From the Stacks: January 12, 2007

Article Tools

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Utne Reader's library is abuzz with a steady flow of 1,500 magazines, newsletters, journals, weeklies, zines, and other lively dispatches from the cultural front that are rarely found at big-box bookstores, newsstands, or even online. So we share the highlights (and occasional lowlights) of what's landing in our library each week in 'From the Stacks.' Check in every Friday for the latest edition.

The Daily Constitutional is not like other art magazines. For one thing, it's not published in a highfalutin art-scene city, hailing instead from Richmond, Virginia. For another, it provides more space for artists' writings than for their works; the Daily Constitutional is not a glossy, expensive showcase with strategically placed white-space. Editor in chief John Henry Blatter explained his vision in the inaugural issue, published just over a year ago: '[W]e artists seldom write about our art and art-making in a forum that is readily available to anyone else.' Such exposition has become the domain of critics, theorists, and gallery owners. But fret not -- the Daily Constitutional doesn't get bogged down in academic art-speak either. The current issue (#3) is a down-to-earth grab bag of paintings, photographs, letters, and prose contributed by more than 25 artists. At the back of the magazine, do what you will with 10 nearly blank pages crowned by random words like 'hot poop' and 'scuttlebutt.' -- Danielle Maestretti

Tabloid photographs of celebrities toting newly adopted babies might serve to publicize adoption, but they don't convey the complex and joyful realities of adopting a child. That is where Adoptive Families steps in to do essential work. A 2006 Utne Independent Press Award nominee for best lifestyle coverage, the bimonthly packs plenty of expert advice on subjects from transracial parenting to special medical concerns for adoptive parents, and its 'Growing Up Adopted' pages are indexed neatly by age group. The magazine also shines as a forum for personal narrative. The January/February issue includes reflections from a single mother, soon-to-be-50, on adopting eight years earlier; a birthmother who arranged to spend special time with her newborn; and a couple who decided to adopt for a second time. Two pages of reader-submitted snapshots (read: an adorable array of adopted faces) make the sense of community palpable. -- Julie Hanus

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print