The New Islander

The New Islander is an American magazine of literature, politics, cultural commentary, and personal expression, based in New York City and published by New Islander Media Inc.^[1] Founded by young writers and editors from the United States and United Kingdom, the magazine principally targets the intellectually diverse regional societies that make up both countries, placing particular emphasis on "New York, London, New England and the Midwest." The magazine is most well known for publishing works of writing that are nostalgic in nature, and welcomes "those who are not afraid to boldly and most personally express the unique events and occurrences, both expected and unexpected, of their lives."

The magazine's format is not that of a newsmagazine, but that of a lifestyle/literary publication, publishing not just fiction and poetry but also essays on news-related events, stories, and phenomenon, in addition to pieces of political opinion and cultural commentary.

First published in 2009.

History

The New Islander debuted in beta on November 1, 2009, advertising itself as a new brand of American magazine.

Editors

It was founded by current Editor in Chief Paul Young, ^[2] originally as a New York-based literary magazine. ^[3] Brianne Corcoran, an editor at The Harvard Crimson [1] ^[4], was hired as the publication's first Managing Editor. The publication has announced it will be relaunching in the Autumn of 2011.

Style and Content

The New Islander's website has been praised for being "nostalgic and simple, yet still rich and sophisticated."^[5] Content wise, the founding editors push for a conservative publication that is not of new ideas, but of traditional, old ideas that are "turned over and over-turned again." An emphasis on the historical and the past is a common theme that's found throughout the magazine's content, perhaps to challenge the growing trend relating to the rapid rise in influence and popularity of online multimedia forms, social networking sites, and modern technology in general. Since its launch, the magazine has published stories covering topics ranging from the recent 2010 Haiti earthquake to the past attack on the USS Liberty incident, which occurred in 1967.^[6][7] As exclaimed in an editor's statement, the theme most central to the magazine's mission is its publishing of works that are very personal in context, somewhat traditional in topic, and considerably raw by nature.

Among some of the magazine's more personal pieces is a young man's recollection of the lessons learned while growing up in a Hispanic immigrant household, a young woman's reflection on an internship experience at the National Immigrant Justice Center, a young man's first-hand account of a Muslim protest in the streets of Paris, and an intoxicated student's unstable stream of consciousness.^{[8][9][10][11]}

In terms of reporting, the magazine primarily covers stories that have been overlooked or under-covered by mainstream news outlets such as The New York Times. In addition, the magazine tends to be critical of newer forms of technology that concern multimedia forms and the World Wide Web such as Twitter and mobile phones.^[12][13]

Since its first days as a public media identity, the magazine has resonated with students and graduates of universities and colleges within the Ivy League, as well as other elite institutions of higher learning. A majority of the works published in the magazine, both by outside contributor and hired staff writer, come from such individuals. Nonetheless, the magazine has published, at times, satire and commentary criticizing the lifestyle and culture found within such very institutions.^[14]

On November 20, 2009, the magazine published a satire of Harvard and Yale's historic football Game, written by a Yale student who goes by the byline, Wesley Quinn.^[15] The following year, a senior staff writer based at Princeton University wrote a piece criticizing the university for failing to retain its once notably prominent school spirit, particularly during Football season.^[16]

The magazine has, at times, been considered a younger alternative to The New Yorker, though the founding editors have been known to poke fun at The New Yorker's "fastidious" nature, saying:

Northeastern culture, particularly the lifestyle of those residing in New England states, is an additional, prominent theme that can be found throughout the magazine's layout.

Staff

The magazine has a diverse staff of student editors from several leading university institutions in the United States. Eleni Marmarelis, currently a student at Dartmouth College, serves as the Editor at Large, while Tiffany Li, a graduate of Phillips Academy who currently attends Stanford University, serves as the Editorial Director. In addition to the editorial board, The New Islander has a hired team of staff writers representing such universities as Yale, Harvard, Princeton University, Stanford, Oxford University, Columbia University and New York University.

Contributors

Professional writers who have written for such publications as the New York Times, Huffington Post, NPR, and BBC News also make up the magazine's regular contributor base.

Audience

According to The New Islander's publishing company, the online version of the magazine reaches students from more than 100 universities and colleges throughout the United States and United Kingdom. 85% of online visitors are ages 18–28, while some of the most heavily represented university institutions include Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth College, Princeton University, Oxford University, Amherst College, Columbia University, New York University, Cambridge University, University of Southern California, Northwestern University, Stanford University, University of St. Andrews, London School of Economics, and the University College London, to name a few.^[17]

William F. Buckley, Jr.

Since its launch, the magazine has been known to dedicate articles to the late William F. Buckley, Jr.. In the magazine's opening political mission statement, two of the magazine's founding editors, Paul Young and Brianne Corcoran, hinted at the publication's respect for—and allegiance to -- William F. Buckley, Jr. as well as his conservative political ideology.^[18]

They wrote:

References

See Also

• List of literary magazines

External links

• The New Islander official website