Jason Parham (born 1986) is an American writer and editor. He is senior writer at ''Wired'' and the founder and

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

''Spook''. He was previously an editor at ''

Gawker ''Gawker'' is an American blog founded by Nick Denton and Elizabeth Spiers and based in New York City focusing on celebrities and the media industry. According to SimilarWeb, the site had over 23 million visits per month as of 2015. Founded in ...

'' and ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'', and his work has also appeared in ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'', ''

The Awl ''The Awl'' was a website about "news, ideas and obscure Internet minutiae of the day" based in New York City. Its motto was "Be Less Stupid." History Founded in April 2009 by David Cho and former ''Gawker'' editors Choire Sicha and Alex Balk ...

'', ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'', and ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine Supplement (publishing), supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted man ...

''.

Early life

Parham is from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California, growing up in the

Ladera Heights Ladera Heights is a community and unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. The population was 6,634 at the 2020 census. Culver City lies to its west, the Baldwin Hills neighborhood to its north, the View Park-Windsor Hills commu ...

area.

Career

Prior to joining ''Wired'' magazine, Parham had also been an editor at ''Gawker'', ''The Fader'' and ''Complex'', drawing particular notice for commentary on a range of topics, including Outkast, Ferguson,

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...

, and diversity in book publishing, journalism and other media. ''Wired'' described Parham's tenure at Gawker as "one of the site’s more visible advocates for inclusion." ''

Brooklyn Magazine ''Brooklyn Magazine'' is an online news magazine, focusing on "New York’s most populous borough through the lens of culture, community, commerce, arts and leisure." The company was bought by Michael Bassik and the website was launched in Decembe ...

'' named the "veteran writer and editor" to its 2016 list of "100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture." Honoring Parham on a "32 Under 32" list of "individuals who exhibit the professionalism, hard work, values and talents to lead the reimagining of possibilities for tomorrow’s business culture,"

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...

described Parham as a "successful writer" and "cultural connoisseur."

''Spook''

At the age of 26, Parham founded the literary magazine ''Spook''. He published the first issue in June 2012, and subsequent issues annually. Naming ''Spook'' to its list of "30 Indie Magazines You Need to Know" in 2013, ''Complex'' described the journal as a "progressive, independent magazine featuring literary works like poetry and short fiction, as well as covering topics related to art and culture. Only on its second issue, ''Spook'' is turning into a highly regarded news source with a global consciousness." ''Brooklyn Magazine'' called it a "gorgeous literary magazine" and ''Salon'' said ''Spook'' "is bringing a more nuanced, careful, thoughtful, complete vision of blackness into publishing...eclectic with beautiful prose, brilliantly cross-secting the diversity of American intellectual life."

References

External links

Jason Parham

''Spook''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parham, Jason 1986 births 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century American male writers African-American writers American magazine editors Cultural critics Literary editors Living people Wired (magazine) people Writers from Los Angeles