''Stop Smiling'' was an arts and culture magazine founded by J. C. Gabel in the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

suburb of Darien,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. He started the magazine at age 19 in 1995. The magazine was published on a bimonthly basis. The headquarters was in both Chicago and New York. Each issue followed a theme and consisted of feature-length interviews, essays and oral histories. With a focus on preservation, ''Stop Smiling'' published some of the last in-depth conversations with

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

, Robert Altman,

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960 ...

and

George Plimpton George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American writer. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found ''The Paris Review'', as well as his patrician demeanor and accent. He was also known for " ...

. The company ended the magazine in 2009 and became an independently owned imprint of

Melville House Publishing Melville House Publishing is an American independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The company was founded in 2001 and is run by the husband-and-wife team of Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians in Hoboken, New Jersey. T ...

. ''Stop Smiling'' runs a storefront event space in

Wicker Park, Chicago Wicker Park is a neighborhood in the West Town, Chicago, West Town community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago, Illinois, west of the Kennedy Expressway, east of Humboldt Park (Chicago park), Humboldt Park, and south of the Bloomingdal ...

. Readings and Q&As are regularly broadcast on

Chicago Public Radio WBEZ (91.5 FM) – branded ''WBEZ 91.5'' – is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois, and primarily serving the Chicago metropolitan area. Financed by corporate underwriting, government funding and li ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
1995 establishments in Illinois 2009 disestablishments in Illinois Visual arts magazines published in the United States Bimonthly magazines published in the United States Cultural magazines published in the United States Defunct magazines published in the United States Independent magazines Magazines established in 1995 Magazines disestablished in 2009 Magazines published in Chicago Magazines published in New York City