My new baby

When I moved to the USA nearly 18 months ago, I was particularly looking forward to two aspects of local cultural education: uncovering great new magazines, and discovering what the heck a Smore was.

The second thing was, I have to say, a disappointment (Hershey’s being rather waxy for my taste buds), but the imagination and creativity I’ve discovered in magazines on this side of the Atlantic has been really rather fantastic. The question remained, however: what to do with this knowledge?

I’ve been a Stack fan since it started (and somewhat envious of those in Europe who can get it for less than the cost of a Royal Mail’s ransom), and so I bowed at the feet of Mr Stack, aka Steve Watson, when we met at Colophon earlier this year.

A few months later, we met again, and had a crazy idea. So here we are today, with the launch of Stack America.

It’s simple enough: Stack America is just like the Stack you know and love (ie. a curated magazine club, sending you remarkable independent magazines and more, direct to your letter box), but American flavored. Which means more magazines from America (that is, the USA, Canada, Mexico and further afield too, if I can swing it), sent out from an American address, making the whole thing more affordable for those of a west Atlantic geographic persuasion.

Though it’s mainly America-themed, I’ll also throw in occasional European delights that don’t often make it out here, just to keep my lovely subscribers on their toes.

The key points of difference:

- While the original Stack is monthly. Stack America is every two months.

- Stack and Stack America will send out different magazines, so a subscription to both means even more variety to your magazine reading.

- The first Stack America will be sent out in January. Which makes it the perfect Christmas gift for the designfreak/magazine-lover/doctor’s waiting room in your family.

- Stack America is run by me, not Steve. So if you have a complaint or a problem with it, please don’t leave poo on his doorstep. I’m at andrew@stackmagazines.com (though naturally we are working together to make it a success.)

- No magazine pays or gives us favors to be included. We only choose magazines that we love, and that we know you will too.

- We do also love online magazines, it’s just that the internet is harder to fit in an envelope.

- Members will also receive occasional bonus delights, including exclusive, mag-themed pieces. Yes, I’m commissioning, and there’ll be more on that soon…

- Yes, I am accepting submissions and suggestions! Lemme know what your favorite American magazine is, and just maybe, it might end up in an envelope near you.

- In general, I plan on only announcing Stack America magazines after the mailout, so that each issue’s contents remain a surprise. I’m going to make an exception for the first one, however, mostly because I’m really delighted about it, and also because it gives you a flavor of what to expect. Included in the first Stack America envelope will be a forthcoming issue of Meatpaper, the beautiful and provocative San Francisco-based quarterly journal covering art and ideas about meat, and the latest Megawords, a Philadelphia-based magazine about place and human experience. And more things I just can’t announce quite yet. Did I mention that Stack America is going to rock your world?

Any more questions, drop me a line or leave a comment. And do spread the word, and sign up. Stack America is go!