Our book review editor Nadya Williams recently described Current as “the little engine that could.” It’s a fitting way to describe our work at this little magazine. We have no full time employees (in fact, we only have a couple of very part-time employees) and support from our MEMBERS allow us to offer a little bit of money to the talented writers who publish with us (our plan is to offer them a little more). Current‘s founders are working as a labor of love. And we are working hard to bring our readers some great writing at the intersection of intellectual life and American democracy. Check out our mission and masthead.
We may be working on a shoestring budget, but we still pack a big punch! Look what we’ve published in 2024 so far:
Jim Cullen, the author of books on Bruce Springsteen, Martin Scorsese, the American Dream, and Civil War memory (among others), with a piece on American immigration and a piece on the state of the humanities. Check out my interview with Cullen on The Way of Improvement Leads Home Podcast or check out his recent interview with The New York Times.
Marvin Olasky is a former University of Texas-Austin journalism professor, George W. Bush adviser, and editor of World. He is the architect of the idea of “compassionate conservatism.” Last week he reflected on our current political moment.
Siobhan Heekin-Canedy, a former Ukrainian Olympic figure skater and North America Religion Director of the World Youth Alliance, writes on American support for Ukraine.
Writer Paul Luikart keeps delivering some beautiful creative non-fiction. Check out his piece “Creek.”
In addition to our daily blogging at The Arena and The Way of Improvement Leads Home, you can also expect our regular contributors to return in 2024, including M. Elizabeth Carter, Adam Jortner, Christina Bieber-Lake, Timothy Larsen, Shirley Mullen, Chris Shannon, Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt, Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn, Daniel Williams, and Nadya Williams. And speaking of Nadya, you can expect some great book reviews this year!
We would love your help in keeping our “little engine” moving forward! Here are some ways to help:
- Tell your friends about Current and share our content.
- Subscribe to our free -email newsletter by clicking the big red ‘SUBSCRIBE” button on the right of this page.
- Become a Current MEMBER. Memberships start at $5.00 a month ($54.00 a year). Click the red MEMBERSHIP button in the top right corner of this page. Current MEMBERS get unlimited access to our published material (no paywall) and full access to the comment section on every post (join the conversation).
Won’t you consider supporting us in 2024?
Thanks,
John (Executive Editor of Current)