A Rainy Night in London

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Bold thinking and social inventing are by no means a strictly English phenomenon, nor is the belief that all of us ought to have a stake in envisioning the planet’s future. The British, with their history of independent ingenuity and a long-abiding respect for eccentrics, do offer some inspiration for those of us eager to bring fresh ideas into the discussion of issues large and small. Yet you can turn to North America’s alternative media for many examples of sharp minds and brave souls willing to stand up against the conventional wisdom of an industrialized, market-driven, and often coldhearted system. That’s been our business here at Utne Reader for the past 18 years—uncovering the views and voices that deserve more attention from our society than they get.

Carrying this mission to a new medium, we recently published a book, Visionaries: People and Ideas to Change Your Life, co-authored by contributing editor Jon Spayde and me, that introduces the work of 60 of the world’s most original thinkers. (To order it see page 89.) Satish Kumar and John Papworth are profiled, along with architects and activists, physicists and priests, therapists and dancers. While the great majority of these visionaries are not household names, we feel that what they have to say is more important than what we hear from the usual suspects quoted in the morning paper and TV news.

One of the main themes in our book is that each person, in his or her own way, has the potential to be a visionary. Like me, you may not be able to predict the future, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help shape it. By tapping your creativity, you could change the course of history or perhaps make a big difference in your own neighborhood. That’s the vision Nick Albery left for all of us.

I am delighted to announce the promotion of Karen Olson to senior editor. She joined Utne Reader in 1999 after helping launch the literary journal Thin Air in Flagstaff, Arizona, and serving as managing editor of Colorado Review in Fort Collins. Karen is the hardiest outdoors enthusiast on our staff, as you can see by this photo from her recent caving expedition in Tamaulipas, Mexico.
—Jay Walljasper

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