Radical journal keeps stoking the flame of activism

Interesting Q & A recently on rabble.ca with one of the founders of the radical journal Upping the Anti. In it, Tom Keefer told Jenn Watt that the twice-a-year journal began in April 2005 and is created by a loose coalition of activists from across Canada and around the world who have been working together in various capacities for the past 5 to 15 years.

"Mainstream culture devalues both reading and thinking. It’s therefore not surprising that people might find the kind of content we run to be 'difficult.' However, I think we need to be clear that this doesn’t make it “academic.” In today’s context, I actually think a little difficulty can be a good thing. We shouldn’t fetishize difficulty. However, we should recognize that confronting the scope and implications of capitalism and devising an effective response is going to be hard work.

He says the biggest challenge is not money (though that's always a challenge) but gathering and editing the material into a 200-page journal, twice a year. The journal prints 2,500 copies and generally sells half of those (for $5 each) before the next issue comes out. They also have a brisk trade in back issues.

"In addition to sales, we also enjoy extensive informal circulation through photocopies, Internet downloads, and lending libraries of various sorts," he said. "This is flattering, but we need to remind people that there will be nothing to photocopy if they don’t buy the journal."