You’re too kind. The media react to week 1 of The Good Men Project Magazine.
We’re delighted to report that people seem to like us!
Our little magazine is only six days old, but we’ve already received some kind words out there in medialand. Michael Triplett got things started on June 1 (the day of our launch) over at Mediate. “You think of ‘men’s magazines’ and you think of Maxim or Men’s Health,” he wrote. “Maybe you think of ESPN:The Magazine or GQ… You probably aren’t thinking about articles that discuss how to be a good dad, what it’s like for a transgender man to shave for the first time, or life inside Tennessee’s execution chamber… Notable in the magazine’s debut is the wide variety of stories… about straight men and gay men, white and non-white men, young and old.”
He added that our magazine is poised to reach a practically untouched market: “What’s surprising is that the non-porn men’s audience has largely gone untapped beyond narrow slivers focused around sexuality, health, or sports.”
Also on our launch day, the web site longform.org—which highlights strong longform writing—recommended Benoit’s feature about Harvard in 1920, and Choire Sicha over at The Awl linked to our magazine and mentioned that it looks “somewhat promising”—which, coming from Choire, is high praise indeed.
On Thursday, popular blogger Joe. My. God. gave us a very nice shout out, urging his readers to check out Tom Forrister’s essay about shaving for the first time from the perspective of a transman, and Benoit’s column about how his stepmom looks like his mom. “Bookmark this site,” he told his readers.
On Friday came our most ebullient praise from Audrey Bilger over at Ms. Magazine. Who knew we were feminists? Below is a portion of what Bilger wrote:
Fortunately, and just in time for Father’s Day, The Good Men Project Magazine launched online this week, offering alternative views of truly modern dads and other men. Those who are already familiar with The Good Men Project from the anthology and documentary that came out last year know that the men behind it are on a mission. As co-founder Tom Matlack puts it on the magazine’s site, they want to answer a basic question: “What does it mean to be a good man, anyway?”
“Good” is a word that comes up often in their mission language. Without directly referencing feminism, the editors take a stand against patriarchal, authoritarian, heterosexist, racist masculinity and focus on the stories of men who seek intimacy in their close relationships and authenticity in their social roles… The Good Men Project Magazine will make you rethink the idea of a men’s magazine. Recommend it to the cool dad on your list, or to anyone who wants to read stories about people coming to terms with what enlightened masculinity might look like in the 21st century.
We’re honored by the kind words, and we hope our second week is as successful as our first. We’re also delighted that our magazine apparently serves as a kind of Rorschach test. While Ms. Magazine calls us feminists, eyeweekly wonders if our little magazine isn’t a “conservative culty thing.”
Wishing you continued success and good luck. Keep a lot of graphics in the magazine. Guys like looking at pretty pictures too.
What an awesome graphic! I love the way you’re embedding active media in the magazine. It looks as good as it reads.
Congrats! Well deserved, long time coming and thrilled to be a part of it.