''Smith Magazine'' is a U.S.-based
online magazine
An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to being online only was the computer magaz ...
devoted to storytelling in all its forms. ''Smiths content is participatory in nature, and the magazine welcomes contributions from all its readers. The magazine has made a name for itself with its original graphic novel projects ''
Shooting War'', ''
A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge'', and ''Next Door Neighbor''; and with its series of
Six-Word Memoirs projects. Most of these projects have since gone from web to print publication, from such publishers as
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
,
Pantheon
Pantheon may refer to:
* Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building
Arts and entertainment Comics
*Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization
* ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...
, and
Grand Central Publishing
Grand Central Publishing is a book publishing imprint of Hachette Book Group, originally established in 1970 as Warner Books when Warner Communications acquired the Paperback Library. When Time Warner sold their book publishing business to Hachett ...
.
History
''Smith'' was founded January 6, 2006 — National Smith Day — by writer/editor
Larry Smith and designer Tim Barkow. Previous to launching ''Smith'', Larry Smith was articles editor of ''
Men’s Journal
''Men's Journal'' is an American monthly men's lifestyle magazine focused on outdoor recreation and comprising editorials on the outdoors, environmental issues, health and fitness, style and fashion, and gear. It was founded in 1992 by Jann Wenne ...
'', and has been the executive editor of ''
Yahoo! Internet Life
''Yahoo! Internet Life'' was a monthly magazine published by Ziff Davis, which licensed the name from Yahoo!, the well-known web portal and search engine website. It was created and launched by G. Barry Golson, the former executive editor of ''P ...
'', and senior editor at ''
ESPN Magazine
''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998. Initially published every other week, it scaled back to 24 issues a year i ...
'', and a founding editor of ''
P.O.V.
''POV'' (also written ''P.O.V.'') is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) public television series which features independent nonfiction films. ''POV'' is an initialism for ''point of view''.
''POV'' is the longest-running showcase on television ...
'' and ''
Might
Might may refer to:
* ''might'', one of the English modal verbs
* "Might", a song by Modest Mouse from their 1996 album ''This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About''
* ''Might'' magazine, a magazine founded by American author D ...
'' magazines. Tim Barkow is a former editor at
Wired
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
and the online general manager at ''
Portland Monthly
''Portland Monthly'' (also referred to as ''Portland Monthly Magazine'') is a monthly news and general interest magazine which covers food, politics, business, design, events and culture in Portland, Oregon. The magazine was co-founded in 2003 b ...
''.
The site focuses on "
personal media":
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...
s,
memoir
A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...
s, diaries,
viral videos
A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan, Alexander Haupt ...
,
social networks
A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for a ...
, "the mash-up between the professional and the amateur, and art projects rooted in personal. It’s all about the highly personal take on everything." Since its 2006 launch, ''Smith'' has been heralded as “a vision for the future of populist storytelling,” “a gigantic cocktail party to which everyone is invited to come, listen, and contribute their own personal stories," and “the pulse of today’s cultural narrative."
In the spring of 2006, ''Smith'' launched the critically acclaimed
webcomic
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books.
Webcomics can be co ...
''
Shooting War'', which became a full-color graphic novel from
Grand Central Publishing
Grand Central Publishing is a book publishing imprint of Hachette Book Group, originally established in 1970 as Warner Books when Warner Communications acquired the Paperback Library. When Time Warner sold their book publishing business to Hachett ...
in the fall of 2007.
In January 2007, ''Smith'' launched its second webcomic, a true story of
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
called ''
A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge''. New chapters appeared monthly on ''Smith'' through the summer of 2008. ''A.D.'' received coverage in the ''New Orleans Times-Picayune'', the ''Los Angeles Times'', the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'', the ''Toronto Star'', ''Rolling Stone'', AlterNet, Boing Boing, Wired.com, the ''USA Today'' blog "Pop Candy," and NPR, as well as hundreds of blogs. A four-color hardcover book edition of ''A.D.'' was published by
Pantheon Books
Pantheon Books is an American book publishing imprint with editorial independence. It is part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.Random House, Inc. Datamonitor Company Profiles Authority: Retrieved 6/20/2007, from EBSCO Host Business Source ...
in August 2009.
In February 2008,
Harper Perennial
Harper Perennial is a paperback imprint of the publishing house HarperCollins Publishers.
Overview
Harper Perennial has divisions located in New York, London, Toronto, and Sydney. The imprint is descended from the Perennial Library imprint foun ...
published the ''New York Times'' bestseller ''Not Quite What I Was Planning:
Six-Word Memoirs By Writers Famous and Obscure,'' which came from a six-word memoir contest held on ''Smith'' (and co-sponsored by
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
) in 2007. ''Not Quite What I Was Planning'' collects almost 1,000 six-word memoirs, including pieces from celebrities like
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
,
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best kn ...
,
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers (born March 12, 1970) is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He wrote the 2000 best-selling memoir ''A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius''. Eggers is also the founder of ''Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern'', a lite ...
, and more. ''
Vanity Fair'' magazine wrote that ''Not Quite What I Was Planning'' "will thrill minimalists and inspire maximalists," while ''Publishers Weekly'' said it made for "compulsive reading and prove arguably as insightful as any 300+-page biography."
Story projects
Six-Word Memoirs
Th
Six-Word Memoirproject was the first in a series of several "Six-Word" reader driven projects on the SMITH Magazine website. Six-Word Memoirs are simple stories told in six words (no more, no less) that describe anything from the mundane details of someone's childhood to the most private events in a romantic relationship. For example, Six-Word Memoirs book series editors
Larry Smith (editor)
Larry Smith (born September 17, 1968) is an American author and editor, and publisher of '' Smith Magazine''. He is best known for developing the best-selling book series '' Six-Word Memoirs'', a literary subgenre that took on a life of its own in ...
and Rachel Fershleiser's six-word memoirs are, respectively, "Big hair, big heart, big hurry" and "Bespectacled, besneakered, read and ran around."
![Six-wordmemoir](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Six-wordmemoir.jpg)
In an interview with Adam Phillips of
VOA News
Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...
and the online audio program "Wordmaster," Rachel Fershleiser defines a "memoir" as the following:
Larry Smith followed up by defining "memoir" in his words:
This project spawned a book collection of Six-Word Memoirs. The book,
Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure' is the first in the Six-Word Memoir series.
Editors Smith & Fershleiser traveled around the country in 2008 on a Six-Word Memoir book and promotional tour.
Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak
![ValentinesSMITHgroup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/ValentinesSMITHgroup.jpg)
Similar to the first six-word reader project, th
Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreakproject asked readers to reveal their most intimate six words on the loves of their lives.
The Love & Heartbreak projected culminated in a book which SMITH Magazine touted as a "roller-coaster ride through the complexities of the human heart." The book launched a book tour, and in 2009, Smith and Fershleiser traveled around the country promoting the new, second book and the Six-Word Memoir phenomenon. SMITH Magazine created
videoto illustrate the memoirs collected for the ''Love & Heartbreak'' book. The video was played on the book tour and can also be found online.
Love & Heartbreak event
In February 2009, ''Smith Magazine'', along with several other websites/magazines, hosted a special event: “The Valentine’s Day Personal Media Mixer & Confessional Culture Variety Show.”
PostSecret
PostSecret is an ongoing community mail art project, created by Frank Warren in 2005, in which people mail their secrets anonymously on a homemade postcard. Selected secrets are then posted on the PostSecret website, or used for PostSecret's books ...
,
Found Magazine
''Found Magazine'', created by Davy Rothbart and Jason Bitner and based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, collected and cataloged found notes, photos, and other ephemera, publishing them in an irregularly issued magazine, in books, and on its website ...
, Mortified, and Cassette From My Ex joined SMITH for an evening of storytelling, singing, and multimedia projects.
Six-Word Memoirs for Teens
In 2008, ''Smith Magazine'' launche
SMITH Teens the only Six-Word project with a devoted website which provides heightened reader interaction and Six-Word Memoir creation. Like the other Six-Word Memoir projects, SMITH Teens transformed into a collection of Six-Word Memoirs; this time all by teens (ages 13–19), and will be released as a book in late 2009.
The ''Smith'' Teens site has several features that are regularly used by SMITH teen-readers. Th
WordCloud which is a collection of words on one page that link to a list of Six-Word Memoirs that reference the clicked word
Featured entries which highlights the best of the teen Six-Word Memoirs. Lastly, the SMITH Teens site has
blogdevoted to teen Six-Word Memoir news on the Internet and in the media.
Six Words on The Green Life
Six Words on The Green Lifewas a SMITH six-word story contest. ''Smith'' partnered with eco-website
TreeHugger
''TreeHugger'' is a sustainability website that reports on news, and other subjects like eco-friendly design, homes, and gardens. It was rated the top sustainability blog of 2007 by Nielsen Netratings,
and was included in Time Magazine's 200 ...
, the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream,
to bring SMITH readers a six-word project/contest based on "The Green Life." This theme was generally interpreted as a chance to describe one's views on living green, and their experiences with this lifestyle.
The contest has ended, but the story project page is still open for submissions.
''Six-Word Memoirs''
In 2008, ''Smith Magazine'' held a ''Six-Word Momoir'' contest leading up to Mother's Day. Smith partnered with shopping site Delight.com to offer a $50 gift certificate for each of the three winners.
The three winning entries were: "Mommy's boobies no longer Daddy's boobies," by Jessica Blankton; "Suffered miscarriage. Daughter offered her doll," by Tara Lazar; and "Can I pee in private, please?" by Sheryl Stein.
In 2009, ''Smith Magazine'' held another Six-Word Momoir contest, this time partnering with the websites truuconfessions and Postcards from Yo Momma. Winners received signed copies of three books from the partners and SMITH; three-runners up won one book of their choice. This contest closed on May 10, 2009.
Nancy Lenox won with “Two children. Accidents, but not mistakes.” For the MOMoir About Your Own Mom, the top choice was “Screw cancer. Mom went to Paris,” by Leslie Constans.
Six-Word Memoirs on The Food Life
''Smith Magazine'' and food media website Chow challenged readers to define their food life in the Six-Word Memoir format. Winners of this contest won a Six-Word Memoir book, and a personalized iPod nano.
Runners-up:
“It’s not that kind of diet.” (Alison Carey)
“Egg cream is a dirty lie.” (Marcia Gaye)
“About that fire in the kitchen…” (Lauran Strait)
“Coffee, like love, is bitterly addictive” (Laurie Schmidt)
“It’s best just to eat it.” (Patti Williams)
Winner:
"Are you going to eat that?" Nancy Elliot
Six Words for America
In 2008, ''Smith Magazine'' and the National Constitution Center asked readers to help ten-President-elect
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
inspire America. SMITH asked readers to use six words to give him guidance, offer ideas for his inaugural address, or share six memorable words for January 20 and beyond.
Six contest winners were chosen and won a Six-Word Memoir book, and a one year's membership to the National Constitution Center. One grand-prize winner also won a leather bound volume of the
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...
.
My Life So Far
This is an ongoing ''Smith'' reader project that invites writers to share their memoirs-in-progress or a personal essay.
My Ex
This is an ongoing ''Smith'' reader project that invites writers to share their stories about ex-boyfriends/girlfriends/lovers.
Brushes With Fame
This is an ongoing ''Smith'' reader project that invites writers to share their stories about unexpectedly running into celebrities.
Editor's projects
Editor's Blog
This is a ''Smith'' team run blog. The Editor's Blog is a place for the ''Smith'' team to post ''Smith'' news and other miscellaneous information about the writing world.
Memoirville
This is a
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...
run by ''Smith'' editors and guest interviewers. Memoirville is dedicated to new memoirs by famous writers, and newly published authors.
Webcomics
The Pekar Project
''SMITH'' comics editor Jeff Newelt edited ''The Pekar Project'', featuring new work by
Harvey Pekar
Harvey Lawrence Pekar (; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010) was an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality, best known for his autobiographical ''American Splendor'' comic series. In 2003, the series inspired a ...
, illustrated by a collection of different artists. The series ran on ''SMITH'' in 2009–2010.
''Next Door Neighbor''
SMITH published the weekly anthology series ''Next Door Neighbor'' in 2008–2009, edited by
Dean Haspiel
Dean Edmund Haspiel (born May 31, 1967 in New York City) is an American comic book artist, writer, and playwright. He is known for creating Billy Dogma, The Red Hook, and for his collaborations with writer Harvey Pekar on his '' American Splendor ...
. Contributors included
Jonathan Ames
Jonathan Ames (; born March 23, 1964) is an American author who has written a number of novels and comic memoirs, and is the creator of two television series, '' Bored to Death'' ( HBO) and ''Blunt Talk'' ( STARZ). In the late '90s and early ...
,
Nick Bertozzi
Nick Bertozzi (born May 26, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist, as well as a commercial illustrator and teacher of cartooning. His series ''Rubber Necker'' from Alternative Comics won the 2003 Harvey Awards for best new talent and ...
,
Josh Neufeld
Josh Neufeld (born August 9, 1967) is an alternative cartoonist known for his nonfiction comics on subjects like Hurricane Katrina, international travel, and finance, as well as his collaborations with writers like Harvey Pekar and Brooke Gladsto ...
, and
Harvey Pekar
Harvey Lawrence Pekar (; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010) was an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality, best known for his autobiographical ''American Splendor'' comic series. In 2003, the series inspired a ...
.
''My Home Birth''
''My Home Birth'' was a graphic memoir created by Christen Clifford and drawn by
David Heatley
David Heatley (born October 17, 1974) is an American cartoonist, illustrator, graphic designer, and musician.
Biography Education
Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, Heatley graduated from Teaneck High School in 1993. He graduated from the San Franci ...
, published on ''SMITH'' in 2009. It documents Clifford's experience with giving birth to her daughter, Vera, at home.
''Graphic Therapy''
''Graphic Therapy: Notes from the Gap Years'' was the illustrated diary of single Jewish artist Emily Steinberg making her own way through life, work, and psychoanalysis. It appeared on ''SMITH'' in 2008–2009.
''A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge''
''A.D.'' was published on ''SMITH'' in 2007–2008. A true story from cartoonist
Josh Neufeld
Josh Neufeld (born August 9, 1967) is an alternative cartoonist known for his nonfiction comics on subjects like Hurricane Katrina, international travel, and finance, as well as his collaborations with writers like Harvey Pekar and Brooke Gladsto ...
, it tells the story of
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
and its aftermath from the perspective of real people from
still dealing with the storm each and every day. A two-part prologue sets the scene and shows the storm, almost like a silent movie. This was followed by 13 chapters and an epilogue taking readers through the storm, its aftermath, and the rebuilding of New Orleans. ''A.D.'' is a nonfiction graphic novel, a new approach to storytelling, and a multifaceted peek into the personal tales emerging from the storm of the century. ''A.D.'' was expanded and published as a hardcover book by
Pantheon
Pantheon may refer to:
* Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building
Arts and entertainment Comics
*Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization
* ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...
in August 2009.
''Shooting War''
''Shooting War'' began as a serialized webcomic by Anthony Lappé and
Dan Goldman on ''Smith'' in May 2006. It was released online as a short series, but eventually turned into an 11 biweekly chapters as reader and media interest grew. In the fall of 2006, the story was acquired by
Grand Central Publishing
Grand Central Publishing is a book publishing imprint of Hachette Book Group, originally established in 1970 as Warner Books when Warner Communications acquired the Paperback Library. When Time Warner sold their book publishing business to Hachett ...
for publication as a hardcover graphic novel in North America, and in the U.K. by
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991.
History
George Weidenfeld a ...
. The full-color 192-page hardcover graphic novel tells a story of the future of war, terrorism, and journalism.
Books published
* Lappé, Anthony, and Goldman, Dan.
Shooting War'. Grand Central Publishing, 2007. .
* Smith, Larry, and Fershleiser, Rachel.
Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure'. Harper Perennial, 2008. .
* Smith, Larry, and Fershleiser, Rachel. ''Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure—Deluxe Edition.'' Harper Perennial, 2008. .
* Smith, Larry, and Fershleiser, Rachel. ''Six Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak: by Writers Famous and Obscure''. Harper Perennial, January 2009. .
*
Neufeld, Josh.
A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge'
Pantheon Graphic Novels, August 2009. .
* Smith, Larry, and Fershleiser, Rachel.
I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous & Obscure'' Harper Teen, September 2009. .
References
External links
*{{official website, http://www.Smithmag.net
Official Six-Word Memoir websiteSMITH Teens''A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge'' website''Shooting War'' websiteNext-Door Neighbor websiteGothamist interview with editor Larry Smith
Online magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 2006
Webcomic publishing companies