Soft Punk 3
Delivered to Stack subscribers in
Mar 2021
A literary and arts magazine published between the US and UK, Soft Punk launched at the start of last year with the aim of “prying sense from our strange present”. Editor Jacob Barnes sets the tone in his opening letter, dismissing the shrugging acceptance of the so-called New Normal and arguing that, “I find any reference to it now simply to be lazy – brandished as a catch-all to absolve the speaker from discussion of that which they care not to think about”.
So while the pandemic makes appearances in several of the stories collected here, it’s never central to the action, never defining characters or restricting them. In fact, the sentiment that characterises the issue as a whole is one of quiet hope that though things are not easy, we can find a way to make them better.
Name
Jacob Barnes
Job title
Editor in Chief
What is Soft Punk?
Soft Punk is a literary arts and culture magazine, based between London and New York. We are intentionally agnostic of a “house style” and liberated from dogmatic conceptions of brow. Our reporting is fair, our fiction vulnerable, and our criticism unwavering. We curate emotive, insightful, and occasionally brazen visual features, with generous space reserved for poetry and art of all mediums.
What makes it different to the rest?
It’s made directly from the heart!
Who makes Soft Punk?
A group of cultural curators who happen to be some pretty great friends.
Who reads it?
Anyone who wants the most exciting curation of fiction, reportage, and art to be found in today’s market.
Why do you work in magazines?
Because I couldn’t imagine doing anything else!
Aside from the print magazine, what else are you involved in?
I run a contemporary art gallery in Battersea and I write about art.
What would you change about Soft Punk if you could?
I wish we had all the time to experiment as broadly as possible.
Where do you see Soft Punk in five years?
Hopefully in more people’s hands!
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