers, and survivors; the reasonable price makes this essential for public and medical libraries.

Grace Woman
bi-m. $17.94. 276 5th Ave., Suite 503, New York, NY 10001.
www.gracestyle.com
Although conceived for the full-figured modern women, the articles, fashion advice, and overall sentiment of Grace Woman, whose tag line is "living life to its fullest," are really universal. Some of the articles and ads target women of size, but a deeper reading uncovers the true intent of the editorial staff: to bring a sense of self-worth to every woman. In an industry littered with glossy fashion mags telling women how to "tone up" or "slim down," it is clear that a woman's value, on some level, is defined by size. Grace, while aiming to end this "sizist" trend and show women where to shop for their frame, will serve a readership that has been historically underrepresented.

Great Chefs Magazine
q. $31.89. Ed: Steve Lacy. Cuisine Media, 5800 E. Skelly, Suite 707, Tulsa, OK 74135.
www.cuisinemedia.com
Great Chefs was launched late last year by the Discovery Network's Travel Channel series of the same name. As the editorial of the second issue states, Great Chefs Magazine aims to be a "direct duplication of what is seen on television each day." With a unique look that combines sumptuous photography and recipes to complement chef profiles, this publication is sure to captivate fans of the television show as well as others who enjoy the fine art of cooking. In addition to an extensive interview with the featured chef of the month, each issue has profiles of a number of chefs along with one of their signature recipes. With a 20-year TV head start, the printed version should be the prefect ingredient for cookery collections.

Planet°: Global Culture and Lifestyle
10/yr. $20. 876 Valencia St., Studio B, San Francisco, CA 94110.
www.planet-mag.com
This understated, artistic yet unpretentious publication offers its readers an expanded global perspective, keeping them informed of cultures in remote villages and events in their own backyards. In our media-saturated society, Planet° pulls its readers away from 24-hour news broadcasts and tunes them into an information source with a different purpose. Centered around one topic, such as fire or water, the articles range from feature stories to photographs, film and book news, gallery openings, and more, with the focus on enhancing knowledge of human diversity. The web site is a nice complement; this beautifully designed publication is vastly important to the understanding of other cultures in the 21st century.

The Readerville Journal
bi-m. $36. Ed: Karen Templer. 1459 18th St., PMB #182, San Francisco, CA, 94107-2801.
www.readerville.com
For serious readers, the ones who like to talk about what they've read almost as much as reading it, The Readerville Journal was launched with an already established audience of 20,000 readers culled from its parent web site. This review journal fuses with a literary journal to offer in-depth and entertaining evaluations along with features about the art of reading. Original fiction and essays are also included, with regular columns such as "The Big Screen," which presents tales of book-to-film adaptations.

Speakeasy
bi-m. $24. Eds: Bart Schneider & Vicky Lettmann. PO Box 2730, Durham, NC 27715.
www.speakeasymagazine.org
While Bookmarks focuses on the casual reader and The Readerville Journal on the serious bookworm, Speakeasy is for a literary audience. Less focused on informing readers about what is being published, it is a forum for those who view reading and writing as an art. In place of book reviews and publishing news—both of which are kept to a minimum—the editors of Speakeasy have filled the pages with essays on the craft of reading and writing literature. Poetry and new fiction round out the the magazine, along with a smattering of illustrations and photography.