The Stony Brook Press is unique. It began when Statesman reporters were fed up with Statesman 30 years ago and decided to cut loose - and nothing has changed since! They still get smirks after playing dastardly deeds on the Statesman staff.

And what The SB Press publishes is unique too. They have serious types who write serious articles. They have frivolous types who write frivolous articles. The do art and poetry - comics and columnists. Their attitude is that there needs to be a vehicle to give any student who wants it a place to publish their ideas or work. And sometimes they have to put disclaimers on articles so no one thinks they endorse some of the insanity - but they do truly give students something important - their own voice.

And every year some of their writers are incredibly good! For those who don't know, one former SB Press Editor, Scott Higham, won the Pulitzer Prize as a Washington Post reporter. 

Now each issue is completely online for everyone to have access to. While still in the 'working out the kinks' stage during intersession - complete Fall semester issues are online in .pdf format (currently large files and needs high speed connection), new news is put on immediately with the ability to comment, RSS feed, blog links, and a whole lot more. One whole issue is even in audio! And they have started podcasts.

While the top two SB Press Editors, Rob Pearsall and Jowy Romano are comp sci majors, the bulk of the work for this feat goes to Managing Editor Jowy.

Congrats to all!

The Zine has wanted to put some articles from The SB Press in the Zine and this issue is finally able to. Unlike what we usually do, rather than make a copy, we are going to leave the direct links so you can go to The SB Press online directly.

And from the Zine, there is also a BIG thank you due The SB Press too!

Last year at the Media Fair one conversation was about all the media working together - for one issue each semester to have everyone also publish another media within their own. At the time only the Zine was fully online. Blackworld, Statesman, and The Press would put old issues up - but sometimes that could take a semester. The SB Independent was all online but new and unknown, and does not publish issues but story by story.

For a web based media like the Zine, the concept is not difficult to do in terms of space - but taking one software and incorporating it is a task that needs someone from both sides with knowledge of the others. For hard copy newsprint papers with layout to do it is a more daunting task. Not only is software an issue, so is timing for layout, and most of all each page of hard copy costs far more than server space.

But with that 'giving everyone a voice' attitude, after helping work on a racism video [AA]2 was putting together, The Press News Editor David Ginn, suggested the Zine do a full page in The Press each issue. After debating it amongst ourselves, Zine staff had not been happy with the religious insensitivity of The Press putting an eye of Sauron on a representation of a pagoda, one of the Zine's problems as an online paper is reaching out on a frequent basis to students who don't know about us. This was a perfect way of doing that. After discussion we accepted that we all make mistakes - The Press and the Zine alike.

Well, let's rephrase that. It was an almost perfect way to reach new readers. The only person on the Zine staff who knew Quark was Editor-in-Chief Huy Huynh. So for all but the last issue all Fall semester, when the perfectionist that he is finally decided to teach other staff Quark even if he knew he might not be happy with their result - all the hours of layout fell to him. And since Zine articles are not due until Monday nights and Press are due on Sundays - sometimes that meant waiting up most of the night while staff did their copy first!

But we are happy to say that from the Zine's perspective - it gave us a great new vehicle to reach out - and we are indebted to The SB Press editorial staff who agreed and gave the Zine a blank slate each week.

And now we are returning the favor though it is far simpler for us. And article on how wonderful they have been and a link to their new online all the time full issues. Check them out!