Friday, November 03, 2006

Travel issues broaden the
mind at Briarpatch

Timed for the start of the winter holiday season, Briarpatch magazine has taken on tourism and there are some thought-provoking, possibly guilt-inducing and consciousness-raising articles in its November issue. Among the contents:
  • They managed to land a high profile lead story by George Monbiot, a very well respected columnist for the Guardian, about the moral implications of travel.
  • There's a disturbingly thorough piece detailing the impact of ocean cruising called "The Attack of the Oversized Playpen" by Ross Klein, a professor from Memorial University in Newfoundland.
  • And a heart-breaking article by Nichole Huck of Regina (a director of Briarpatch) about the dilemmas of being on the receiving end of begging children while travelling.
It strikes me that this relatively small, obstreperously leftist, magazine, based in Regina, is doing a lot of good, investigative stories that we don't read many other places, wearing its heart on its sleeve but delivering quite the combination punch of fact and opinion.

(A few years ago, Briarpatch lost its provincial funding and its charitable status under dubious circumstances after some fierce criticisms of the Saskatchewan government. Now, it carries its outlaw status as a badge of honour and says it may be one of the few magazines in Canada that receives more revenue from its loyal donor base than it does in subscriptions.)

Its website and archive are well worth a visit. A sub is $24.61 a year for 8 issues.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Seems like a great idea and looks like a great little magazine. My question is regarding the following comments on the main page:

Briarpatch is a member of Magazines Canada and the Independent Press Association, and the staff are members of RWDSU Local 568.

Briarpatch is printed by union labour on recycled paper using vegetable-based ink, and our website is hosted on servers powered by wind energy.

A union expects writers to contribute for free? Without even the offer of a tax deduction? What kind of union is that?

11:25 am  
Blogger D. B. Scott said...

Seems to me that there isn't a contradiction between having a unionized staff and asking for unpaid editorial contributions; ironic, but not the union's problem, really.

12:06 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great review D.B.

It's a top-notch Canadian publication. I'm a proud subscriber and look forward to every issue.

10:07 pm  

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