ATTENTION READERS!!! (actual review follows this important information)
Let me start out by saying that--in spite of the current picture illustrating this review section--this publication is not--I repeat NOT--the same as the flashy-looking tabloid bearing (to some degree) the same name.
At one point, the correct picture went with the reviewing section. Now, somebody has gone and changed the picture--this in spite of the tabloid having its own place to be reviewed elsewhere, meaning that it doesn't need to be represented in both places.
I'm not putting down the tabloid by that name--I confess to sneaking a peek at it and its ilk while in front of the magazine section of a convenience store (and even actually BUYING a copy from time to time)--but I'm just saying that the two magazines bear little resemblance to each other.
Note: If this error has been corrected by the time you're reading this, please disregard the above statement...
If the error does get corrected, I want you to be able to locate the reviews of the six people who have reviewed this publication before I did, so I'm providing links to them here.
Sunlight Dispersing Shadows by norwallace
The most sophisticated human magazine on the planet. by kberken
Let There Be Light by Carrathon
A draught of vintage that hath been cool'd a long age in the deep-delved earth by Tibullus
There's None Like It by fjw123
By all means subscribe by suebobdavis
Let me also say that there were at least a couple of cases where some of the above writers were given less-than-stellar reviews of their reviews because, according to some, they hadn't said enough. I noticed that they had updated, so--if you happen to be one of the original readers/raters--I hope you'll take the time to return and give a higher rating. Review begins below--with my "trademark" out-on-a-tangent approach... I'd been telling myself here recently that I needed to get back on a better sleeping schedule, so I went to sleep when the sun was still shining--at a little after 2:30 a.m. this morning.
HUH!?!
Oh! Okay...I need to edit that first paragraph a little...
I'd been telling myself here recently that I needed to get back on a better sleeping schedule, so I went to sleep when
The SUN was still shining--at a little after 2:30 a.m. this morning.
Am I being mysterious? Let me start with right before I went to bed last night...
One of the last things I did before retiring was to check on the goings-on of
one of the craziest comment sections going on here at this time and found that King James (not to be mixed up with the one who--according to some--managed somehow to live long before his time for a long enough time to write the only absolutely-true-and-accurate version of
The Bible) was asking if any of us were thirsty and would like some drinks.
Somehow, I had the feeling that he wasn't referring to milk or orange juice, and I was more tired than thirsty anyway, so I politely replied:
"I'm not thirsty. I'm sleepy! G'nite!"
When I checked back there a little bit ago, I found this message from
ginzo asking if I would rather have some dessert.
I replied:
"I had dessert--and not a single calorie! I began reading an inspiring story and finished it this morning when I woke up.
It's in the April issue of
The SUN, and the title of it is
Along For The Ride by
Joan Marcus. It's a daughter's memories of her ALS-afflicted mother who managed to navigate the streets of Boston (as well as other parts of her life) even when she was in the late stages of the condition.
I've been meaning to write a review of T
he SUN for quite some time. Perhaps, I should go do that now while I'm thinking about it... "
So here I am writing this...
Anyway, last night, I told myself that I was going to finish up my computing no later than two in the morning and, then, have something to eat and go to bed.
As if turned out, I ate while I was computing and ended up being ready for bed about two-thirty.
Now, I had slept quite a bit the day before.
For those of you who aren't aware of this, I've gotten into a bad--but, at the time, necessary--habit of making my sleep consist mostly of the placement of catnaps between activities, and it has been starting to tell on my health.
On top of that, this has also made me end up having fewer periods of clearmindedness where I could turn out my best quality of work during those times when I was awake.
Anyway, I've been trying to get out of my perpetual jet-lag.
Since I'd already spent so much time sleeping, I decided to take something to bed with me to read until I finally got sleepy again, and that was
The SUN where I had started reading the aforementioned story until such a time that the magazine was dropping from my hand and onto the floor.
When that time came, I went to sleep and woke up to finish the story seven or so hours later.
It was a very satisfying read--which isn't surprising, as that describes the overall experience of delving into
The SUN.
Let me walk you through
The SUN.
On the front cover is a black-and-white photograph. I can't recall ever seeing any kind of photograph--on the front cover or within the pages of the magazine--that isn't in black-and-white.
Technically, black-and-white but all of them vividly colored with various emotions.
You'll find lots of photographs in an issue and lots of writing. What you won't find in there--unless you count the order blanks for subscribing, which aren't even part of the magazine so that they can be easily removed from it--are ads.
The $36 per year domestic for 12 issues seems to take care of making sure that readers are given at least 50 pages (counting inside covers) per issue.
I don't remember at this time whether or not you get a discount for subscribing for more years at one time or if I had money burning my pocket at the time. All I know is that I've subscribed way ahead so that I'm good through July of 2008.
On the inside front cover, credit is given where credit is do--and this is done so wonderfully.
Everyone who has contributed one or more of the following: article, story, poem, photograph is included in an area called
CONTRIBUTORS. Each one has a wonderfully-done biographical sketch and, if the magazine is provided with it, will even include the e-mail or website of the various contributors. The person whose photo is used on the front cover is given his/her own private area of this section.
Under the heading of
STAFF, those who qualify as such are listed under a masthead that's modestly placed at the bottom of the page right margin flush.
"Right margin flush" seems to be an appropriate description, because the pages are the size of an average sheet of typing paper: 8 1/2" x 11" (though something about it makes it seem even larger).
The page considered to be page one is where the table-of-contents is. That along with more information about the magazine and, usually, at least one photo.
Taking a close look at the information, I've found a scale of pay for subscriptions:
Six months: $19
One year: $36
Two years: $62
Five years: $150
Ten years: $300
Lifetime (yours or ours): $1000
The message (Hey! You matter to us!) doesn't just boom out at you, but what you find on the next page shows where readers stand in an unassuming sort of way.
Letters to the editor are here referred to as
CORRESPONDENCE--and it's on more than a rare occasion when the writers of pieces about which letters are written will even make a personal appearance to answer back.
The open, friendly theme of
The SUN continues to show itself in how directions are given to their interesting online website:
www.thesunmagazine.org This website includes, among other things, a place where readers can get in touch with each other--especially, for the purpose of setting up meetings with other readers who live near-by.
There's also a place where donations to the magazine can be made online. Because this publication doesn't run ads, donations are very helpful--and not just for lining the pockets of the editor and his merry elves, either.
They like to provide free subscriptions to places such as libraries and prisons.
If
The SUN has need of employees, one of the first places it turns to is its readership. This is made clear by job opening announcements that appear in both issues of the magazine and on its website.
An interview with someone comes up next in the magazine--this time around, the interviewee is a Muslim scholar named
Ebrahim Moosa, and he speaks on freedom, fundamentalism, and the spirit of Islam.
The interview was conducted by
Krista Bremer who--according to the information on the inside front cover--is the magazine's circulation director. She and her Libyan husband live in North Carolina and have two children, and he lulls them to sleep by singing old Arabic folk songs.
Something amusing written in her biographical sketch was:
"...Every few months she talks by phone with her mother-in-law in Libya. Neither understands a word the other says, but they laugh a lot."
The interview is an eye-opener that will stick pins in some myths regarding the causes of the problems in the Middle East.
It's fitting that this interview is immediately followed by various blog-entries written by Iranians and put into a collection by
Nasrin Alavi a journalist who grew up in Iran, studied and taught engineering in Britain and the U.S. and currently lives in London.
If you think you know what goes on in the minds, hearts, homes, and out in public with the people over there, you might be surprised what new information on this subject you'll learn through these blog-entries.
Beyond that, you'll find stories--both fiction and non-fiction--along with poems making up most of the rest of the magazine, along with photos frequently thrown into the mix.
The next regular feature you'll come across when going through the magazine is called
Readers Write. The theme of the latest one of these (April 2006 at the time of this review) is:
DECISIONS.
These aren't the writers whose names are included in the contributors' section--in fact, it's very common for them to just use initials or even go completely anonymous--but that doesn't make them any less significant than those who have their names in the table-of-contents and their names and bios on the inside front cover.
In fact, they're a lot of the lifeblood of this publication with the stories they share.
Here are the guidelines and upcoming topics for this section...
READERS WRITE asks readers to address subjects on which they're the only authorities. Topics are intentionally broad in order to give room for expression. Writing style isn't as important as thoughtfulness and sincerity.
Because of space limitations, we're unable to print all the submissions we receive. We edit pieces, often quite heavily, but contributors have the opportunity to approve or disapprove of editorial changes prior to publication. (If you don't want to be contacted regarding the editing of your work, please let us know.)
We publish only nonfiction in Readers Write. Feel free to submit your work under "Name Withheld" if it allows you to be more honest, but be sure to include your mailing address so we can give you a complimentary six-month subscription if we use your work, as a way of saying thanks. Occasionally, we will choose not to publish an author's name, or will only use a first name and last initial. While we don't question the truthfulness of the writing, we must be sensitive to considerations of libel or invasion of privacy. If you've already changed the names of the people involved, please say so.
Send your typed, double-spaced submissions to Readers Write, The Sun, 107 North Roberson Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. If you cannot type, please print clearly. We're sorry, but we can't respond to or return your work, so don't send your only copy unless you don't want it back. Because we must wait until the last minute to make our final selections, we are unable to answer questions regarding the status of submissions. If your work is going to appear, you'll hear from us prior to publication. I'm now going to give you the upcoming topics with each one followed by its deadline and publication date. These, of course, are how they stand here in April of 2006, but they will give a shining example of the kinds of topics one might find about which to write in
Readers Write...
Falling _____ May 1 _____ October 2006
Nine To Five _____ June 1 _____ November 2006
Gambling _____ July 1 _____ December 2006
Nothing To Lose _____ August 1 _____ January 2007
Help _____ September 1 _____ February 2007
Good Friends _____ October 1 _____ March 2007
After this section, the reader is generally treated to at least one more story, poem, and picture before ending up visiting
SY SAFRANSKY'S NOTEBOOK.
Sy is the editor and founder of
The SUN--and, in a little bit, I'm going to share an excerpt of his writing about the early days of the publication taken from the website--and his notes about his life are very honest, enlightening, and pleasant to read.
On the backside of his notebook are the
SUNBEAMS, which are quotes-of-interest sent in by readers.
A final picture on the inside back cover and the closest thing you'll get to permanent advertising on the outside back cover, and, after that, anticipation of the next issue...
At this point, we're going to time-travel back to 1974 with Sy. You can find much more of his story by going here:
http://www.thesunmagazine.org/friends.html
but I'm going to share an excerpt from it here... "...In 1974, when I stood on the street selling the first issues, I was an idealistic twenty-eight-year-old with hair down to my shoulders. A lot has changed since then. Instead of doing nearly everything myself and using my knapsack for an office, I now work alongside more than a dozen colleagues in a lovingly restored old house in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Rather than being peddled on the street, The Sun now goes out to sixty-five thousand subscribers every month. Equally astonishing to me is that last March I turned sixty. Leo Tolstoy was right: "Old age is one of the most unexpected things that happen to a man." But even though most of my hair is gone, my idealism isn't..." You can learn even more by reading an historical account of the magazine by
Andrew Snee, Assistant Editor which can be found by going here:
http://www.thesunmagazine.org/history.html I love reading inspiring success stories like this at any time, but it means even more to me now.
As I was writing this review, I kept seeing this wonderful banner appearing on just about every page of the
Epinions magazine section. It will, likely, be appearing at least part of the time above this review when it's brought up.
Within a couple of days, the premier issue of it will be on its way to my P.O. Box, and, by this time next week, give or take, I'll be doing another magazine review of yet another very worthwhile magazine where someone who is just a year older than Sy was when he was out there one the streets peddling copies of what was then called
The Chapel Hill Sun is just launching a hard-copy of her dream!
I hope that, when she looks back on now from her sixties, she will have a similar success story to tell!
I've been a longtime subscriber of
The SUN and have been meaning to write a review about it for some time now, but other things just kept getting in the way.
Now, I believe that it was meant to be that I write about it right at this particular time as a means of not only getting more and more people to subscribe to a publication that I feel is such a needed read for our times but, also, as showing
this editor/publisher/writer/more what she might be up to 32 years from now! After all, she, too, has a magazine that is such a needed read for our times!
Subscription Addiction
