In This Issue
January – February 2007
FEATURE: Magazines of the Year
Reading the Future
Winners of the 18th Annual Utne Independent Press Awards
Hands-on Publishing
The web didn’t kill zines—it only made them stronger
by Danielle Maestretti
Outside Influence
Raw Vision peers into a curious corner of the art world
by Keith Goetzman
Change? Sí
Latin America points the way for progressive politics, and the NACLA Report is on the story
by Joseph Hart
The Nominees
The full list of this year’s 107 nominees
FEATURE: Tea Time
Steeped in Tea
The social significance of one hot drink
by Andy Isaacson
The Future of Fair Trade Tea
FEATURE: Video Games
Playing with Our Heads
Why video games are making our kids smarter—and more obedient
by Chris Suellentrop, from the Wilson Quarterly
FEATURE: Eye on the Sky
Messages from Above
Why the clouds are worth watching
by Chris Dodge
Emerging Ideas
Our BlackBerries, Ourselves
How our technologically driven “talk culture” stunts self-expression and sacrifices autonomy
by Liz Else, from the New Scientist
Cycling for Change
Project Rwanda helps repair bikes and lives in a scarred country
by Kristen Mueller
For Their Eyes Only
A secret program to make government history… history.
by Bennett Gordon
Plus: Degrees of Change, e-waste eradication, a fair share of fair trade, power walking, & more
Mixed Media
What’s Your Story
The radio documentary boom has people talking
by Kiera Butler, from Columbia Journalism Review
Straight Outta El Alto
A revolutionary hip-hop scene emerges in Bolivia
by Benjamin Dangl, from Toward Freedom
Hooked on Nollywood
Nigeria’s film industry charts its own strange course
by Jonathan Kiefer, from Maisonneuve
Mindful Living
The Deeper Meaning of Mindfulness
At the root of the latest Buddhist buzzword lies a challenging path to enlightenment
by Thubten Chodron, from Shambhala Sun
Women Gone Wild
A seasoned adventurer no longer cares to keep up with the boys
by Pam Houston, from Women’s Adventure
Majoring in Organics
A degree program in organic agriculture modes a holistic future for farming
by Paul Henderson, from Alternatives Journal
Gleanings
Hillbilly Lit
The JT LeRoy literary hoax raises hackles in Appalachia
by Ann Magnuson, from the Gazz
Blue-Eyed Wonder
Let the tongues wag—this baby is mine
by Sarah A. Ongiri, from Hip Mama
An Orchestrated Attack
War’s sound track echoes from Dresden to Baghdad
by David Griffith, from the book A Good War Is Hard to Find
The Cat Came Back
Time stands still when the watcher becomes the watched
by Craig Childs, from High Country News
COLUMNS & LETTERS
Editor’s Note
by David Schimke
Letters
Shelf Life
by Danielle Maestretti
Heartland
by Nina Utne