AP

Celebrated literary mag The Believer back to original owner

May 16, 2022, 1:54 PM | Updated: 2:53 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — After a journey even the creative minds at The Believer could not have imagined, the celebrated literary magazine is back in business and again being run by the company which first owned it.

Founded in 2003 by the writers Heidi Julavits, Ed Park, and Vendela Vida, The Believer has published works by Leslie Jamison, Anne Carson, Nick Hornby and many others and has received multiple nominations for National Magazine Awards.

But starting in 2017, the magazine owned by the independent publisher based in San Francisco, McSweeney’s, endured a series of upheavals that included financial struggles, an editor in chief leaving amidst allegations he exposed himself and the sale to a digital marketing company that at one point included an article — the subject of much internet anger — titled “25 Best Hookup Sites for Flings, New Trysts, and Casual Dating” on The Believer’s website.

As of Monday, thanks to three private donations and a “drastically reduced” asking price, McSweeney’s has repurchased the magazine from Paradise Media and its CEO Ian Moe.

“It takes enormous courage to do what Ian’s done in reconsidering his initial purchase of the magazine,” Amanda Uhle, McSweeney’s publisher and executive director, said in a statement. “When Ian understood the immeasurable gift he’d be providing generations of readers and writers by making this change, he was quick to roll up his sleeves with us and work out a reasonable and agreeable way for us to move forward.”

Moe said in a statement that he joined “all of those who expressed their desire this past week to see The Believer remain in print, and everyone here at Paradise Media agreed that the best way to make that a reality is to return the magazine to the place where it began its journey.”

Changes at The Believer began five years ago when McSweeney’s sold it to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), during a “financially challenging time,” as McSweeney’s acknowledged Monday. But the magazine faced new and unexpected troubles. Editor in chief Joshua Wolf Shenk left in 2020 while facing allegations of sexual harassment, including exposing himself during a Zoom meeting. In October 2021, UNLV announced it would no longer publish The Believer, citing a “strategic realignment” tied to the coronavirus pandemic.

Later in 2021, the school quietly sold the magazine to Paradise Media, as first reported by the Vice tech site Motherboard. With its return to McSweeney’s, The Believer is planning a “special homecoming issue” for November and its 20th anniversary celebration next year.

“We are overjoyed to bring The Believer back into the fold and include its sharp insights, beautiful writing, and essential cultural coverage as part of our publishing program,” Uhle said Monday.

The Believer (www.thebeliever.net) is luckier than many literary magazines, but not entirely in the clear. McSweeney’s is a non-profit; operations for The Believer need to be rebuilt and the subscription base renewed. On Monday, McSweeney’s announced a Kickstarter campaign.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Lead water pipes pulled from underneath the street are seen in Newark, N.J., Oct. 21, 2021. (AP Pho...

Associated Press

Biden to require cities to replace harmful lead pipes within 10 years

The Biden administration has previously said it wants all of the nation's roughly 9 million lead pipes to be removed, and rapidly.

5 days ago

Facebook's Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on, Oct. 28, 2...

Associated Press

Meta shuts down thousands of fake Facebook accounts that were primed to polarize voters ahead of 2024

Meta said it removed 4789 Facebook accounts in China that targeted the United States before next year’s election.

5 days ago

A demonstrator in Tel Aviv holds a sign calling for a cease-fire in the Hamas-Israel war on Nov. 21...

Associated Press

Hamas releases a third group of hostages as part of truce, and says it will seek to extend the deal

The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the first American was released under a four-day truce.

10 days ago

Men look over the site of a deadly explosion at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, Oct. 18, ...

Associated Press

New AP analysis of last month’s deadly Gaza hospital explosion rules out widely cited video

The Associated Press is publishing an updated visual analysis of the deadly Oct. 17 explosion at Gaza's Al-Ahli Hospital.

13 days ago

Peggy Simpson holds a photograph of law enforcement carrying Lee Harvey Oswald's gun through a hall...

Associated Press

JFK assassination remembered 60 years later by surviving witnesses to history, including AP reporter

Peggy Simpson is among the last surviving witnesses who are sharing their stories as the nation marks the 60th anniversary.

13 days ago

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, ...

Associated Press

Israeli Cabinet approves cease-fire with Hamas; deal includes release of 50 hostages

Israel’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved a cease-fire deal with the Hamas militant group that would bring a temporary halt to a devastating war.

14 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Dierdre Woodruff

Interest rates may have peaked. Should you buy a CD, high-yield savings account, or a fixed annuity?

Interest rates are the highest they’ve been in decades, and it looks like the Fed has paused hikes. This may be the best time to lock in rates for long-term, low-risk financial products like fixed annuities.

Follow @KTAR923...

The 2023 Diamondbacks are a good example to count on the underdog

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the World Series as a surprise. That they made the playoffs at all, got past the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card round, swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and won two road games in Philadelphia to close out a full seven-game NLCS went against every expectation. Now, […]

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Importance of AC maintenance after Arizona’s excruciating heat wave

An air conditioning unit in Phoenix is vital to living a comfortable life inside, away from triple-digit heat.

Celebrated literary mag The Believer back to original owner