The Arts in Montana
A New Online Arts Journal, “Drumlummon Views”
By Allen M. Jones, 8-06-06
Ten years ago, feed me a couple glasses of wine, one of my favorite subjects was the lamentable state of publishing in Montana. For a region with such a wealth of writers and photographers, there were so few local outlets where they could legitimately take their work. After my own deal, Big Sky Journal (founded specifically to try and fill this void), there was only Montana Magazine with its endless photos of wildflowers and nostril shots of goats, and the intrepid but mostly irrelevant University of Montana student literary journal, Cutbank.Since then, there's been a flourishing. A couple new perfect-bound four-color magazines, Montana Quartery and Distinctly Montana (the former an artful interpretation of a region, the latter a phonebook-thick advertising vehicle giveaway with some decent photographs), a redesign of Montana Magazine, the admirable counterculture news source Missoula Independent, and of course, our own New West, headquartered in Missoula. And now there's Drumlummon Views, an "online journal of Montana arts and culture" spearheaded by Helena poet and editor Rick Newby*
The first issue of the Drumlummon Views, downloadable for free in Adobe Acrobat, is a 276 page digital tribute to the state of our region's arts. As the literary face of the Drumlummon Institute (a regional arts organization based in Helena, and named after a famous mine outside of Marysville), coming out of the gate it already has a very real depth to it, a certain artful resonance. The first table of contents includes new work by novelist Deirdre McNamer and photographer David Spear, essays on folklife and literature, film and the visual arts, and reviews of fiction and poetry.
With such a pool of talent to draw upon, the potential for this particular project is limitless. It's a valuable addition to our vibrant and growing community.
*Full disclosure: Rick's a friend and colleague. [End of article]
Dear Allen,
I would like for you to reconsider your veiws on Distinctly Montana magazine. The magazine is now one of the top sellers on the newstand with a nearly 60% content from some of the best writers and photographers in the state.
I would also like for you to reconsider your veiws on Montana Quarterly. It is a magazine that is not selling very well on the newstands and has mostly newspaper/tabloid style content.
Please take a new look at both magazines latest issues with fair and thoughtful consideration.
Thank you for your comment, Jeff. You are one of the publishers of Distinctly Montana, are you not? Indeed, your magazine provides a service to the region and its businesses. My complaint with Distinctly Montana has been that it too often seems as if its content is dictated by its advertising. In other words, here's an artist's profile, and immediately thereafter, a full page ad from the artist. When editorial is for sale, then the integrity of the magazine's content is called into question, and the service to the readership is finally negligible.
I would be delighted to be reassured that Distinctly Montana does not bias its editorial coverage toward its advertisers.
After your comment, I picked up the most recent issue and was pleased to see Rick Bass and David Petersen included, both writers I admire. Good job.
I won't address your criticism of Montana Quarterly, which strikes me as inappropriate coming as it does from a competitor. As a freelancer, I've done (and will continue to do) work for Montana Quarterly. A fine magazine.
Dear Allen,
I agree with you that editorial should not be for sale, as it de-credits the magazine and the advertiser. There are other publications that contain a large amount of obvious "advertorial" in order to build their advertiser base. Our editorial has never been for sale, and never will be. Certainly an advertiser that happens to get coverage in the magazine sometimes chooses to advertise in that edition.
I apologize if my comments toward Montana Quarterly seemed inapproriate. We deem them to be a fine publication as well. I was only attempting to point our our differences.
Best Regards.