Magazine Reviews

New music magazine Blurt and a star for the Latino lifestyle magazine, Cafe

By Steve Black -- Library Journal, 04/01/2010

New Reviews for April:
Blurt | Café | Christianity Today | Evolutionary Review | i.d.e.a.l.

AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom (online). 2010. s-a. free. Ed: Cary Nelson. Aud: Ac (Subject: Academic Freedom. Issue examined: Vol. 1, 2010)
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) was founded in 1915 with a mission to define professional values and advance academic freedom. The open access AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom is being launched to expand upon and complement Academe (ISSN 0190-2946); it is designed to provide a forum for longer research articles that are more tightly focused on academic freedom, as opposed to the shorter articles on a broader range of topics in Academe. The editor notes that the sister titles will “inevitably exchange submissions when one journal receives an essay more appropriate for the other.” Topics addressed in the inaugural issue include academic freedom during the Cold War, the impact of more credit hours being taught by nontenure track faculty, governance shared between faculty and administration, and graduate students’ concerns regarding academic freedom. Since many faculty at academic institutions will have some interest in these topics, AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom is worth adding as a holding in the catalog of any academic library, especially ones that subscribe to Academe.

AFAR. 2009. bi-m. $19.95. Ed: Susan West. ISSN 1947-4377. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Travel. Issues examined: Vol. 1, No. 1, premier issue; No. 2, Dec. 2009/Jan. 2010)
Travel magazines inspire vacations and provide interesting reading for armchair travelers. The concept of AFAR is to go beyond typical tourist stops and meet people. A story in the second issue about life in the Seychelles is inviting; however, another about all-night barhopping in Moscow falls short. Drinking with the locals is a common theme in AFAR, which may be fun for the travel writers but doesn’t make compelling reading. The quality of writing and photography is generally competent but not extraordinary. The ads and short-form content emphasize exotic locales that are expensive to visit. Few people will have the time and money to travel in the ways described here. Despite AFAR’s laudable mission to share the ways connecting with people in faraway places expand our horizons and foster personal growth, it needs to keep a better focus on people’s lives and perspectives and deemphasize partying to succeed as a consistently good read for armchair travelers. If AFAR can do that, it will become an attractive travel magazine for patrons of public libraries.

Aging Well. 2008. bi-m. free. Ed: Barbara Worthington. ISSN 1530-0101. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Aging. Issues examined: Vol. 2, No. 1, Jan./Feb. 2009; No. 2, Mar./Apr. 2009)
Aging Well is a 42-page glossy targeted to health-care workers, social workers, and counselors who are involved with the elderly. While well suited to these readers, it is also a good magazine for the older people those professionals serve and their family members. Its pitch to professionals gives readers a different angle on the health, wellness, and financial topics covered by AARP’s magazines. The writing style is straightforward and jargon free. Articles in the examined issues cover topics such as heart health, benefits of probiotics for digestive health, reverse mortgages, life choices after retirement, and determining whether someone is legally capable of entering into contracts. A magazine’s ad-to-content ratio can be overwhelming when free subscriptions are supported by advertising and mailing list sales, but (at least so far) Aging Well has a reasonable balance of articles and ads. A fine addition for collections serving older patrons.

Black Camera: An International Film Journal (The New Series). 2009. s-a. $119. Ed: Michael T. Martin. ISSN 1536-3155. illus. Aud: Ac (Subject: African Americans in Motion Pictures. Issue examined: Vol.1, No.1, Winter 2009)
Continuing a newsletter published since 1985, this launch coincides with the move of the Black Film Center/Archive to a new home at Indiana University. Black Camera’s mission is to advance research on black filmmaking. The editor expresses particular interest in reconsiderations of classic black films, black filmmaking outside North America, studies of directors, screenwriters, and actors, and cinematic depictions of slavery and anticolonial struggles. Research articles in the inaugural issue are organized by “Africa,” “Caribbean Basin,” and “At Home (United States).” The journal includes book and film reviews and archival news. Of particular note is the informative section of professional notes and research resources, including a minidirectory of archives and upcoming film festivals. The good production quality and solid value for subscription dollar are typical of Indiana University Press journals. Black Camera should be a high acquisition priority for any academic collection of film studies or black studies. [Available in Project MUSE. The institutional subscription price above includes electronic access; eISSN 1947-4237; online-only subs: $76.50; print-only: $85.]

Blurt. 2009. q. $12. Ed: Scott Crawford. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Alternative Rock Music. Issue examined: Winter 2009)
Blurt’s motto, which is emblazoned on its promotional T-shirts, reads “Blurt now. Think later.” That pretty well sums up this magazine’s writing style and depth of reporting. To be fair, Blurt’s audience includes fans of punk and indie hard rock, so one shouldn’t expect a serious tone. Blurt covers the alt-rock genre with articles about bands including A Fine Frenzy, the Ettes, Tall Dwarfs, and Monsters of Folk. The reviews of recent recordings, the magazine’s greatest strength (especially for its coverage of lesser-known bands), display glimmers of thoughtfulness. The editors state that Blurt continues the spirit of Harp (2001–08, ISSN 1536-1438). Despite the shallowness of much of the writing, Blurt provides decent coverage of alternative rock and folk bands. It could be a good choice to interest young adult patrons, with the caution that some of the language used and experiences described may be inappropriate for minors.

The Broadsider. 2009. a. $40. Ed: Paul Fericano. ISSN 2153-2702. Aud: GA (Subject: Poetry. Issue examined: Vol. 1, Series 1–30, 2009)
The Broadsider is a periodical in the unusual format of short poems printed on unbound card stock. The concept is to increase the visibility of previously published poems by distributing them in a manner meant for public display. It’s a neat idea, but from a collection development standpoint, The Broadsider has two significant drawbacks. The first is that binding and shelving the broadsides contradicts the publisher’s purpose of making the poems more visible. A library could subscribe, post poems for patron enjoyment, and then bind them, but that’s cumbersome and the risk of losing pages is high. The second problem is one of production quality—the 8½" x 11" sheets are printed on pastel card stock with an inkjet printer, resulting in a less-than-professional finished product. Many poetry publications have a homemade look to them, but since The Broadsider is meant for public display, it would benefit greatly from higher-quality printing on premium paper. The Broadsider is a decent vehicle to promote contemporary poetry, but its format and production quality make it a problematic acquisition for literature collections.

Café. 2008. bi-m. free. Ed: Alejandro Riera. illus. adv. (Subject: Hispanic Americans. Issue examined: No. 9, Feb./Mar. 2010)
Café is a Chicago-based Latino lifestyle magazine. Many of the stories and most ads are related to the area, but the magazine’s coverage is broad enough to be interesting to Latino readers in other regions. As is typical for a lifestyle magazine, the stories run from frivolous to serious. Articles in the examined issue address tips for online dating, car care, quinceañeras (similar to sweet 16 parties), the role of the census in immigration reform, and a series of personal experiences of being “Blacktino.” The writing is in straightforward English with spare use of Spanish phrases. Café has little advertising compared with other lifestyle magazines and for an 80-page publication is rich in content. Best of all, this attractive and colorful magazine is free to libraries upon request. It’s a perfect choice for Chicagoland institutions and a good acquisition for all libraries that serve patrons interested in the diversity of Latino culture.

Caregiving in America. 2010. m. $10. Ed: Kimberly B. Spee. Aud: GA (Subject: Aging Parents—Care. Issue examined: Vol. 1, No. 1, Feb. 2010)
The audience for a magazine addressing the concerns and struggles of those who care for loved ones is estimated by the publisher of Caregiving in America at 50 million. The articles in the 46-page inaugural issue provide supportive encouragement and practical advice on topics like cleaning out a parent’s home, adding an apartment to one’s house, and handling the stress of being a caregiver. Rosalynn Carter contributes a regular column, writing in the examined issue about the challenges of being in the “sandwich generation,” caring for children and parents. As expressed by the motto “you are not alone,” the tone throughout Caregiving in America is supportive and optimistic. This makes it a fine complement to the reports of research findings in the National Institute of Aging’s Connections. Libraries that already subscribe to Today’s Caregiver (ISSN 1536-2132) may not need a second title on this topic, but given how many people struggle with caring for loved ones, Caregiving in America is a valuable addition.

Christianity Today. 1956. m. $24.95. Ed: David Neff. ISSN 0009-5753. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Christianity. Issue examined: Vol. 53, No. 12, Dec. 2009)
Billy Graham founded this “magazine of evangelical conviction” 54 years ago for evangelical Protestants in the United States. The title suggests a more ecumenical approach than the magazine actually has, but within its scope it addresses a broad range of topics. The examined issue includes “Muslim Followers of Jesus?” and “Why Jesus’ Genealogies in Scripture Don’t Match Up” and stories about string theory and life after death. The redesign inaugurated in October 2009 organizes content into “Briefing,” “Features,” “Viewpoints,” and reviews of books, movies, TV, and music. The primary graphic design changes are a three-column layout, more white space, a larger font for text, and bolder fonts for article titles. Christianity Today remains true to its roots, so the mostly cosmetic changes should be well received by its many loyal readers.

Earth. 2008. m. $34.50. Ed: Christopher M. Keane. ISSN 1943-345X. illus. adv. Aud: GA, Ac (Subject: Earth Sciences. Issue examined: Vol. 54, No. 10, Oct. 2009)
Earth is the American Geological Institute's renamed and redesigned magazine, after Geotimes. This publication is not to be confused with Kalmbach Publishing’s Earth (ISSN 1056-148X), which folded in 1998. The redesigned magazine is a bit more colorful and more heavily illustrated than its predecessor but otherwise will be familiar to longtime readers. The publisher is to be commended for not changing the subscription price. Each issue has a few features on major topics in geosciences, an extensive section of brief news articles, commentary by earth scientists, and reviews of books, web sites, and other media. The publisher’s mission to explain the science behind the headlines is executed well. Earth admirably continues Geotimes’ role as an essential magazine for science collections in public and academic libraries.

Evolutionary Review. 2010. a. $55. Eds: Alice Andrews & Joseph Carroll. ISSN 2151-576X. illus. Aud: Ac (Subject: Evolution. Issue examined: Vol. 1, 2010)
The concept behind Evolutionary Review is to explore various aspects of human experience through the lens of evolutionary theory. It is a scholarly journal dedicated to the premise that interdisciplinary study leads to deeper understanding and eventually to a healthy unity of knowledge. Articles and reviews are organized around the three topics of cultural studies, media studies, and literary studies. The inaugural issue presents research on an array of subjects including Facebook, physical responses to music, and the birth of comics art in New York. Varied issues like these make Evolutionary Review of interest to a fairly broad scholarly audience. The challenge for any interdisciplinary journal is to find a place in library budgets that are typically bound tightly to disciplines’ needs. The well-produced Evolutionary Review is an excellent choice to support interdisciplinary studies.

Get Married. 2009. q. $14.96. Ed: Stacie Francombe. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Weddings. Issue examined: Fall 2009)
This relatively thin (122 pages) but affordable new magazine is one part of Francombe’s “Get Married” brand, which includes a television show on WEtv and the web site www.getmarried.com. Wedding magazines typically blur the line between advertising and content, but Get Married unabashedly tosses aside any pretense of distinguishing one from the other—it’s all about shopping. The visually attractive magazine is an interesting example of contemporary multimedia marketing. Readers with smart phones can download an app that lets them point to an image in the magazine, go straight to the online store, and buy the item on the spot. To the creators’ credit, Get Married depicts many relatively affordable items (e.g., a $40 bridesmaid dress from Target) and includes interracial and same-sex couples in the “Real Weddings” section. Libraries seeking variety in wedding magazines may wish to add Get Married for patrons who buy the notion that shopping and planning are two sides of the same coin.

i.d.e.a.l. 2010. q. $12. zarifaroberson@hotmail.com; 215-200-8387. Ed: Ashley Washington. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: People with Disabilities. Issue examined: Winter 2010)
Published from 2005 to 2007, this humble magazine has returned in partnership with the League for People with Disabilities in Baltimore. I.d.e.a.l. is an acronym for Individuals with Disabilities Express About Life. The mission of the magazine is to highlight uplifting personal stories about young African Americans with disabilities. Articles in the examined issue include an account of a deaf DJ and a story about a man paralyzed from a gunshot wound who now works as an ADA compliance specialist in Philadelphia. Most of the articles are written by Zarifa Roberson, the founder of the magazine. The simple black-and-white illustrations and less-than-perfect copyediting give i.d.e.a.l. a very homemade feel that conveys a raw authenticity. It’s a modest publication worth considering for its representation of young African Americans with disabilities.

JazzTimes. 1980. 10/yr. $23.95. Ed: Lee Mergner. ISSN 0272-572X. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Jazz. Issues examined: Vol. 39, No. 6, Oct.; No. 7, Nov.; No. 8, Dec. 2009)
Long recognized as one of the best magazines about jazz for general audiences, JazzTimes survived a suspension of publication in mid-2009. Amid concerns by jazz fans that it would be gone for good, it was purchased and relaunched in October 2009 by Madavor Media (publisher of enthusiast magazines including Doll Reader and Volleyball). Mergner remains at the helm. Topic coverage is similar to before the suspension, and the magazine is as glossy and colorful as ever. News items and articles about musicians comprise a bit more than half of the content, the rest being devoted to a few reviews of equipment and many reviews of newly released recordings. The primary audiences are jazz students and nonmusicians who appreciate jazz, so the writing assumes some knowledge of the genre but is accessible to anyone. It nicely complements DownBeat’s (ISSN 0012-5768) coverage of “jazz, blues, & beyond,” as it is more tightly focused on jazz and gives readers another perspective. JazzTimes’ survival is happy news, and it continues to deserve its place in public and college library music collections.

The Labletter. 2009. a. $24. Ed: Robert Kotchen. illus. Aud: GA, Ac (Subject: Arts. Issue examined: 2009)
Labletter began in 1998 as a very small circulation newsletter that recorded an annual gathering of artists known as the Oregon Lab. Its founders decided to expand the publication beyond the workshop and its former 25-copy print run to embrace more artists and a wider reading audience. Labletter contains short fiction, drama, photography, and images of paintings and sculptures. The web site has a selection of writings and images from earlier Oregon Labs and doesn’t duplicate the print edition. The color printing on heavy paper is of good but not exceptional quality. Despite the fine content, Labletter, as a small-circulation magazine of arts and literature, may struggle to distinguish itself and establish an audience. Still, this is a good magazine of original content worth including in larger collections of arts and literature.

Listen: Life with Classical Music. 2009. q. $4.95. Ed: Ben Finane. ISSN 1947-4431. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Music. Issues examined: Vol. 1, No. 4, Sept./Oct.; No. 5, Nov./Dec. 2009)
Listen is produced by ArkivMusic, a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. A sidebar accompanying the editor’s letter states that every CD mentioned or recommended in the magazine can be found at ArkivMusic.com. But Listen is much, much more than a catalog. A dozen substantive articles in the Nov./Dec. 2009 issue entertain musical cognoscenti and inform readers with a casual interest in serious music. For instance, an interview with Sting asks serious questions that elicit thoughtful responses. Colorful, effective graphic design complements the well-written articles on musicians, venues, productions, and performances. The ten pages of reviews are labeled “Recommended,” so readers should not expect to read negative reviews in Listen. Ads account for 30 of the Nov./Dec. issue’s 80 pages, but virtually all are for classical recordings. Unlike some lifestyle magazines, it wisely avoids ads and sidebars about luxury cars, clothing, watches, vodka, and the like. Listen is intelligently focused on the gifted people who create fine music. Expertly edited and attractively designed, Listen is a fine choice for collections of music literature.

She Pedals: The Journal of Women in Cycling. 2009. q. $30. Ed: Dena Eaton. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Cycling for Women. Issue examined: No. 1, Fall 2009)
She Pedals is a niche magazine for female bicycle racers. Cyclists who don’t race may enjoy the fine photography, inspirational stories of highly accomplished riders, and travelogs, but the primary audience is fairly accomplished athletes. Unlike some cycling magazines, She Pedals avoids equipment fetishism, so it’s not for gearheads. Articles in the inaugural issue focus on remarkable race locations and on individual women who’ve made notable accomplishments in road- or mountain-bike racing. She Pedals is nicely produced on heavy, glossy paper and has sharp, colorful images. It’s a good effort, but the audience is relatively small and very specialized. For that reason, it’s an optional purchase for all but extensive sports or women’s studies collections.

Social Psychological & Personality Science. 2009. q. $600. Ed: Vincent Yzerbyt. ISSN 1948-5506. Aud: Ac (Subject: Social Psychology. Issue examined: Vol. 1, No. 1, Jan. 2010)
A consortium of organizations dedicated to the study of personality and social psychology has created a new journal produced by SAGE. Its mission is to publish short articles on cutting-edge developments; the editor promises to review manuscripts quickly, partly by eliminating a quarter of them before being sent out for peer review. Topics addressed in the inaugural issue include choices of children’s names, the effect of belief in free will on job performance, and women’s interest in true-crime literature. The 14 articles are terse and relatively short (under ten pages), similar to the style of Psychological Reports (ISSN 0033-2941). Succinctness makes Social Psychological & Personality Science attractive to students and psychologists who appreciate brevity but expect data, statistical analysis, and references. This valuable addition to psychology literature will be well used by patrons in those libraries that can afford it. [The institutional subscription price above includes electronic access; eISSN 1948-5514; online-only subs: $540; print-only: $588.]

Solutions. 2010. bi-m. $299.99 (individuals: $29.99). Ed: Robert Costanza. Aud: Ac, GA (Subject: Sustainable Development. Issue examined: Issue 1, Jan./Feb. 2010)
Solutions is dedicated to “solving the mounting environmental, social, and economic problems of our time.” The editor is the Gund Professor of Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont and cofounder of the International Society for Ecological Economics. Solutions is meant to reach beyond scholars and appeal to thoughtful people among the general public. Short news pieces, interviews, several “Perspectives” essays, and book and media reviews complement the footnoted feature articles. Research-based articles in the inaugural issue address using a “cap & dividend” market mechanism to control pollution, the best leverage points to intervene in a system, and essential steps for preserving biodiversity. The topics are timely, the writing is authoritative and accessible, and the graphic design and production quality are excellent. Solutions would be a fine addition to academic and public library collections if the publisher set a more reasonable institutional subscription price. Fortunately, the companion web site has much of the same information and is freely available.

Tablet: A New Read on Jewish Life (online). 2009. updated daily. free. Ed: Alana Newhouse. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Jewish Way of Life. Examined: December 2009)
Tablet’s appeal should extend beyond the target audience of Jewish readers. Content is neatly organized on the homepage into four sections: Arts & Culture, Life & Religion, News & Politics, and The Scroll (a blog of news stories). The editors accurately describe the project as a newspaper-magazine-blog hybrid. Tablet’s daily updates paired with longer reports successfully add a magazine’s depth to a blog’s immediacy. Recent features discuss Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s opposition to a public option in the health-care reform bill, the characters in Avatar as compared to the Maccabees and other groups forced to defend their ways of life, and the top ten Christmas songs written by Jews. The web site’s design is crisp and easily navigated, the writing interesting and well composed, and the advertisements few and unobtrusive. Tablet is an excellent online magazine that deserves to be linked to as appropriate from libraries’ web sites.

See Magazine Reviews for Sept.–Dec. 2009