Utne Independent Press Awards Winners

Each year since 1989, Utne’s editors have gathered around a table in our library, surrounded by nearly 1,600 publications that come through our doors, to talk about the magazines, newsletters, and zines that most informed, inspired, and intrigued us over the past 12 months. We’ll debate the merits of our favorites, recall great articles from past issues, consult a few outside sources, and eventually come to some consensus about which publications most deserve special recognition.

This year, we’re joining with the Independent Press Association, the San Francisco-based group that supports progressive periodical publishing nationwide, to throw an awards banquet. Winners of the Utne Independent Press Awards will be announced in our January/February 2003 issue and awarded January 18, 2003 at the IPA’s first annual conference in San Francisco. For more information on the banquet, visit www.indypress.org or call IPA at 877/INDYMAG.
-The Editors

General Excellence, Magazines
The Nation
A lively weekly venue for debate on politics and culture. $35.97 for 47 issues from Box 55149, Boulder, CO 80322-5149; 800/333-8536; http://www.thenation.com

General Excellence, Newsletters
The Hightower Lowdown
Jim Hightower and Phillip Frazier?s populist-inspired monthly zeroes in on political issues that affect everyday people and chronicles how grassroots America is making its voices heard. $15 for 12 issues from Box 20596, New York, NY 10011; 212/741-2365; http://www.jimhightower.com

General Excellence, Zines
King Cat Comics
Sweet, slow stories about the small epiphanies of life told with a few careful lines?both in text and illustration. $6 for 3 issues from Box 881, Elgin, IL 60121; http://www.king-cat.net

Cultural/Social Coverage
Punk Planet
Punk Planet augments its rock music coverage with thoughtful and stirring views on many subjects from travelers, activists, and do-it-ourselves mavens. $24 for 6 issues from Box 464, Chicago, IL 60690; 773/784-9774; http://www.punkplanet.com

Political Coverage
The Progressive
Published in Madison, Wisconsin, since 1909, The Progressive persistently probes for issues, ideas, injustices, and inspiration that don?t get a fair hearing in the major media. $32 for 12 issues (students $21) from Box 421, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0421; 800/827-0555; http://www.progressive.org

Ethnic Issues Coverage
ColorLines
ColorLines, a handsome quarterly, offers detailed reports and clear analysis about issues of racial justice on many fronts. $16 for 4 issues from 4096 Piedmont Avenue, PMB 319, Oakland, CA 94611-5221; 510/653-3415; http://www.colorlines .com

Arts/Literature Coverage (tie)
Art Journal
Visually compelling without glitz, rich in ideas without succumbing to art-theory-speak, Art Journal presents substantial essays and wide-ranging Q & As that bring readers deep into the minds of today?s artists. $45 for 4 issues from Member Services, c/o College Art Association, 275 Seventh Ave, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001; 212/691-1051 ext. 12; http://www.collegeart.org

The Comics Journal
Equal parts trade publication, fanzine, and arts and culture review, this well-edited publication is sure to please anyone who takes comics the least bit seriously. $25 for 5 issues from 7563 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115; 800/657-1100; http://www.tcj.com

Spiritual Coverage
Mountain Record
The Catskills-based Mountain Record is a quarterly Zen Journal that covers mystical wisdom everywhere, from the arts and ecology to business. $20 for 4 issues from Dharma Communications, Box 156, Mt. Tremper, NY 12457; 845/688-7993;
www.buddhastatuesnow.com

International Coverage
New Internationalist
Published since 1970 in Oxford, England, the New Internationalist covers every corner of the globe with a keen eye for significant political, social, and cultural developments. It is truly a window on the world, especially those parts seldom seen in most news coverage. $35.98 for 11 issues from Box 1143, Lewiston, NY 14092; 800/661-8700; http://www.newint.org

Personal Life Coverage
Natural Home
Colorado-based Natural Home, a bimonthly magazine of earth-inspired living, is a practical and elegant guide for people who want to make their homes more beautiful, comfortable, and environmentally friendly. $24.95 for 6 issues from Box 552, Mt. Morris, IL 61054-0552; 800/340-5846; http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com

Local/Regional Coverage
The Brooklyn Rail
From the streets of Brooklyn, this quarterly tabloid consistently provides fresh and substantial coverage of the borough?s arts, literature, and local politics. $20 from 43 Withers Street #3, Brooklyn, NY 11211; 718/707-1146; www.thebrooklynrail.org

New Paradigm/Culture Coverage
Fourth Door Review
A provocative and visionary British magazine aimed at breaking down barriers ?between ecology and technology, land art and digital crafts, music and media.? $14/1 issue from 68 Mt. Gilboa Rd., Westmoreland, NH 03467-4705; http://www.globaltravelpress.com/

Science and Environmental Coverage
E Magazine
Bimonthly E Magazine reports on human ecology at macro and micro levels alike, offering practical information for living more sustainably. $20 for 6 issues from Box 2047, Marion, OH 43305-2047; 815/734-1242; http://www.emagazine.com

Student/Youth coverage
Silicon Valley De-Bug
?The voice of the young and temporary,? this bilingual (English/Spanish) publication is created by people who work or have worked ?on the low-wage end of Silicon Valley.? 48 S. 7th Street, Rm. 101, San Jose, CA 95112; http://www.siliconvalleydebug.com/

Reporting excellence
Mother Jones
Mother Jones continues to publish groundbreaking stories on matters affecting all of us, from the environment and criminal justice to global economics. $20 for 6 issues from Box 334, Mt. Morris, IL 61054; 800/438-6656; http://www.motherjones.com

Writing excellence
The American Scholar
This consistently engaging journal of essays, poetry, and reviews offers sustenance for readers who are?in the very best sense of the word?middlebrow intellectuals. $25 for 4 issues from 1785 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Fourth Floor, Washington, DC 20036; 800/821-4567

New Titles
ReadyMade
Fun for anyone interested in how-to-do-it projects and decorating, quarterly ReadyMade encourages the young and not-so-rich to become creative with the world around them. $14 for 4 issues from 2824 Eighth St., Berkeley, CA 94710; 866/851-3369; http://www.readymademag.com

Design excellence
Yoga Journal
The clean typography, elegant artwork, and peaceful layout of the bimonthly Yoga Journal leave readers feeling they?ve just completed a personalized session of poses. $14.95 for 7 issues from Box 51151, Boulder, CO 80323-1151; 800/600-YOGA; http://www.yogajournal.com

Online Political Coverage
AlterNet
A San Francisco-based online news service launched by the Independent Media Institute, AlterNet provides a mixture of news, opinion, and investigative journalism. They earned particularly high marks for their timely and in-depth coverage of 9/11 and the war on terrorism. http://www.alternet.org

Online Cultural Coverage
Killing the Buddha
A three-way partnership between a former truck driver, a Webmaster, and a self-professed sinner, this online religious magazine is geared to people who are anxious when near churches, yet are somehow drawn to talk of God. www.killingthebuddha.com

  • Published on Oct 9, 2007
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