Counterpoise (1997-2011) is an alternative review journal formerly based in
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...
(United States). It was founded in 1997 by Charles Willett (1932-2012), as a project of the AIP Task Force of the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
History 19th century ...
's Social Responsibilities Round Table.
In January 2001, Counterpoise became a project of the
Civic Media Center (an alternative library also located in Gainesville,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
). Counterpoise magazine focused on marginalized publications—books, magazines, and films on controversial topics or viewpoints that are not adequately represented in American mainstream press. The magazine was released on a quarterly basis; one issue each year was a double issue.
Counterpoise operated as a
collective
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest or work together to achieve a common objective. Collectives can differ from cooperatives in that they are not necessarily focused upon an e ...
, wherein all members participated in the process of creating and publishing the magazine. The Collective was composed of volunteers and student interns from the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
and
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
. The magazine was distributed throughout the US, Canada,
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
, and
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
; subscribers and contributors came from a wide range of fields and included historians, journalists, librarians, teachers, and activists of all stripes. Both the CMC and Counterpoise are
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
s.
In 2011, Charles Willett retired as founding editor and publication of the journal ceased. Back issues can still be ordered through the CMC.
Former volunteers from the Counterpoise collective and the CMC produce a weekly talk radio show for Gainesville's low power FM station
WGOT-LP 100.1, which began broadcasting in January 2008. The show (Counterpoise Radio) airs locally on Fridays at 2pm.
References
{{reflist
External links
* Counterpoise a
Twitter* Counterpoise a
Myspace*
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
History 19th century ...
The Gainesville IguanaArt by Drooker*
Zine
A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...
s
WGOT's Program Schedule
Activist publications
Community organizing
Social change