Are there any high quality Anarchist publications out there? Preferably magazines? Black Flag?
Have there been in the past?
Are there likely to be in the future? Or is something preventing this?
Occupied Times is probably the highest production values, strong content, regularly produced print publication. They're out of money for the print edition and appealing for donations atm though.
Solidarity Federation produce Direct Action magazine and the Anarchist Federation publish Organise!
Organise! is available in print from AK Press and Active Distribution or as a free PDF download from the AF website. Also at the various anarchist bookfairs.
There used to be Freedom, Black Flag and that Brighton based weekly. Now all I would give my time and money to is Corporate Watch. Maybe that's just me. I would love to see Black Flag back out as a regular quarterly.
When I got into anarchism there a number of publications still being produced. There was:
- Rolling Thunder, produced by Crimethinc, so mixed politics, but aesthetically, was amazing. Looks like the most recent issue came out in Spring 2015.
- The Northeastern Anarchist, produced by the NorthEastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists (NEFAC). The political content of this was closer to what you find here. Last issue came out in 2011.
- Anarcho-Syndicalist Review, produced by a number of former and current IWW members. I personally never really cared for this magazine. Found it quite dry and it is text heavy. But it is still being published.
- Fire to the Prisons, produced by anonymous insurrectionary anarchists. Design-wise, I loved it. Political content wasn't really my cup of tea. Thought it went defunct in 2011, but apparently came back in 2015.
- Fifth Estate, I wasn't aware they were still publishing, but guess they are. Been going at it in some form since the '60s. Long been associated with anticiv/primitivism. Not sure if they are anymore.
- Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed (AJODA), not sure if this is being published anymore. Never read it because I associated it with post-leftism and 1980s era American anarchists who prided themselves on drama.
Organise! has now been going for 86 issues. It fulfils the "high quality" criterion and has in depth analysis of struggles plus looks at culture, book reviews etc. High time it was bigged up as it's the best anarchist mag on the planet at the moment.
Organise! has now been going for 86 issues. It fulfils the "high quality" criterion and has in depth analysis of struggles plus looks at culture, book reviews etc. High time it was bigged up as it's the best anarchist mag on the planet at the moment.
High time you (as in AF) uploaded it as an archive on libcom so our approx. 200K unique visitors every month could see it! ;)
Organise! has now been going for 86 issues. It fulfils the "high quality" criterion and has in depth analysis of struggles plus looks at culture, book reviews etc. High time it was bigged up as it's the best anarchist mag on the planet at the moment.
High time you (as in AF) uploaded it as an archive on libcom so our approx. 200K unique visitors every month could see it! ;)
I agree and it would be great if it could be easily ordered online.
Organise! has now been going for 86 issues. It fulfils the "high quality" criterion and has in depth analysis of struggles plus looks at culture, book reviews etc. High time it was bigged up as it's the best anarchist mag on the planet at the moment.
I agree and it would be great if it could be easily ordered online.
Whatever are you ever talking about duder?
http://afed.noflag.org.uk/contact
No if you have to contact someone to order it that is going to put people off. What about quality high enough to be carried by commercial newsagents? Borders bookshop used to carry Trot rags in Britain before Borders shut down.
Well, Black Flag (I hope!) and talking of which, we are getting the next issue together and looking for writers -- if you are interested, please contact me.
We are looking for articles/reviews from a revolutionary, class struggle anarchist perspective -- but merit will always play a role so a good interesting piece will always be considered.
Ultimately, high quality publications do not "just happen" -- people need to get involved. We would like Black Flag to be quarterly -- but that depends on help, we cannot do it with the numbers involved just now.
When I got into anarchism there a number of publications still being produced. There was:
- Rolling Thunder, produced by Crimethinc, so mixed politics, but aesthetically, was amazing. Looks like the most recent issue came out in Spring 2015.
- The Northeastern Anarchist, produced by the NorthEastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists (NEFAC). The political content of this was closer to what you find here. Last issue came out in 2011.
- Anarcho-Syndicalist Review, produced by a number of former and current IWW members. I personally never really cared for this magazine. Found it quite dry and it is text heavy. But it is still being published.
- Fire to the Prisons, produced by anonymous insurrectionary anarchists. Design-wise, I loved it. Political content wasn't really my cup of tea. Thought it went defunct in 2011, but apparently came back in 2015.
- Fifth Estate, I wasn't aware they were still publishing, but guess they are. Been going at it in some form since the '60s. Long been associated with anticiv/primitivism. Not sure if they are anymore.
- Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed (AJODA), not sure if this is being published anymore. Never read it because I associated it with post-leftism and 1980s era American anarchists who prided themselves on drama.
Are any of these carried commercially by major agents?
Trots are a wee bit more respectable than anarchists though, being part of capitalism 'n' stuff.
This kind of thing has nothing to do with "respectability" and everything to do with having the financial capacity to pay for commercial distribution. Distributors by and large couldn't give a shit if they are carrying Organise! or Trainspotters Monthly as long as it pays. No anarchist group in Britain has the ability to pay, because they are all much smaller and have much lower incomes than the larger Trotskyist groups.
It isn't a very wise use of money for Trotskyist groups in any case. The Scottish Socialist Party used to have Scottish Socialist Voice distributed to newsagents across Scotland but it was basically throwing money down a giant pit and they have long stopped doing it. The SWP used to have Socialist Worker distributed across Britain but to a sparser array of outlets. I don't know if they still do it post-split, but it certainly used to be a big cost for them and in the unlikely event that they are still doing it, it will still be a big money loser. In general even those groups that could pay for it don't regard it as a good idea.
This is all separate from more ad hoc arrangements where individual bookshops or newsagents carry some left wing publications. That's a question of someone dropping around and asking.
It's all to do with profits and legal positions now. I heard a story recently whereby a local based newsletter/paper was casually placed next to the daily 'free' newspaper Metro. A couple of hours later the station staff all across the network were instructed to remove it immediately because it was a breach of contract. The train operating company (toc) has a legally binding contract to only allow that 'free' newspaper to be distributed. I also heard that not one station reported seeing a copy of it...
IrrationallyAngry
factvalue
Trots are a wee bit more respectable than anarchists though, being part of capitalism 'n' stuff.
This kind of thing has nothing to do with "respectability" and everything to do with having the financial capacity to pay for commercial distribution. Distributors by and large couldn't give a shit if they are carrying Organise! or Trainspotters Monthly as long as it pays. No anarchist group in Britain has the ability to pay, because they are all much smaller and have much lower incomes than the larger Trotskyist groups.
It isn't a very wise use of money for Trotskyist groups in any case. The Scottish Socialist Party used to have Scottish Socialist Voice distributed to newsagents across Scotland but it was basically throwing money down a giant pit and they have long stopped doing it. The SWP used to have Socialist Worker distributed across Britain but to a sparser array of outlets. I don't know if they still do it post-split, but it certainly used to be a big cost for them and in the unlikely event that they are still doing it, it will still be a big money loser. In general even those groups that could pay for it don't regard it as a good idea.
This is all separate from more ad hoc arrangements where individual bookshops or newsagents carry some left wing publications. That's a question of someone dropping around and asking.
When I got into anarchism there a number of publications still being produced. There was:
- Rolling Thunder, produced by Crimethinc, so mixed politics, but aesthetically, was amazing. Looks like the most recent issue came out in Spring 2015.
- The Northeastern Anarchist, produced by the NorthEastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists (NEFAC). The political content of this was closer to what you find here. Last issue came out in 2011.
- Anarcho-Syndicalist Review, produced by a number of former and current IWW members. I personally never really cared for this magazine. Found it quite dry and it is text heavy. But it is still being published.
- Fire to the Prisons, produced by anonymous insurrectionary anarchists. Design-wise, I loved it. Political content wasn't really my cup of tea. Thought it went defunct in 2011, but apparently came back in 2015.
- Fifth Estate, I wasn't aware they were still publishing, but guess they are. Been going at it in some form since the '60s. Long been associated with anticiv/primitivism. Not sure if they are anymore.
- Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed (AJODA), not sure if this is being published anymore. Never read it because I associated it with post-leftism and 1980s era American anarchists who prided themselves on drama.
Are any of these carried commercially by major agents?
I'm not sure what you mean by 'major agents'. In the States, I've seen ASR at national chain bookstores before. All the others I've only seen at leftist bookstores.
The only leftist magazines that are really distributed at major distributors here are The Nation, In These Times, The Progressive, International Socialist Review and Jacobin.
jondwhite wrote: Or is
jondwhite
Getting people to write and produce them. Getting people to distribute and pay for them.
There have been quite a few posts on here about publications, Rob Ray has spoken a fair bit about the difficulties of producing Freedom.
Occupied Times is probably
Occupied Times is probably the highest production values, strong content, regularly produced print publication. They're out of money for the print edition and appealing for donations atm though.
I always thought Anarchy was
I always thought Anarchy was a very well produced quality quarterly magazine.
Solidarity Federation produce
Solidarity Federation produce Direct Action magazine and the Anarchist Federation publish Organise!
Organise! is available in print from AK Press and Active Distribution or as a free PDF download from the AF website. Also at the various anarchist bookfairs.
There used to be Freedom,
There used to be Freedom, Black Flag and that Brighton based weekly. Now all I would give my time and money to is Corporate Watch. Maybe that's just me. I would love to see Black Flag back out as a regular quarterly.
When I got into anarchism
When I got into anarchism there a number of publications still being produced. There was:
- Rolling Thunder, produced by Crimethinc, so mixed politics, but aesthetically, was amazing. Looks like the most recent issue came out in Spring 2015.
- The Northeastern Anarchist, produced by the NorthEastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists (NEFAC). The political content of this was closer to what you find here. Last issue came out in 2011.
- Anarcho-Syndicalist Review, produced by a number of former and current IWW members. I personally never really cared for this magazine. Found it quite dry and it is text heavy. But it is still being published.
- Fire to the Prisons, produced by anonymous insurrectionary anarchists. Design-wise, I loved it. Political content wasn't really my cup of tea. Thought it went defunct in 2011, but apparently came back in 2015.
- Fifth Estate, I wasn't aware they were still publishing, but guess they are. Been going at it in some form since the '60s. Long been associated with anticiv/primitivism. Not sure if they are anymore.
- Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed (AJODA), not sure if this is being published anymore. Never read it because I associated it with post-leftism and 1980s era American anarchists who prided themselves on drama.
Organise! 86 is out,
Organise! 86 is out, published by the Anarchist Federation. Check their website for availability soon.
The Land is good if you're
The Land is good if you're rural
Organise! has now been going
Organise! has now been going for 86 issues. It fulfils the "high quality" criterion and has in depth analysis of struggles plus looks at culture, book reviews etc. High time it was bigged up as it's the best anarchist mag on the planet at the moment.
Battlescarred
Battlescarred
High time you (as in AF) uploaded it as an archive on libcom so our approx. 200K unique visitors every month could see it! ;)
If anyone doesn't have a link
If anyone doesn't have a link to Corporate Watch yet it's here - https://corporatewatch.org/
It's not linked to a particular federation and certainly not considered an anarchist publication. That's probably why I like it...
Ed wrote: Battlescarred
Ed
I agree and it would be great if it could be easily ordered online.
Battlescarred
Battlescarred
Absolutely.
fidel gastro wrote: Quote: I
fidel gastro wrote:
Whatever are you ever talking about duder?
http://afed.noflag.org.uk/contact
Great mag btw. You in particular might be stimulated/alarmed by the article at https://afed.org.uk/cuban-anarchism-reborn-video/
factvalue wrote: fidel gastro
factvalue
No if you have to contact someone to order it that is going to put people off. What about quality high enough to be carried by commercial newsagents? Borders bookshop used to carry Trot rags in Britain before Borders shut down.
Trots are a wee bit more
Trots are a wee bit more respectable than anarchists though, being part of capitalism 'n' stuff.
jondwhite wrote: factvalue
jondwhite
Exactly, I don't see why you can't pay for it online.
Well, Black Flag (I hope!)
Well, Black Flag (I hope!) and talking of which, we are getting the next issue together and looking for writers -- if you are interested, please contact me.
We are looking for articles/reviews from a revolutionary, class struggle anarchist perspective -- but merit will always play a role so a good interesting piece will always be considered.
Ultimately, high quality publications do not "just happen" -- people need to get involved. We would like Black Flag to be quarterly -- but that depends on help, we cannot do it with the numbers involved just now.
So over to you...
Juan Conatz wrote: When I got
Juan Conatz
Are any of these carried commercially by major agents?
factvalue wrote: Trots are a
factvalue
This kind of thing has nothing to do with "respectability" and everything to do with having the financial capacity to pay for commercial distribution. Distributors by and large couldn't give a shit if they are carrying Organise! or Trainspotters Monthly as long as it pays. No anarchist group in Britain has the ability to pay, because they are all much smaller and have much lower incomes than the larger Trotskyist groups.
It isn't a very wise use of money for Trotskyist groups in any case. The Scottish Socialist Party used to have Scottish Socialist Voice distributed to newsagents across Scotland but it was basically throwing money down a giant pit and they have long stopped doing it. The SWP used to have Socialist Worker distributed across Britain but to a sparser array of outlets. I don't know if they still do it post-split, but it certainly used to be a big cost for them and in the unlikely event that they are still doing it, it will still be a big money loser. In general even those groups that could pay for it don't regard it as a good idea.
This is all separate from more ad hoc arrangements where individual bookshops or newsagents carry some left wing publications. That's a question of someone dropping around and asking.
New issue of AJODA is out
New issue of AJODA is out now. Here's the editorial
http://anarchymag.org/2016/06/on-social-democracy-and-elections/
It's all to do with profits
It's all to do with profits and legal positions now. I heard a story recently whereby a local based newsletter/paper was casually placed next to the daily 'free' newspaper Metro. A couple of hours later the station staff all across the network were instructed to remove it immediately because it was a breach of contract. The train operating company (toc) has a legally binding contract to only allow that 'free' newspaper to be distributed. I also heard that not one station reported seeing a copy of it...
IrrationallyAngry
jondwhite wrote: Juan Conatz
jondwhite
I'm not sure what you mean by 'major agents'. In the States, I've seen ASR at national chain bookstores before. All the others I've only seen at leftist bookstores.
The only leftist magazines that are really distributed at major distributors here are The Nation, In These Times, The Progressive, International Socialist Review and Jacobin.