| By Guy LeCharles Gonzalez,
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I love to browse the shelves at random bookstores, scanning the spines and front-facing covers for eye-catching typography and colors, interesting titles, and authors I've never heard of before. While recommendations from friends (and to a lesser degree, professional reviewers) are great, there's nothing like discovering a great book for yourself. I came across some of my favorite books that way, including Matt Ruff's Fool on the Hill, Jessica Rydill's Children of the Shaman, and Lawrence Block's When the Sacred Ginmill Closes, the latter of which is the quintessential New York detective novel and made Block one of my favorite authors.
I also love to wander the streets of New York City, walking through different neighborhoods at various times of the day, almost always noticing something new each time. The people, the buildings, the businesses, the cars, the garbage on the sidewalks or lack thereof -- all add up to a unique identity that can change without warning every time you cross the street. The people, in particular, are the most interesting, because New York City is best defined by the people who live here, either by choice or circumstance, as well as those who don't but wish they did, and those who never would even for a million dollars-- the old saw about "8 million stories in the naked city" being true, if perhaps understated.
As a native New Yorker, I used to look down on tourists and transplants and people from New Jersey the way some Republicans view immigrants, but over the years I've grown to appreciate what they add to the fabric of the City; how it is what is because of each one of them, effectively a microcosm of the U.S. itself. New York City, I've come to realize, is ultimately a state of mind, one which could easily be included in the upcoming DSM-V as an Axis II disorder, akin to antisocial personality disorder or narcissistic personality disorder, depending on the person.
Spindle Magazine is a reflection of all of that; an online literary magazine with a twist, featuring creative non-fiction, poetry and short fiction by, for and about New Yorkers -- literal and spiritual. Showcasing emerging writers, artists, musicians and other notable New Yorkers, it offers a multi-faceted look at New York City and the world beyond through the eyes of both those who love it and hate it, and in many cases, a peek inside the minds of the people themselves.
Like New York City, Spindle is best experienced with an open mind and a healthy dose of intellectual curiosity. There are no tour guides here, so readers are encouraged to take their time and casually explore the site, whether a section at a time, via the "related article" links, or by doing a keyword search. We'll be updating on at least a monthly schedule -- to celebrate our official launch, we'll be updating weekly throughout January !-- so be sure to sign up for our RSS feed and get on our mailing list to keep abreast of the latest content, features and announcements.
Thanks for reading!
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