The Radical Notion 12th issue will be its final print edition

[TERFCat]

I've just had an email from The Radical Notion. It states that the 12th edition will be its final one in print and the magazine's future is uncertain.

I stopped getting the magazine after my first annual subscription, but I am sad about this. The artwork in it was lovely, and I liked the posters that came with it. There was some thoughtful poems and stories in there too.

It's a shame, but a niche magazine like that was never going to survive for very long. I'm fairly well-informed about feminist theory and even I found it hard going in places. It's very hard to make money out of print magazines these days, let alone ones with a narrow appeal.

I loved it. I didn’t renew my annual subscription. I feel guilty now

I think everyone liked the idea of it more than the reality of reading it.

🤣

I think Tinsel has nailed it

It was an okayish publication. I supported it initially even though I don't particularly agree with the ideological views, because it seemed like a worthwhile endeavour and print magazines are a tough area.
But a number of those involved turned out to be irritating, sanctimonious arseholes, so I cancelled my subscription and could no longer be bothered with it.

Same here @TheColourOutOfSpace that’s exactly what happened for me too.

Another who liked the idea of it but it was far too earnest and lecturing and then went down a purity spiral narrowing the definition of feminism. Are all feminist publications doomed to this? I was a Spare Rib reader but it decided it would give its readers what it thought they needed rather than what they wanted as well

Sorry it's stopping production, but I'm another who found it too 'dense' for me. Also the print layout meant I found a lot of the essays visually difficult to read. When JCJ blocked me on twitter for politely disagreeing with her that was the final straw and I cancelled my subscription. I wish there was a publication that reflected me more .. something not as dense as a fruit cake, more of a Victoria sponge.

So many gc women on social media and elsewhere are funny and witty. I'm thinking JKR, Victoria Smith, Hadley Freeman, Helen Joyce, Kathleen Stock, among others. It's a shame that lightness of touch didn't extend to RN. This gender stuff is so emotionally draining we really need someone who can make us laugh at the pomposity and idiocy of the ideologues.

I supported them until they put out an issue which was basically an attack on KJK and other GC women who don't share their particular left-wing political stances. Before that I'd enjoyed reading it, and what I didn't agree with made me think, which is always a good sign and is why I read material from across the political spectrum.

Tell me that you don't want the support of the ideologically impure, however, and I'm out.

I just got an email with a link to a form asking for reflections for the final issue.

Someone gave me their copy once, tried to read it, as was a big fan of JCJ at the time, but frankly I kinda lost the will to live after about ten minutes of it. And the attacks on KJK et al were reprehensible.

My reflection would be that thanks to Lorelei (via me) they published an article by a trans widow that was beautifully written- they were lucky to have it, but then when JCJ tweeted to advertise that edition she never mentioned there was a trans widow article in it, even though that surely would have been of interest to a lot of women.

Said article now on the TWV website:

www.transwidowsvoices.org/post/alisons-story-part-2

Did anyone get the final edition? Was it any good?

Just had an email saying that the shop will close after Christmas.

That's a tough read.

I too subscribed for the first year. Found the lengthy essays and lack of margins hard going. Saw JCJ round on Dr Julia Long at the LGB Alliance conference and was upset with attacks on Posie. This war is too fast-moving to have time to read all the essays and so gave it up.