Neal Rantoul writes with rare warmth and reverence about a transformative visit to photographer Fred Sommer.
The Complexity and the Simplicity of Things: Neal Rantoul on Fred Sommer
Magpies
I am a filmmaker, illustrator, graphic designer and copy editor.
A Weird and Joyful World: An Interview With Calef Brown
“The humans, human-animals and animal-animals in my books are the deliverers of the spirit of my work, and its substance — character, humor, wordplay, story, color, and visual pleasure.” An interview with Calef Brown.
A Box of Slides
A poem from Mike Ladd reflecting on time, memory, love and ephemerality
September, 2025
A collection of all the articles we’ve published over the past month, for those who like to savor their Magpies’ tidings as an issue.
Letter From the Editor, September 2025. Light is Sufficient to Itself.
September mood.
Tangled Dürer: The Six Knots (ca. before 1521)
“The wires of Dürer’s knots do, in a sense, chart the paths of entwined networks — of knowledge, commodities, cultural and material translation, repeating idealistically within a flourishing system.”
What is Fela’s True Legacy?
Fela was no gentleman; he used music as a weapon. He believed in a free Africa and had problems with authoritarian and military regimes.
Scattered Moments from my Days as a Domestic Truck Courier
A sketchbook of memories from painter Joel Adas’ time as a courier for the Brooklyn Museum.
A Language For Memory: An Interview With Paula Pink
“When we lose our connection to nature — when we no longer have those tactile, sensory experiences of being in water, under trees, in weather — it’s not just the present moment we lose, it’s a language for memory itself.”
Daguérreotypes, by Agnes Varda
“While many artists and writers made their work on or close to rue Daguerre, only one made her work about it.” Fascinating article about a beautiful film.
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