A Polite Primer

Conceived on a Ferris wheel, gestated painfully in the sweltering East, birthed to little fanfare and nonexistent expectations, Polite is a print journal of arcana, deadpannery, and cultural criticism, nominally dedicated to the examination and deconstruction of that which vulgarians dub “the American dream." Poised at the vanguard of the new thoughtfulness, with a keen sense of the essential and the absurd, Polite is a lifestyle magazine for readers with truly extraordinary lifestyles.

Rejecting the navel-gazing that characterizes much contemporary writing, Polite looks outward for its stories. Here’s what you might find in any given issue: profiles of the brilliant and ignored, offbeat political coverage, dispatches from the ends of the earth (Antarctica!) and the gutter (prison!), passionate and serious music writing, recipes, and approachable, cutting-edge fiction, all tied together by comics and a distinctly deadpan sensibility.

Boasting an eclectic assortment of contributors—award-winning novelists, hot underground musicians, the heroes of the Internet—Polite delivers the sort of content that just can’t be found anywhere else, written for those who consider good writing to be its own reward.

Polite is published three times per year by Polite Media, printed and saddle-stitched with a four-color glossy cover by Morgan Printing of Grafton, N.D., and distributed by Ubiquity Distributors of Brooklyn, N.Y., Don Olson Distribution of Minneapolis, Minn, Emma Marian Ltd. of Richmond, British Columbia, and the Kent News Co. of Commerce City, Colo. Its editor and main functionary is Justin Peters. Joshua N. Young is the features editor, while James J. Linx is the Web editor. Contributing editors include Matthew Demblowski, W.J. Greggs, Matthew Harwood, Daniel Luzer, and Toby Warner, who is also Polite's co-founder.

Please address all general inquiries about the magazine to editors @ politemag dot com. If you are interested in distributing, stocking, or advertising in Polite, please contact Robin Zinter at biz @ politemag dot com.

"Vanity, not avarice, is my ruling passion; and so long as young men write to me from America saying that they would rather part with their hair than with their copy of my book, I do not feel the need of food and drink." --A.E. Housman, soon before dying of anorexia.