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Every issue of New Mobility takes aim at the journalistic clich? that editor Tim Gilmer calls 'the inspirational cripple story.' Gilmer, a paraplegic who edits the magazine and runs a 10-acre organic farm from the seat of a manual wheelchair, has little patience for such tired, teary-eyed dispatches. 'Most of our writers have disabilities,' he explains, 'so we offer an insider viewpoint.' That viewpoint-honest, intelligent, and human (as opposed to superhuman)-is what makes New Mobility such compelling reading, both for the disabled and for the 'temporarily abled' (that's the rest of us).

When it comes to the writing, abilities are varied: Many contributors, says Gilmer, are not professional writers, though some, like Lorenzo Milam and Harriet McBryde Johnson, are well known. Regardless, the stories and style are down-to-earth and take on tough subjects. The mix of voices and perspectives captures the paradox of life in a wheelchair: It commands time and energy, but disability doesn't define every moment. New Mobility manages to finesse the distinction, demonstrating that a life on wheels is a rich and complicated one.

Subscriptions: $27.95/yr. (12 issues); 215/675-9133; www.newmobility.com.

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