Quick flick – B, Or Something
![Or Something cover](https://stackmagazines.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Or-Something-cover.jpg)
“An encylopaedia for obstinate ideas”, Or Something is a new magazine that plans to march through the alphabet, a different issue for each letter. I didn’t see issue A, but issue B has been knocking around for a few weeks and it’s quite a lovely thing.
A few weeks of knocking around in my bag has taken its toll on the cover, but I like the smudginess. It makes the whole thing feel very handmade. And the contents on the cover works nicely too – you find yourself turning back to the cover as you go to see how they’ve summarised each story.
![Or Something close](https://stackmagazines.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Or-Something-close.jpg)
The idea seems to be that they solicit contributions and put each issue together out of the best stuff. This series of lino cuts of a barn owl by Hester Steedman Thake is nice.
![Or Something owl](https://stackmagazines.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Or-Something-owl.jpg)
And this story on the secrets of bee communication is really interesting. Not sure the honeycomb design works as well as it might, but I like the variation. The only common theme linking stories is the letter B, which encourages the reader to see each entry as separate from the rest of the magazine – each thing works either as a whole or in isolation.
![Or Something bees](https://stackmagazines.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Or-Something-bees.jpg)
Brian Blessed Wouldn’t Lie in Bed – “an inspirational pull out poster for your wall”. Cue the usual agonising over whether it would ruin the magazine to pull the poster out.
![Or Something Brian](https://stackmagazines.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Or-Something-Brian.jpg)
The quality of the writing varies, but there’s some good stuff in there – I really enjoyed this first-person piece by a woman who volunteers on the Port Erin lifeboat.
![Or Something boats](https://stackmagazines.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Or-Something-boats.jpg)
At 34 pages it’s short but sweet, and feels genuinely original. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with issue C.