''Noggin'' was an American magazine that published art, fiction, cartoons, and social and political commentary. It started in

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

in 1990,Noggin, The University of Iowa Librarie
University of Iowa, System Number: 001781620
/ref> and published semimonthly for three years.

History

The magazine was founded by Tom Hunter; both were covered in articles in the ''

Cedar Rapids Gazette ''The Gazette'' is a daily print newspaper published in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The newspaper is distributed throughout northeastern and east-central Iowa, including the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City metropolitan areas. It was formerly called ''The C ...

'', and the ''

Iowa City Press-Citizen The ''Iowa City Press-Citizen'' is a daily newspaper published in Iowa City, Iowa, United States that serves most of Johnson County and portions of surrounding counties. Its primary competitors are '' The Gazette'' of Cedar Rapids, which has a n ...

''. Launched in October 1990, the publication had a "press run" of approximately 10,000 per issue. The magazine did not accept advertisements, and a lifetime subscription cost US$10. All writers and contributors to the magazine were unpaid volunteers, and the majority of them chose to publish their work under pseudonyms. Expenses per issue were $1,000. Prior to founding the magazine, Hunter had been a writer of fiction for ten years, and had received a

Bachelor's Degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in the field of journalism. Every issue of the publication contained the request for contributions, "If you like to draw, write fiction, poetry or essays, Noggin wants to publish your work." In an interview with ''Cedar Rapids Gazette'', the founder of the publication explained its broad attitude towards acceptance of contributions: "The editorial principle we've stuck to, to our detriment sometimes, we do not edit people's stuff, especially on the grounds of content. It's a real big umbrella. When you say I will take anything, you have more people that come forward." The magazine provoked controversy when it published works by artist Scott Warren about Edward Gein, and also over an article "Lunacy in the Gulf" in January 1991 which was critical of the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

Reception

In 1992, the ''

'' called ''Noggin'', "one of Iowa City's most controversial publications". The publication was classed among "small news magazines" distributed in the region. The ''

'' characterized the magazine noting, "''Noggin'' is a liberal newspaper of fiction, poetry, essays and art."

History

Reception

References

Further reading

External links