BoSacks Readers Speak Out; On the Em Dash, My Weekly Reader and Magazines as Maps

Re: BoSacks Speaks Out; The Em Dash Is Not the Villain—It’s the Canary

Great, wide-ranging reflection on the em dash, AI writing, intentional human writing, and the power of the magazine by Bo Sacks. Well worth a read. Here’s a beautiful paragraph from the heart of it:

"This is where the em dash debate hits paydirt, and where my earlier blindness becomes instructive. If most writing today is disposable, designed to be skimmed, swiped, and forgotten, then intentional writing is luxury. A magazine isn't just paper. It's permanence. It's not competing with TikTok captions or Instagram carousels. It's competing with cultural amnesia."

The magazine and intentional writing as a bulwark against the ever-encroaching "Nothing" of cultural amnesia. That’s a powerful metaphor and a weighty reminder of why we do this work.

(Also, for the record, I love the em dash, and am often annoyed lately when I feel self-conscious about using it in all the myriad places I used to—just because someone who doesn’t know better is going to assume I let ChatGPT do my homework.)

(Submitted by a Publisher)

Re: BoSacks Speaks Out; The Em Dash Is Not the Villain—It’s the Canary

I'm sick to my teeth of stories about em dashes, but this one was good.

(Submitted by an Industry Consultant)

Re: BoSacks Speaks Out; The Em Dash Is Not the Villain—It’s the Canary
I find myself editing m-dashes out of my writing now, so that I don't start sounding like AI. Sort of a reversal of the creative process in a way.

(Submitted by aAudience Development and Digital Marketing Professional)

Re: BoSacks Speaks Out; The Em Dash Is Not the Villain—It’s the Canary

Great email, Bo! I am a staunch lover and protector of the em dash!

I suspect that you know the difference between farther and further, but if not I’m happy to help

(Submitted by a Publisher and friend from Australia)

Re: BoSacks Speaks Out; The Em Dash Is Not the Villain—It’s the Canary

I loved your piece on the em dash.

Farther is a measure of distance, real or metaphorical. So "Nothing could be farther from the truth," or "He carries the idea farther than I would." Further is a measure of degree, intensity, or increase. So "After further thought..." or "The new law prompted further protest." Some guides say that the more abstract a metaphor gets the more interchangeable the two words become. "Look into it further." "Look into it farther." I'd say farther, but I'm one of those rigid types.

Speaking of metaphors, in a quick and rough count I found 79 metaphors, including similes, in your piece, which is a lot in a small space. Some of them are pretty good. I liked the one about teaching replacements to do your job then seeing them promoted.

Submitted by an official BoSacks Cub Reporter and Publisher)

Re: BoSacks Speaks Out; The Em Dash Is Not the Villain—It’s the Canary

Aside from the larger argument, this is not the first time the em dash has been the subject of turmoil and dismay. When I saw this coming up, I remembered seeing critiques of its use, or overuse, in the past. A few minutes of web research and I found the year, 2008, when many wrote blog posts and articles about the problematic punctuation. Then again, I’ve seen criticisms of semicolons, parentheses, and commas. Talk to certain younger people and you’ll see that, in electronic communications, there are those who dread the period because of what it signifies. (And here I thought it was only the end of a thought.)

Poor punctuation, working hard, not calling attention to itself, and yet the brunt of wagging fingers.

(Submitted by a freelance writer)

Re: BoSacks Speaks Out; The Em Dash Is Not the Villain—It’s the Canary

I love this. I especially relate to the notion that elevated long form reading does feel luxurious these days.

(Submitted by a VP of Business Development)

Re: BoSacks Speaks Out: From Crinkly Newsprint to Digital Civics—The Atlantic Goes Back to School

Thank you for the pleasant reminders of "My Weekly Reader" from grade school.

I remember reading a story about the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, in which Queen Elizabeth presided over the ceremony. That publication gave me a window into the wider world.

You are indeed correct in saying that our schools today are suffering from insulariety.

(Submitted by an Artist)

Re: Atlantic archive

“They made the world legible.”

What a powerful description of what books can do for young readers. It’s also a pretty good way to describe what you do for the world of media. Thank you for your elegant prose and your insight. They are a welcome tonic in these horrifying times.

(Submitted by a Publisher)

Re: BoSacks Speaks Out: Magazines as Maps, and the Geography of Print

Your recent newsletter ,which you authored "Magazine as Maps" is a true masterpiece and ,in my opinion, one of the best reads since I started receiving "Bo Sacks Speaks Out" way back when. Your artistry shows throughout the entire text, with profoundness and insightfulness of the publishing world. Looking forward to many ,many more. Thanks for continuing your good works!

Re: BoSacks Speaks Out: Magazines as Maps, and the Geography of Print

Bo, As my first editor used to say when we managed to find a route to petrol while motorcycling in Baja, "Exactamente."A world with digital and no print would have a consequence similar to a world with GPS and no maps: lost people.

(Submitted by a publisher)

Re: BoSacks Speaks Out: Kansas Prison Ban on Print Newspapers

Thanks for bringing this to the broader community. Really unfortunate to see this kind of action being taken in Kansas. There should be an effort to educate and inform those in prison. This way people can eventually come out and have a better shot at acclimating back into society. It feels a bit inhumane to shield people from the news of the world, but perhaps the bigger risk is that the rate of recidivism rises as a result.

(Submitted by an Industry Analyst)

Re: BoSacks Speaks Out: Remembering the Lavish Life of Publishing

In 1990, I was sitting in my office at Fortune when my boss appeared in my doorway and said that he had to cut the T&E budget and what percentage could I give him. I replied that it was a remarkable coincidence that I was working on my sales estimates and how much would he like me to cut (I was outselling everyone in the NY office). He glowered for a full two minutes, said “fuck you” and left.

(Submitted by a Publisher)

Re: More editors reveal they had been pitched by 'Margaux Blanchard'.

An editor interested in a feature-story pitch from a first-time contributor can simply insist on a two-minute phone conversation between a staff member and the writer to ask what the reporting plan is and who the article's sources will be. No phone convo, no assignment.

It's not that hard, man.

(Submitted by a Seasoned Editor that Bo worked with in the early 1990s)