The Almanor is a magazine for the 21st century. We tell stories about power and influence in all its forms — political, cultural, economic, spiritual. The stories that so many outlets think are too political to be culture pieces, and too cultural to be political pieces. We want those pieces.
We are founded by writers and storytellers. We believe that a story needs both a writer and an editor. We believe your readers are on social media — and we go there, too. We believe in punching up, and saying so out loud.
See our team here.
The Name
We're named after Lake Almanor (and the surrounding areas) in Northern California. Several of our founders spend a lot of time there, and it has always been an escape and a place to reconnect with the world a bit.
We liked the name because it sounds unique - we don't know of another word that sounds similar. But it has no cultural baggage. The name itself is the combination of the names of three sisters (Alice, Marie, Eleanor). It gives us a chance to define it, borrowing from a place that we love.
The Format
We run three kinds of pieces, generally. We run several short form essays per week. Every two weeks, we run a longer essay. And a quarterly magazine around a central theme.
The Drop
One new story (nearly) every day. These are between 200 - 1,000 words. If we're talking about something directly in the news, this is where it will be.
The Anthony
Every two weeks, we publish a longform essay that goes in depth into a topic that we think is fascinating.
Almanor, Quarterly
Every quarter, we will publish a full magazine with 8-12 full-length essays, several shorter pieces, and a strong editorial throughline. Our first issue, Almanor I, will be themed around food, and our guest editor is Francine Tamakloe.
Every piece published with The Almanor gets a full social media treatment. We believe in telling stories where our audience will engage with them - not just a post with a link. Our writers will work with creative social media producers on the best way to tell the story and draw more readers in.
What We Cover
Culture
Culture is upstream of politics. We explore how trends and moments are shaping the world — from celebrities to music to fashion to digital life.
Identity
The internet has made visible a great diversity in modern society. What does it mean to belong to the groups that make us who we are?
Climate & Health
Intrinsically linked. Both reflect how powerful interests shape our lived realities — and the steps we can take toward a better world.
Business
A small number of technology companies hold extraordinary power over our lives in ways our political system rarely makes clear.
Religion
As the world grows uncertain, people turn to religion for answers. These institutions are powerful forces many wrongly dismiss as relics.
Cities
We want The Almanor to feel like an alt-weekly for the world. Creativity, community, and the people changing things — everywhere.
Our Stance
We do not hide our political stance — to do so in the modern age would be embarrassing. We lift up people whose stories have historically been ignored, especially those whose histories have been told to them rather than by them.
On issues that can be debated by reasonable people, we remain agnostic and open. We do not consider the rights and capacity of people to be a place for debate. We hold no other view dogmatically.
Our writing will always be accessible. Jargon and exclusion are our enemies. We ask the same of our readers — go into each story with an open mind. The Almanor should be an outlet that people in regional and rural communities feel comfortable reading.