Making a magazine in 48 hours
Gizmodo has tipped me off to the upcoming 48 Hour Magazine project. To say that this looks like perhaps the best idea I’ve seen in a long time would be a gross (in all senses of the word) understatement. Basically, a bunch of passionate magazine and publishing people are getting together for a weekend and hammering out a creative, insightful, current collection of submissions from writers, photographers, etc around the world. No bullshit, no un-fun pieces – just a magazine for the sake of making one.
Like a beautiful summer day in the Pacific Northwest that you can carry around in your heart through the dreary-ass winter. Or maybe a hip flask is a better metaphor.
(Alex Madrigal on what this project is like for those in the business of magazines)
With all the talk of digital texts and magazines I’ve been rifling through as a result of the iPad’s launch, it’s refreshing to see a new take on producing a print product come together. As a lover of the magazine, especially in its most experimental forms, this will be exceptional. As one project founder, Mat Honan, basically pulls from my own childhood:
I grew up reading Rolling Stone, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Spy, and Spin. Magazines let me drop into a world without rednecks, and then hang out there for hours on end. While the Internet has largely taken over that cultural delivery vehicle role, I still find the experience of immersion you get from a paper magazine unequaled.
You can get involved, watch it live via UStream and, theoretically, buy the finished product when it’s all done. I know I’m excited for this to kick off in two days!
