Five Best Independent Magazines

After hearing about the launch of Polyester Zine's new issue, I thought I'd make a list of my favourite independent magazines. Let me in the comments below if you read any magazines that I might not know about :)

Polyester Zine

"have faith in your own bad taste"

Taking inspiration from the zine culture of the nineties, Polyester zine brings the riot grrl aesthetic to the internet era. It was founded in 2014 by Ione Gamble and has since featured artists like photographer Maisie Cousins, model Arvida Bystrom, musicians Dream Wife and fashion designer Clio Peppiatt. Polyester also publishes articles on gender, sexuality and mental health and was recently described by The Guardian as "a feminist/queer powerhouse". I loved issue three so I'm really excited to see what issue four has in store. The new issue will be released on the 9th of February. It features Rookie editor Tavi Gevinson, tumblr gal Molly Soda and photographer Eleanor Hardwick.They are having a launch party in Hackney on the 9th so if you're London based then check out their event page.

Available to pre-order here

Cost: £5/€6.50 approx

Zeum

"a visual diary crafted by young creatives for young creatives"

Zeum is a bi-annual magazine made in Canada. It publishes fashion reviews, art reviews, interviews with artists like musician Flo Morrissey, and stunning editorials by upcoming photographers like Francesca Allen. It's aesthetic can be described as nostalgic, dreamy and hopelessly idealistic (like something from a Sophia Coppola movie). The editorials are often vintage inspired and feature beautiful pieces from independent designers. There website gives a good indication of what to expect from the current issue. Issue 11 "Truth is Stranger Than Fiction" features cover star Emma Laird and is on sale now.

You can buy the latest issue here

Cost: £10.99/€18.33 approx

Also available in certain stockists in the UK

Oh Comely

"a lifestyle magazine with life"

Oh Comely is one of the most beautifully presented lifestyle magazines I've come across. The illustrations and images create a desire to travel, explore and appreciate the little things in life. The current issue "Keeping Secrets and Telling Tales" is based on the idea of secrets and storeytelling. Oh Comely reveals personal stories penned by anonymous writers, publishes pictures of teenage diaries, explores the secret world of Venice at night and discusses the discovery of vintage gems hidden in attics. The newest issue "Change" is available to pre-order here and will be released mid-February. If you subscribe you also get a surprise box containing treasures inspired by each issue and curated by the contributors.

Available to buy  here

Cost: £5/€7 approx

Past issues are currently on sale at £3.50!

Thistle Magazine

"a multi-medium magazine driven by the odd, the overlooked and the eccentric"

Thistle magazine is quarterly magazine which publishes submissions by artists of various mediums. So if you like making art, consider submitting here.

The current issue for Winter 2015 is called "Mystery" and features work by photographer Stella Lydak, writer Satya S. Gundu and various submissions. Thistle also publish a curated playlist for each issue on their website so you can listen to it while you read. The upcoming issue is called "Identity" and will be released later this month. 

Available to buy here

Print: $20.60/£14/€19 approx

Digital version: $6/£4/€5.40

DIY

"set music free"

DIY is a monthly music magazine from the UK. February's coverstars are London-based post-punk band Savages. In the past they have featured artists like Chvrches, Foals, Wolf Alice and Jamie XX. The current issue contains interviews with Savages, Daughter, and Chvrches, reviews of new singles and album releases, live reviews and articles on David Bowie's Black Star, and the anniversary of the Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. DIY is everything you want from a music magazine and the best part is, it's free!

Free in stockists around the UK

Cost: £3/€4 if you order online from their website

My Ten Favourite Cult Classics (ideas for last minute Christmas shopping!)

I've decided to make a list of my ten favourite modern cult classics because Christmas shopping is difficult and without Amazon next day delivery we would all be lost. Most of the cult classics are coming of age novels so they are suitable for teenage friends and family 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jar is probably one of my favourite books and I really need to give it a re-read this Christmas. It is about a young woman named Esther Greenwood who gains a summer internship at a magazine in New York City, however, the experience triggers a series of emotional disturbances and causes Esther to suffer from a mental breakdown. The novel is believed to be semi-autobiographical and therefore it gives an interesting insight into Sylvia's Plath's experience as a writer and her struggle with mental illness. The Bell Jar's introspective analysis of mental illness makes it an enduring cult classic.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

If you liked  Stanley Kubrick's film adaption then you should definitely give this a read. The novel is set in a dystopian future in which a group of youths commit extreme acts of violence. The main character, Alex, discusses his criminal exploits and narrates the attempts of the government to reform him. The novel contains a lot of slang which makes it really interesting to read. Anyone who loves futuristic novels will love this book.

Maggie Cassidy by Jack Kerouac

Anything by Jack Kerouac will be good present for someone who loves modern classics. I really like Maggie Cassidy because it has an amazing atmosphere and well, I love any book set in the fifties. Maggie Cassidy is also semi-autobiographical as it is believed to be based on Kerouac's relationship with his childhood sweetheart. The high school setting makes it a good introduction into Kerouac's work.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Another novel set in the fifties, there is a trend here. The Outsiders was written by Hinton when she was only sixteen which makes it a truly authentic coming of age story. It is about two rival teenage gangs called the Greasers and the Socs who come to blows about a girl named Cherry Valence. The novel is narrated by Ponyboy Curtis who tries to protect his brothers and friends from conflict and persecution, "stay gold, Ponyboy... stay gold"

Just Kids by Patti Smith

Although Just Kids was released nearly 6 years ago (omg how has it been that long), I think it has already earned cult status. The novel is set in New York City and follows the early lives of musician and poet Patti Smith and artist Robert Mapplethorpe. The memoir offers a interesting insight into a remarkable relationship and reveals the life of an artist during the sixties and seventies in New York City.

1984 by George Orwell

1984 is one of my favourite books because it offers a terrifying vision of a dystopian future in which society is controlled by a totalitarian government. The novel follows the attempts of Winston Smith to escape the omnipresent surveillance and Big Brother's authoritarian control of independent thought and speech.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

I'm currently reading the Virgin Suicides and I'm loving it. As a fan of Sophia Coppola's film adaption, I'm surprised that I haven't read it sooner. The story is about five young teenage girls from 1970's suburbia who commit suicide to escape from a strict Catholic upbringing. The novel is told from the point of view of a group of teenage boys who recall their experience with the five Lisbon sisters and attempt to find an explanation for their sudden deaths.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is about a young man named Arthur who has an affair with a colleagues wife while he is out of town. The novel is split in two parts and reflects on life in post war Britain and Arthur's relationship with authority. The novel inspired music by The Arctic Monkeys and The Smiths so that's a pretty good reason to give it a read.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye could be argued as the ultimate cult classic. I read it in one sitting during one of my bus journeys to uni so it really stuck with me. The novel is about a young man named Holden Caulfield who struggles with feelings of alienation and loss after being expelled from his school.

The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurty

The Last Picture Show is set in Texas in the early fifties and follows the story of a group of high school friends who struggle to come of age in a small town suffering from an economic recession. The novel portrays the loss of innocence in an era obsessed with popular culture.

You can buy all ten books from this Amazon wishlist