Today on The Mortar we shared the story of Solitario Jorge (Lonesome George), the last known Pinta Island tortoise, and the 20,000 goats that were culled in his name. It was published in @anthrop_review , the environmental magazine published by students and alumni from Oxford University, and it reveals the winners, and losers, and hidden absurdities that are built into the conservation movement. Read the whole thing on The Mortar now (link in bio), and see the full illustration by @claudikessels , and of course sign up to our email list and we'll send our stories straight to your inbox every Tuesday and Friday.
Issue four of @die_quieter_please sees the London-based literary magazine going from strength to strength, somehow stranger and more compelling than the last one. (And that was strange and compelling.)
On The Mortar this morning we're sharing The Kingdom of Misfits – a brilliantly obsessive portrait of slime molds in Brooklyn, and their impossibly ancient past. This one was published by @aredotna in this year's annual, alongside loads of other great, mind-expanding writing. Go to The Mortar to read the full story, and to see the rest of the illustration by @sofia__with__f . And while you're there, sign up for free so we can deliver our selection of stories straight to your inbox on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The world overheard: @translatormag offers fascinating glimpses of life beyond the anglosphere, transporting readers to far-flung parts of the globe. In this third issue that includes short snippets from Iran, Palestine, and Pakistan, long stories from Korea, Hungary, and China, and a photo story from Afghanistan. And all of it is packed with detail, context and character. There’s so much to enjoy here.
"It's kind of the antithesis of the endless scroll, and that feels really important..." In our new episode of the Stack podcast, Kathryn Tann and Robert Harries, editorial directors of @foldingrockmag , speak about the importance of independent publishing, and the need for small magazines to stand together and show readers the value of print in a digital age. You can watch the whole conversation on the Stack site now, or just search "Stack Magazines" wherever you get your podcasts to hear the episode.
Today's story on The Mortar is We Know These Winds, a portrait of Los Angeles written in the wake of last year's wildfires, and published by @loamlove . Writer and teacher Nicole Stanton reflects on her personal response to the fires, and the ideas of safety and community that hold us together in times of emergency, but also in everyday life. Read it in full on The Mortar (link in bio) and while you're there, sign up to the mailing list so we can send our stories straight to your inbox. Thanks very much @delaneygib for the indecision illustration!
A food magazine that likes to play with polar opposites, the new issue of @toothsome_magazine is themed ‘From Minimal to Maximal’. From the extravagance of dining at The Grill in Manhattan, to the simple pleasure of being able to order your own breakfast after decades in prison, it’s a magazine of culinarily contrasts.
The second issue of @footnote_mag continues its multilayered exploration of a lead text. This time the inspiration for the issue is The Merchant of Colours by Ben Okri, a fable about the creation of colour in the different nations of the world. It’s published in full at the start of the magazine, then all the other stories and photos in the magazine respond to it, with selected pieces of text used as the starting point for contributions. It’s a lovely way of digging deeper into a piece of writing, revealing associations you’d never otherwise make. Also really like the fine use of spot varnish on the cover, revealing yet more detail as it catches the light. (Swipe to see an example…)
This morning on The Mortar we shared Ghosts in the Machine, a history of the humble typing indicator, and an account of the emotional anguish its creators unwittingly unleashed on the world. If you've ever sat watching the 'someone is typing' message, you'll know the feeling. As @millyburroughs2.0 puts it: “Someone was thinking about you. Writing to you. Not writing to you. The nuance of silence just got a little louder. A little more disturbing.” This story was published in @boot_mag and I'm really pleased we're able to share it on The Mortar, along with a great illustration by @tara_k_illustration . Take a look at The Mortar to read the story and to see the full illustration, and while you're there, sign up so we can deliver all our stories to you as soon as they're ready (link in bio...)
The new issue of @pfeilmagazine is themed ‘Rest’, reimagining a conventionally passive state as something more dynamic, even positioning rest as a form of activity and resistance. Cover photo by Camila Cañeque.
Today's story on The Mortar is One Terrifying Moment. It's told by Fiama, a shop assistant whose store is robbed, but as she says, "fear didn't come from the gun pointed at me, it came from my immigration status". It's a very direct piece of writing, with a quiet power that comes from Fiama's determination to carry on, and her realisation that maybe this traumatic episode will help her achieve the stability that she so craves for herself and her family. It was published in La Cuenta, a newsletter exploring the costs of being labelled 'undocumented' for around 11 million people in the US. You can read the whole thing on The Mortar now (link in bio) and see the full illustration, created by @veevagomez .
Free for 30 days – get access to all the brilliant independent publishing we've shared on The Mortar so far, plus two new stories delivered to your inbox every week. See the links in our bio and choose "Free month of The Mortar" to get started.
