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''Utne Reader'' (also known as ''Utne'') ( ) is a digital digest that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from
alternative media Alternative media are media sources that differ from established or dominant types of media (such as mainstream media or mass media) in terms of their content, production, or distribution.Downing, John (2001). ''Radical Media''. Thousand Oaks, C ...
sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies,
zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...
s, music, and
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
s. The magazine's writers and editors contribute book, film, and music reviews and original articles that tend to focus on emerging
cultural trend The bandwagon effect is the tendency for people to adopt certain behaviors, styles, or attitudes simply because others are doing so. More specifically, it is a cognitive bias by which public opinion or behaviours can alter due to particular act ...
s. The magazine's website produces ten blogs covering politics, environment, media, spirituality, science and technology, great writing, and the arts. The publication takes its name from founder Eric Utne. "Utne" rhymes with the English word "chutney". Eric Utne's surname is ultimately derived from the Norwegian village of
Utne Utne is a village in Ullensvang municipality in the Hardanger region of Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern end of the Folgefonn Peninsula, at the confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs ...
, which loosely translates as "far out".


History

The magazine was founded in 1984 by Eric Utne as the ''Utne Reader''. Its tagline was "the best of the alternative press." For its first 20 years
Jay Walljasper Jay Walljasper (died 22 December 2020) was an American writer, editor, speaker, and community consultant. He explored how new ideas in urban planning, placemaking, tourism, community development, sustainability, politics and culture could alter ...
was editor; Julie Ristau was its publisher. During these years it was transformed "from a tiny New Age newsletter to a thick, ad-rich magazine with more than 300,000 subscribers." Utne chaired the magazine until the late 1990s, when his then-wife Nina Rothschild Utne took over. The magazine was headquartered in
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
. The cover logo was changed to simply ''Utne'' in 2003, continuing until 2006, with the subtitle, ''A Different Read on Life''. In 2006 the magazine was purchased by
Ogden Publications Ogden Newspapers Inc. is a Wheeling, West Virginia based publisher of daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, telephone directories, and shoppers guides. The company was founded by H.C. Ogden in 1890, and is currently run by the family of his gra ...
, publishers of '' Grit'', ''
Mother Earth News ''Mother Earth News'' is a bi-monthly American magazine that has a circulation of 500,520 . It is published in Topeka, Kansas. Since its founding, ''Mother Earth News'' has promoted renewable energy, recycling, family farms, good agricultural ...
'', '' Natural Home'', and other magazines. The earlier title ''Utne Reader'' was brought back, and the magazine returned to and refocused on its original mission to reprint "the best of the alternative press". ''Utne Reader'' ceased publication in 2019 and is now a digital digest at utne.com. Eric Utne looked into re-acquiring the magazine in 2020 but was rebuffed by the publisher. "“It’s sad to see it go,” Utne admits. “These times need something like this more than ever. Our editorial credo was to no particular point of view. No one has the sole proprietorship on good ideas. It takes multiple perspectives to come closer to the truth.” According to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', ''Utne Reader'' was a leader of the salon movement of the 1980s, devoted to debate on the issues of the day. ''Utne Reader'' was an early source of coverage of the
mythopoetic men's movement The mythopoetic men's movement was a body of self-help activities and therapeutic workshops and retreats for men undertaken by various organizations and authors in the United States from the early 1980s through the 1990s. The term ''mythopoetic ...
when it first surfaced in the early 1990s.


Utne Independent Press Awards

The magazine bestows annual Utne Independent Press Awards, which honor alternative and independent magazines from around the world. Past winners include the ''
Wilson Quarterly ''The Wilson Quarterly'' is a magazine published by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. The magazine was founded in 1976 by Peter Braestrup and James H. Billington. It is noted for its nonpartisan, non-ideolo ...
'', ''
In These Times ''In These Times'' is an American politically progressive monthly magazine of news and opinion published in Chicago, Illinois. It was established as a broadsheet-format fortnightly newspaper in 1976 by James Weinstein, a lifelong socialist. ...
'', ''
Virginia Quarterly Review The ''Virginia Quarterly Review'' is a quarterly literary magazine that was established in 1925 by James Southall Wilson, at the request of University of Virginia president E. A. Alderman. This ''"National Journal of Literature and Discussion"'' ...
'', ''
Mother Jones Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...
'', '' Orion'', ''
High Country News ''High Country News'' is a monthly independent magazine based in Paonia, Colorado, that covers environmental, social, and political issues in the Western United States. Syndicated stories from ''High Country News'' have appeared in ''The New York T ...
'', ''
Gnosis Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge ( γνῶσις, ''gnōsis'', f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where it ...
'' and ''
New Internationalist ''New Internationalist'' (''NI'') is an international publisher and left-wing magazine based in Oxford, England, owned and run by a worker-run co-operative with a non-hierarchical structure. Known for its strict editorial and environmental pol ...
''.


In popular culture

*In ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' episode "
King-Size Homer "King-Size Homer" is the seventh episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 5, 1995. In the episode, Homer despises the nuclea ...
", Lisa Simpson receives a letter for a subscription to the ''Utne Reader''. A later episode, "
Dad Behavior "Dad Behavior" is the eighth episode of the twenty-eighth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 604th episode of the series overall. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 20, 20 ...
", again references Lisa's collection of the magazines. *In the ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' episode "
The Son Also Draws "The Son Also Draws" is the sixth episode of the first season of the animated comedy series ''Family Guy''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 9, 1999. The episode follows Chris as he is ejected from the Youth Scouts, and Pete ...
", Brian Griffin is seen reading the magazine. *In ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...
'' episode "
Zombie Nightmare ''Zombie Nightmare'' is a 1987 Canadian zombie film produced and directed by Jack Bravman, written by John Fasano, and starring Adam West, Tia Carrere, Jon Mikl Thor, and Shawn Levy. The film centres around a baseball player who is killed by a ...
", Tom Servo makes a reference to the magazine's staff during a rather tame and well-dressed disco scene. *In the webcomic ''
Narbonic ''Narbonic'' is a webcomic written and drawn by Shaenon K. Garrity. The storylines center on the misadventures of the staff of the fictional Narbonic Labs, which is the domain of mad scientist Helen Narbon. The strip started on July 31, 2000, and f ...
'', in one of the first few strips in the series, the lab's intern is shown reading the magazine. Later in the comic series, another character makes a reference to the magazine.


References


External links

*
Interview with Jay Walljasper
Editor of the Utne Reader talks with Ross Corson of Metronet, ''NORTHERN LIGHTS Minnesota Author Interview'' TV Series #79 (1989)
Interview with Griff Wigley (Utne Reader)
along with Glenda Martin (Minnesota Women's Press), David Wiggins (MN Independent Scholar's Forum) and Roger Sweet (MN Study Circles Network) about discussion groups and salons, ''NORTHERN LIGHTS Minnesota Author Interview'' TV Series #200 (1992) {{Ogden Newspapers Alternative magazines Modern liberal magazines published in the United States Monthly magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1984 Magazines published in Kansas Magazines published in Minnesota Mass media in Minneapolis–Saint Paul Mass media in Topeka, Kansas Webby Award winners