I
n November of 2014, Jackson Howard published his site’s most widely read and acclaimed piece to date from the colorful city and spiritual capital of India, Varanasi. At the time Howard was bedridden after losing 25 pounds from contracting E. Coli; however, he managed to feebly traverse to and from the Internet café in order to successfully publish his groundbreaking interview with forgotten hip hop protégé, Hitman. Howard is the co-founder and EditorIn-Chief of Not Mad, a student-run digital magazine that discusses art, music, culture, personal narratives, and social change. The publication caters to collegeaged students, and in a broader sense, the entire millennial generation. “The thing that really drives me to do it is that it feels like for kids our age there is such a heavy sense of irony and embarrassment in outwardly claiming things we are passionate about,” Howard said. For this reason, he and his partner Rio did not want to create a “nihilistic, pessimistic cultural criticism,” but rather sought to provide a platform through which young
adults can genuinely explore their interests and discuss the issues that are salient to people of that generation. Howard and his partner pride themselves on their success in establishing a distinct and expressive voice that permeates throughout the content. Even in the beginning stages when they were desperate for content, they fought to maintain a quippy, clever, genuine voice that also embraces their youthful naiveté. “Keeping a strong voice that’s unrelenting and unbending to popular pressure, economic interests, or the desire to have more content is at the root of all of it,” Howard said. Not Mad has transformed from a small project where Howard and his partner churned out all the content into a literary community with a “revolving door” of 45 contributors that range from close friends to professional freelance journalists with impressive resumes (think New York Magazine and Afropunk). Social networking has played an integral part in sourcing new contributors—from writers to artists to musicians—as well in
disseminating their work and growing their readership. Howard’s primary role at the publication is working intimately with the writers and editing the content to ensure that each writer’s strong personal voice is able to shine through while still preserving the overarching tone of the magazine. He says that the most common struggle he faces is receiving articles that sound like academic papers. Not Mad does not publish neutral content and intentionally highlights the writers’ biases. “Part of our writing style is that you’re always aware of the writer; even if the first person isn’t used, the writer is still very much involved in the piece you’re reading,” Howard said. One of the firsts aspects readers notice about Not Mad is the vibrant and crisp aesthetic, which is designed by Howard’s partner. They aim to exclusively showcase artwork from fellow college-aged students. A crucial part of their identity and brand stems from promoting the work of likeminded millennials. “Equally important to the quality of the articles is the fact that we are supporting kids who are doing the
SHEI MAGAZINE’s Digital Mini-Mag
11