We’ve talked about Nate McCall’s handcrafted journals before. His beautiful, lovingly made books are heirloom quality and built to stand the test of time. They feel and smell exquisite.
And one of our Patrons is going to get one.
We do regular giveaways for our Patrons, and we are so happy to be able to share this gorgeous grimoire with one of you. So how do you win? You support us on Patreon. That’s it. For as little as $1/month, to help us keep the lights on.
On 9/1/16, we’re going to put our Patrons into a randomizer, and pick a winner!
Dirge Magazine is not just another online magazine, but we can’t exist without your support!
1. We produce the magazine we want to read. There just wasn’t anything out there that felt like it was for us. We like a lot more than horror. We care about books and art. We play games. We wear clothes. We’re whole people and we’re more than just one or two interests. That’s what Dirge is: it isn’t about hobbies, it’s about people.
2. We are constantly working on improving reader experience. We read Dirge and we don’t want it to suck. We’re constantly streamlining our technology and best practices to make our content as easy to enjoy as possible while keeping it challenging and intelligent.
3. Dirge is free, and we want to keep it that way!
4. Being reader-supported keeps us trash-free. No clickbait. No bullshit. No shoddy journalism, invasive ads or dubious ethics. We only curate relevant ads on an individual basis that ultimately help the community we serve. We will never let a corporation tell us what to publish. We only want one boss, and that’s you.
5. We support a community of writers, artists and creators. If you make anything, you know how hard it is to get noticed. Even “huge” artists are only covered by mainstream media in superficial and often idiotic and exploitative ways. We bring creators to our audience, and we do it with respect.
6. Our mission is to be the change we want to see in publishing. Dirge puts people before profits. If that means we have to do things the hard way, so be it. You have to run a business according to your principles, and the principles that Dirge staff and writers share is that the work we do matters, and the people we talk to and about matter, and most of all our readers matter. It isn’t as simple as deciding one day that we’re just going to do clickbait now to survive. This is what we believe. It’s this or nothing.
7. Dirge is more than a magazine. You know you’re doing something right when a community begins to just form around you. Our readers chat in comments on our posts and become friends. We have a book club. We party with our Patrons in their own private group! Writers meet publishers, musicians meet other musicians and go on tour (true story!). Artists and designers meet other artists and designers through mutual feature articles. They network. They invite each other to hang in exhibits.
We are publishing fiction. Starting an imprint. Starting a podcast. We have an independent lifestyle brand. We are growing and evolving all the time, as more people come on and say “Yes, this is my tribe.”
It’s because Dirge isn’t just a magazine. It’s a cultural hub for people like us. It’s so much greater than the sum of its parts. If we did things any other way, we couldn’t do it the way we are. If we focused on clicks, we couldn’t focus on community. That’s why we need your help.
