The Believer Issue 145: Spring 2024

by Vendela Vida, Vendela Vida (Founder), Heidi Julavits (Founder)

A twelve-time finalist for the National Magazine Awards, every issue of The Believer features commentary, deeply reported journalism, poetry, art, essays, and a difficult but ultimately highly enjoyable games section. Printed on full color, acid-free paper, the magazine has long been a home for the unexpected and the unwieldy corners of culture, a place where readers can encounter emerging talents alongside established, award-winning writers and artists. Lavishly illustrated and perfect-bound, The Believer is printed four times a year, and occasionally accompanied by a delightful bonus item, like an original 7'' record or some other equally amusing object.

100 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2024

About the author

Vendela Vida is the award-winning author of four books, including Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name and The Lovers, and a founding editor of The Believer magazine. She is also the co-editor of Always Apprentices, a collection of interviews with writers, and Confidence, or the Appearance of Confidence, a collection of interviews with musicians. As a fellow at the Sundance Labs, she developed Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name into a script, which received the Sundance Institute/Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award. Two of Vida’s novels have been New York Times Notable Books of the year, and she is the winner of the Kate Chopin Award, given to a writer whose female protagonist chooses an unconventional path. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two children, and since 2002 has served on the board of 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing and tutoring lab for youth.

Reviews

[Raewyn]

Fun read. All the long pieces were really great (romance over the landline in Pakistan, Greg Tate, true crime, computer chip theft, cheesy paintings of 50's celebrities). The interviews were also good, especially the Miguel Arteta one. I find magazines so charming, and this was very charming and magazine-y (puzzles at the back! letters to the editor! classifieds!)

[Owen Haines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming as all get out.

Alan Alda is not interested in chatting.

[Kristina Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The temporarily defunct magazine from McSweeney’s was resurrected by a Kickstarter campaign and this is the first issue of the new era. It’s quite possibly better than ever.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mix of interviews, graphic art, experimental fiction

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

First issue I’ve read. I enjoyed the featured essays more than the interviews.