One of my regular blog reads is Ravings of a Feral Genius where Jennifer Abel rants about libertarian topics. Jennifer’s a writer by trade, not just by virtue of having a blog, which means she gets paid and published in real publications, the most prominent of which is probably her column in the Guardian.
This last Wednesday, however, Jennifer made this stunning announcement:
If you go to the newsstand and buy the May 2012 issue of Playboy, YOU WILL SEE ME INSIDE! …. no, wait, that came out wrong. Let me try again: if you buy the May 2012 Playboy, you’ll find my latest anti-TSA column inside. It’s on page 42 (which, as any Douglas Adams fan knows, is the ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything).
Whatever else Playboy is about, they’ve often attracted quality writers, so that’s a pretty cool publication credit for Jennifer. Naturally, I wanted to read it.
That turned out to be harder than I thought. Playboy‘s website doesn’t let you read much of its content without paying, and the May issue isn’t even online yet. This meant I would have to go out and buy a printed copy of a magazine. Yeah, I know. Back before the web was big, I used to buy a bunch of magazines, but they were mostly about either computer software or politics, and these days you can find plenty about either of those subjects online. I had no idea where to buy a printed copy of Playboy.
I drove out at lunch time to a nearby magazine shop, but they turned out to have closed a while ago. The next day I tried some nearby convenience stores, but they all apparently stopped selling magazines without my even noticing. Last night I stopped in at Barnes & Nobel, but I could only find a single copy of Playboy, and it wasn’t the right issue. I guess all that print-is-dead hype was pretty real.
Finally, I found out that City Newsstand in Evanston had the May issue, so I drove out there today and sent my wife in to get a copy. Score!
The article is in the Playboy Forum section (which is nothing like the Penthouse Forum section). If you’re a regular reader of Jennifer’s blog, it will be a familiar subject, although as an amateur writer, it’s fascinating to see how she’s adopted her style to the publication. I don’t quite understand what’s different, but it feels like there’s about 20% less scorn and derision which, given her feelings about the TSA, is pretty amazing. It almost feels a bit (dare I say it?) playful.
Anyway, check it out. (Normally, that would be a link but, you know, dead-tree media.)
Thanks! I’d been sitting on the secret since I first landed the commission. Feels good to let the cat out of the bag, after all those months of squirming….