I know we issue this call periodically, but I just recently bought a subscription to Steppe Magazine and back ordered an issue I wanted to see. It is everything I hoped it would be—solid design, wonderful travelogues from the area, genuinely skilled photography (Chris Herwig is really good), and pretty decent writing on top of it all.
I know some old timers here complain about this blog’s obsession with Afghanistan, and frankly I get tired of it as well. It’s probably one reason I’m so angry or bitter when I write about it. The most recent issue of Steppe has feature articles on water issues in Tajikistan, the Babur Gardens of Kabul, Aktau in Kazakhstan, and lots of neat little cultural events around the U.S. and Europe that celebrate the region.
They’re not paying or prodding me for this. I’ve kind of watched them from afar, said “yeah that’s cool” and moved on. But, having now seen a few issues in person, I can unreservedly give them my ringing endorsement. If you even sort of like Central Asia, this will interest you.
This post was written by...
Joshua Foust – author of 1771 posts on Registan.net.
Joshua Foust is a Fellow at the American Security Project and the author of Afghanistan Journal: Selections from Registan.net. His research focuses primarily on Central and South Asia. Joshua is a correspondent for The Atlantic and a columnist for PBS Need to Know. Joshua appears regularly on the BBC World News, Aljazeera, and international public radio. Joshua is also a regular contributor to Foreign Policy’s AfPak Channel, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, Reuters, and the Christian Science Monitor. Follow him on twitter: @joshuafoust
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Steppe magazine is just glossy porn for us nerds who want to feel justified in having an unnatural interest in an obscure, unimportant backwater by making it seem sexy through over-designed photographic spreads and poorly written articles about nomadic couture. I love it.
I’m pretty sure Chris Herwig could use my t-shirt collection as a subject and still turn out something gorgeous.
Thanks for the heads up, over-designed trade mags are the best.
I just picked up a copy yesterday…it is ridiculously pricey and the text is a bit pandering but the pictures are worth the $20.
Thanks, I hadn’t heard of this and will probably subscribe.