About the Magazine
Big.
Even bigger than TV hits when you unfold the Home and Away fold-out, says John Safran. Is Not Magazine is a magazine in the form of a 1.5m x 2m bill poster. From April 9, 2005, it has been on display at 50 outdoor poster sites in inner-city Melbourne, and will soon appear at a café, bar, bookstore or laundromat near you. It’s a design challenge and a reading experiment; a paper saving device; a bastion of editorial complexity and a grey area for the discerning communal reader. It enriches public space and brings reading to life. Approach it from any angle; bend down curiously; lean in for a closer look; embark on a treasure hunt to find a story that ends in another location.
Is Not Magazine champions new writers and is always looking for contributors; but it also allows readers to contribute in more unusual ways. Capture a 160-character flash fiction story on your camera phone to read later, or text us one yourself. Fill in the crossword. Write your thoughts on the poster. Is Not is a canvas awaiting your comments.
Is Not Magazine is the work of five young Melburnians. It is independently published and has no advertisements. It is available for purchase full size only. It is cheap at the price. It is unique in all the world.
Editorial Profiles
We are five people and our names are listed below. We are two boys and three girls. We are relatively young and quite handsome. One of us is American. We occasionally get along just fine. All of us are consumed by other full-time activities. Three of us are single and the other two are hopelessly in love with each other. We really wanted power-rangers style matching lycra suits for our photos but time and money didn’t allow.
From left to right:
Mel Campbell is a cultural critic and journalist specialising in fashion, popular music and celebrity, and a satirical rap star called The Incredible Melk. Her first foray into magazine publishing was the pornographic The Prefty Book, for which she was sent to the principal’s office in 1986. She said the “naked ladies” were “artistic.”
Natasha Ludowyk spent a lot of time studying psychology, criminology and philosophy. Perty degree certificates stashed under her bed, she utilises her broad education writing stories in which the principle characters are weirdos. She does this unprofitably.
Stuart Geddes studied graphic design. He then started a graphic design studio. He also teaches graphic design. At the moment he is studying graphic design for the second time. And now he’s started a magazine (this involves some graphic design). Stuart is a Graphic Designer. Despite all this, he believes the world is a complex and interesting place.
Penelope Modra is a student of editing and of life. She abandoned her photography qualifications to pursue a life of postgraduate poverty and unpaid events management. For Penny, Is Not Magazine rolls these projects into one large nightmare.
Jeremy Wortsman has been described by many as ‘gregarious’ as well as ‘a huge pain in the arse’ and would like to assure everyone that he is working out his issues through very expensive analysis. He thought he was a graphic designer, but now really has no idea. He is available for bar/bat mitzvahs, and awkward first dates. Jeremy owns two pet rats named Rebecca and Enid, a 1959 Vespa, and rumour has it that he has something to tell you that will blow your mind…