New Papers magazine on the page and on the stage
When Colton Karpman first came up with the idea for New Papers magazine, he knew that he wanted it to be performed on a stage, as well as read on the page. “It’s only quite a limited view of literature that seeks to convey something solely on the page,” he explains. “I just thought that the possibilities were a lot broader when this [magazine] was performed aloud… When it’s read aloud it completely changes the meaning of it.”
The first issue launched with a recital on 31 January 2025, in which the entire issue was read in order from the stage at the Rose Lipman Hall in Hackney. The fifth issue of the magazine launches next Saturday (31 January 2026), and the formula remains the same, so ahead of that I asked Colton and art director Dilara Koz to speak with me about the ideas behind their publishing and performance project.
It’s clear that New Papers was born from Colton’s singular vision – he has a background in theatre and performance, and that has been instrumental in shaping the finished product. But listening to the two of them talk, I was struck by the fact that this is very much a collaboration, and it’s still evolving as they figure out what it should be. For example Dilara mentions that she first got involved when she was asked to make a typeface for the magazine, but she stayed beyond that initial point because she enjoyed exploring the creative possibilities of New Papers.
They mention that they’re now making fewer changes to the magazine with each issue, which suggests that it’s coming closer to reaching its final form. But it sounds like the performance is more free-flowing, with further innovations planned for the recital next week, and big ideas for what could come next.
I’ve loved watching New Papers magazine evolve from issue to issue, and I had a great time at the last issue launch. I hope you’ll enjoy listening to our conversation – if you’d like to hear more independent magazine makers speaking about what they do, follow us on Spotify or YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts, and we’ll be able to deliver all our future episodes to you as soon as they’re ready.
