Eric Lubell '76: New alumni magazine offers fresh voice

"If PAW [Princeton Alumni Weekly] is the Newsweek of the Princeton community, then the Independent is its New Yorker."

Eric Lubell '76 — founder and editor-in-chief of the The Independent: A Journal for the Princeton Community, a new online alumni magazine at www.princetonindependent.com — laughs a little but his eyes gleam and he smiles broadly when he mentions the magazine.

"The Independent has a lot of spunk and is aesthetically challenging," Lubell said. "It's not your typical Princeton publication, and we're really not a part of the brand."

The Independent emerged several months ago from a series of discussions on the Princeton Writers' Group, an electronic discussion board on Tigernet. Inspired by the talent of his fellow University alumni, Lubell proposed creating a new magazine that would let alumni explore intellectual interests in a freer format than that of PAW.

"We are not required to go to press at any time, so we can continue to play around with the material and make changes for as long as necessary," Lubell said. "We also have an infinite amount of space due to our online format, and archives are easily accessible."

While PAW devotes much of its space to campus news and shorter features, the Independent seeks to showcase more in-depth intellectual work from a wide range of alumni.

Though the Independent arose in part from dissatisfaction with PAW, both Lubell and many Independent readers think the two magazines serve as complements to each other rather than competitors.

"PAW is a good magazine but there is more to Princeton than what is seen in its pages, and many alumni are feeling the need for more," Lubell said. "There is a certain idiosyncratic need that is not satisfied by PAW. The Princeton ethos is multifaceted and not necessarily what you see in the pages of PAW simply because the University community is so much more diverse than many people realize."

The Independent is distinct among alumni publications in that it emphasizes the intellectual work and ideas of the alumni represented, rather than their lives or accomplishments.

Off and running

The first issue of the magazine appeared in November. Titled "The Three Poets of '48," it paid tribute to Galway Kinnell, William S. Merwin, and Edmund Keeley, three University classmates of that year who later became influential American poets.

"Often writers, and their published work, disappear into a void," Michael Pettit '72, the poetry editor for the magazine, said in an email. "However, this does not mean that their work is going unnoticed. I first read the poems of Galway Kinnell and W.S. Merwin when they were published elsewhere, and though I knew both poets personally, I never responded to either man until the first issue of the Independent. Reprinting their poems was an expression of my admiration for their work."

As well as featuring work by all three poets, the first issue also included pieces from distinguished alumni, like political luminary Joseph Nye '58 and novelist Stona Fitch '83. While the first issue of the magazine had more of a literary slant, it also touched on other topics as well, ranging from a portrait of Adlai Stevenson '22 to cell phone etiquette.

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The second issue, titled "The Architecture of Justice," showcased an even wider range of intellectual issues, including a piece by Provost Amy Gutmann about her time as a student under political philosopher John Rawls '43, author of "A Theory of Justice."

Lubell hopes the magazine will continue to address ideas and issues from all over the intellectual spectrum.

"We don't want this to be a literary magazine," Lubell said. "Instead, we want this to focus on a broad range of intellectual topics. Quality writing is the sole criterion, and we have been privileged to feature many talented writers in the past issues. We have some interesting poets lined up for future issues, and I've also received queries from some prominent politicians who are interested in writing for the magazine."

While Lubell has received positive responses from a wide range of alumni, others raise the hope that the Independent will expand to include not only intellectual work but also in-depth articles on issues directly affecting or of interest to alumni.

"[The Independent] could overlap more directly with PAW by devoting an issue to specific issues that alumni have concerns about: increases in enrollment, architecture styles, alcoholism, the general experience of undergraduates," Martin Schell '74, one such reader, said in an email. "All of these have been touched on by PAW, if not explored in feature articles, but the Independent would, I trust, offer a fuller expression of the diversity of viewpoints and truly be independent of the official stance of the University administration."

Visual dimensions

Besides providing intellectually challenging content, the Independent also presents an innovative design that combines technical sophistication and edgy artistic elements to create a visual dimension that is a piece of contemporary art in itself.

"Each issue has a theme so I try to mold the design around the current theme," said Helen Cho '90, the art editor for the magazine. "For example, the theme of the last issue was related to architecture so I tried to design the issue so that it would build on itself when you clicked on the articles. Also, this is a magazine of ideas so I don't want the design to just be of the moment but to appeal to alumni of all generations."

Despite the success of the past two designs, some readers have found the website difficult to navigate.

Lubell, who currently works in the audiovisual industry doing production and design, graduated from the University with a concentration in English. As a student he was influenced by contemporary American fiction, but he was especially drawn to the avant-garde art and sculpture in the visual arts department at that time.

"A lot of my friends were in the visual arts department so I spent a lot of time hanging around that department during my undergraduate years," Lubell said. "At the time the department had people who were very influential in pushing the boundaries of art. This is the Princeton that is not widely publicized."

With its modern design, the Independent reflects Lubell's continued fascination with art as well as with the politics behind a great deal of contemporary artwork.

"I was very interested by quasi-political artistic pieces as well as the creative entrepreneurial area of art, which I think accounts for why I could create something like the Independent," Lubell said.

Despite the Independent's enthusiastic reception from many alumni, the magazine faces financial difficulties. The University has refused to provide funding or advertising assistance to the magazine, and Lubell has only received a few small contributions from readers.

To address this problem, Lubell has included a link in the magazine's website that allows readers to donate money to the magazine. However, funding has remained scarce.

"This is an exciting magazine, but I can't do it alone," Lubell said. "I am currently only working with a few people to put the magazine together, and we really need an editorial board as well as a general staff and a publicist. If we don't receive greater financial support the magazine is going to fold."

Though the magazine faces financial difficulties, Lubell said he still hopes to see it expand and develop in the future, perhaps even moving from an online format to a print version. Above all, Lubell hopes to create a publication that will draw upon the talent of students, alumni and faculty as well as present a deeper and more inquisitive side of Princeton to a wide base of readers.

"I have been absolutely blown away by this publication," said Christian Crumlish '86, one alumni reader. "It's an ambitious project, attempting to draw on the University and its alumni community to produce an outward looking publication. I don't see any intellectual pursuits as being off-limits, and if it gains a critical mass readership, I think it could become an invaluable forum for the Princeton community both on campus and in the wider world."