Here’s what I’ve read lately:
1. A writer asked Tony Hawk to teach her how to ollie. The story and the video are delightful.
2. Kirsten Gillibrand, profiled by Rebecca Traister.
3. This story about how a beloved Hollywood home was relocated to Canada is incredible.
4. The past lives of Shirley MacLaine.
5. A man’s style journey, thanks to a pair of clown pants.
And a bonus: Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” video.
Have a great week.
Here’s what I read this week:
1. This article about abortion and the future of women’s health in America is extremely important reading.
2. Solange, interviewed by Beyoncé.
3. Diet Coke is not killing you.
4. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Trump administration.
5. Ryan Gosling is a man after his time.
And a bonus: Terry Gross on the Longform podcast.
Take care of yourself.
Here’s what I read this week:
1. Ruth Bader Ginsburg gives the best advice.
2. Barack Obama on five days that shaped his presidency.
3. A letter of complaint for Cards Against Humanity.
4. Elena Ferrante and the myth that female artists owe us something more than just their work.
5. An excerpt from a book about haunted places in America, which I’m planning to pick up.
And a bonus: Bruce Springsteen on NPR’s Fresh Air.
Enjoy your weekend.
Quick question: where did August go? This summer has felt like a rubber band — one minute it feels like it’s been the longest summer of my life, while the next seems like yesterday was just the first of March.
Here’s what I read this week:
1. If you’re interested, this article from a former Gawker editor-in-chief explains the outlet’s demise very well.
2. Inside Urban Outfitters.
3. Conversations with Chance the Rapper.
4. The story of Pandora’s famous charm bracelet.
5. Instagram’s geotags as powerful travel guides.
And a bonus: If you’re in need of a new body lotion, this one is a game changer. I smell like the prettiest beach on earth.
Enjoy your weekend.
One of my favorite feelings comes about like this — I arrive home after a long day at work, look through the pile of mail on the dining room table and see a new issue of a magazine addressed to me. I love the accessibility that the Internet gives me when it comes to reading a variety of publications, but nothing beats the feeling of holding a print magazine in my hands. It makes the reading experience seem weightier: a team of people like myself made it happen, and I’m about to delve deep into it. A magazine issue is also a piece of art, as it makes a statement about what’s important in the world we’re living in today. I honor that.
I’ve subscribed to different publications over the years, but I have favorites that I return to over and over again. Here are six of them.
The New Yorker.
When I was a junior in college, I attended a lecture where the speaker recommended that we read The New Yorker. I went home, purchased a 2-year print subscription and never looked back.
Getting this magazine every week has exposed me to the best of the best culture writing that’s out there. I often link to articles in my Link Parties because they are, without fail, thought-provoking and unique. Some of my recent favorite reads include a story about Donald Trump’s supporters, the Bouvier affair and a Nora Ephron essay. I don’t read every single article anymore, but I pencil in time every Sunday afternoon to peruse the week’s issue. This magazine has indelibly changed my perspective, and pushes me to be a better writer and a better critic. I hope it never ever ever goes out of print.
Vogue.
As a teenager, I was so obsessed with fashion and haute couture that you could point out a piece of clothing and I could list off all of the details of who made it and what collection it came from. Every few months, my grandma would give me a stack of Vogue. I would pore over and rip out ads and editorials that I would tack up on the wall.
I don’t have time anymore to follow fashion week coverage, but I always make time to read Vogue. Many people discount women’s magazines as less-than journalism, which is really silly. Vogue is the barometer for women’s style, and serves as both a historical and cultural source of information about what we wear, what we buy and where we go. The organization does have a long way to go on its diversity in its editorials and coverage, but it’s moving in the right direction. The clothes the features talk about are often not accessible to most people, but the Devil Wears Prada point is real and salient. It’s a magazine I await every month.
The California Sunday Magazine.
My other grandma gets the newspaper, and in one Sunday edition this magazine was tucked into it. She gave me the copy, which I really enjoyed flipping through. Fast forward to this past spring, when I attended a Pop-Up Magazine event. They’re made by the same people, and I took advantage of a subscription deal — I’m so glad I did.
The California Sunday Magazine is a general interest magazine that features exceptional investigative reporting. If you like reading about a variety of subjects, you’ll like California Sunday Magazine. As a writer, I consider every issue a crash course in writing technique and brainstorming. The editorial staff chooses such interesting subjects, and I have yet to be disappointed. I have loved reading about the paramedics who live on the Texas-Mexico border, a Fort Bragg manhunt and women in the computer science field.
Condé Nast Traveler.
Condé Nast Traveler is a new addition to my monthly print subscriptions, but I instantly fell in love with it. The caveat with this magazine is that everything the editors feature is wildly expensive and inaccessible. It’s so out-of-reach that it’s comical.
Regardless, it’s a fun dream session — I now want to vacation like Giorgio Armani and escape to remote islands off the coast of Washington. I also get a thrill out of the layout and design. If you love fonts and genius photo layouts, Condé Nast Traveler is your magazine. I also love that it’s a little bigger than the standard-sized magazine, which gives the text and photos room to breathe. That kind of material choice can make a huge difference, which is something the digital often can’t do.
New York Magazine.
I often read New York Magazine‘s online content, which is where I get most of my general news from. The writing is always smart. I like getting the magazine sent to my house so that I can spend some extra time reading the cover stories or longreads, which often turn up on this blog.
The Atlantic.
I also read a lot of The Atlantic on the computer, but I kinda like reading the print magazine more. With the constant refresh of online media, it’s easy for the fun features or sidebars to get lost in the ether. I also like telling myself that I only have a few more pages to read rather than gauging how much more scrolling I have to do. Reading online is wonderful and has turned me on to so many new publications and ideas, but I will always choose print over digital. Every time.
What magazines or newspapers do you subscribe to, or want to subscribe to? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
I have an uneasy relationship with summer. I love that I shift to a more laid-back way of life, and that I can take more time to explore. I hate the heat and how it stifles both my body and creativity, making me feel incredibly unproductive. I’ve lived in Southern California my entire life, and every summer is a shock. So it goes.
Here’s what I read this week:
1. The author’s dad’s relationship with classic literature, specifically that of the Brontës.
2. The bullet journal in the world of iPhones.
3. Consider the archive of the Internet, and who decides what gets to stay.
4. The military origins of the cardigan.
5. Judith Butler.
And a bonus: “I must be a mermaid… I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.”
Have a beautiful weekend.
Here’s what I read this week:
1. “Seven People Dancing,” by Langston Hughes.
2. A father takes his 14-year-old daughter to see Hamilton. It’s okay if you tear up a little bit while you read this post.
3. The fabulist who changed journalism.
4. Even though I have my reservations about the candidate herself, this is a masterfully-written profile on Hillary Clinton.
5. The language of glossy fashion magazines.
And a bonus: The skeletons in Bruegel’s The Triumph of Death. The best line: “What time is it? Trick question. It’s always Skeleton Time.”
Have a great weekend.
Here’s what I read this week:
1. A discussion of the color black in the art world.
2. Living in a post-delete world.
3. The research this article is based on is kind of old, but this is still an interesting perspective on the geography of New York business lunches that I think may be applicable elsewhere.
4. Stephen Colbert is a gem.
5. The makeup tax is a real thing.
And a bonus: Have you guys seen Mark Ronson cover Queens of the Stone Age’s “I Sat By the Ocean” with Kevin Parker from Tame Impala and Andrew Wyatt from Miike Snow? It’s a few weeks old but get on it.
Have a wonderful weekend.
I’d like to know where July went. Please tell me. Anyway, here’s what I read this week:
1. iTunes is the worst re: metadata.
2. You all are sleeping on the Arctic Monkeys, but the South Americans are not. This article also has some interesting things to say about South America infrastructure and the power of the Internet.
3. The New York magazine story about 35 women who have spoken up about being assaulted by Bill Cosby is one of the finest examples of journalism I’ve seen this year.
4. Margaret Hamilton, the programmer that saved the Apollo moon landing, is a badass.
5. Okay, real talk: Although I was (aw) an English major, I practiced AP style and did not use the Oxford comma unless the context really needed one. However, I have strong feelings about the need to capitalize the word “Internet.” It should definitely be capitalized.
And a bonus: All of the best Seinfeld lines compiled in one video. A+++++++++.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Here’s what I read this week:
1. Avocados are very important.
2. This is what happened when the Washington Post sent its food critic to critique a restaurant 80 Yelp users have rated 1-star.
3. Emoji are also very important, especially on the linguistics front.
4. Mallory Ortberg‘s advice to her younger self is wonderful. (Side note: She was great at the Festival of Books.)
5. An interesting history of Rube Goldberg and his machines.
And a bonus: This cool watercolor print project is going on my lists of DIYs to do after the quarter is over.
Have a great weekend!
Zoë Lance. 