Delivered to Stack subscribers in January 2019, Gym Class has nothing to do with either sports or schools (see page three for editor Steven Gregor’s explanation of where the name originally came from) and instead this latest iteration of his 10-year-old project repackages previously published stories around the theme of magazines.

Drawing upon brilliant writing from august institutions (The New York Times), indie favourites (Fantastic Man) and international upstarts (The California Sunday Magazine), there’s a wonderful magpie-like quality to the magazine making, with the character of the original pieces shining through in this new setting.

The art direction also goes a long way to providing a distinct sense of character, with a different guest art director providing their own interpretation each issue. This time the visuals come from Barcelona’s Folch agency, who mix the sexiness of their Odiseo magazine with a fetishistic appreciation of paper.

But it’s Steven’s passion that makes Gym Class Magazine stand out. From the selection of stories, through to the obsessive lists of magazines and newspapers mentioned on each spread, and the “choice-cut takeaways for skim readers”, it’s his energy and enthusiasm for the subject that makes the whole thing sing.

Gym Class volume 2 issue 2 is also available in the Stack shop.