03 After months and months of dark and cold and a general feeling of “meh”, we here at do you read me?! are happy to report that spring has arrived. Let’s celebrate, let’s hit the road, let’s go to Paris! After having focused on cities as far-ranging as Taipei and São Paulo, Flaneur–the legendary travel publication, and this month’s Surprise Subscription pick–is taking on the City of Lights, and the results are honestly exceptional.  More

Im Jahr 2021 hielten Künstlerin, Forscherin und Kuratorin Moshtari Hilal und politische*r Geograf*in Sinthujan Varatharajah einen Vortrag auf Instagram Live, in dem sie über die Ausbreitung der englischen Sprache in Berlin diskutierten. Ob in Cafés oder Restaurants, Museen und Kunsträumen, auf der Straße oder im Bürgeramt, die englische Sprache ist überall präsent - auch in unseren eigenen Newslettern, Rezensionen und sozialen Medien! Es ist einfach eines dieser Dinge, die Berlin seinen kosmopolitischen Glanz verleihen.  Aber es gibt auch eine Kehrseite der Dinge, und die bringen Hilal und Varatharajah in ihrem Vortrag ans Licht, welcher von Wirklichkeit Books in diesem strahlend blauen Reader in eine physische Form gebracht wurde.  More

In 2021, artist, researcher and curator Moshtari Hilal and political geographer Sinthujan Varatharajah held a talk on Instagram Live, where they discussed the prevalence of the English language in Berlin. Whether in cafes or restaurants, museums and art spaces, spoken on the street or in the Bürgeramt, it’s everywhere - also in our own newsletters, reviews and social media! It’s one of the things that gives Berlin its cosmopolitan shine. But there’s another side to things, and this is what Hilal and Varatharajah bring to light in their talk, given physical form by Wirklichkeit Books in this striking blue reader.  More

Take a moment and reflect on what you’ve read today. Now do this again for yesterday and the day before. If you manage to remember anything at all, you might find that the stories you have been reading all seem to gravitate towards one common set of subjects. Most will have probably been pertinent to the current news cycle, while the others will have most likely concerned your own particular field of interests. Which is all fair and square–particularly given the world’s chaotic state of affairs. But where are all the other stories? As beautifully diverse and big our blue and green marbled planet is, there must be more to report and write about than war and scandal, no? More

“Oceans Were The Hottest Ever Recorded in 2022, Analysis Shows”  “Twelve European Countries Broke Temperature Records in 2022”  “Human Toll of Deadly US Storm Grows in ‘Blizzard of the Century’” As much as we here at do you read me?! believe in the power of positive thinking, it is a difficult thing to do when these are just a sampling of headlines from the past few weeks. To be sure, when confronted with the cold hard reality of an era of environmental crisis and geopolitical instability, it sometimes feels as if the simplest tasks require a healthy dose of courage, resignation, and gumption. All of these mounting anxieties need to be assuaged; and the only thing that can do it is…perhaps a new handbag. Or maybe those nice boots you have had your eyes on? Or why not an entirely new wardrobe!   More

What does the word “nature” mean to you? It may conjure up images of lush, rolling fields, rushing rivers or impenetrable woods. You’re probably not picturing many people or buildings, and it’s likely that the colour green features prominently.  The third issue of Hinterlands magazine takes as its starting point a similar thought exercise. The introductory note from editors Hanna Döring, Freia Kuper and Maike Suhr invites the reader to visualise a meadow - and immediately bursts this idyllic, imaginary bubble to point out that “nature” as we often think of it is a fiction. More

As humble booksellers who watch the holiday season unfold from behind a cash register, we here at do you read me?! would be among the first to agree that the holidays have become less about celebrating religious or social events and more about the arrival of a certain rotund figure in a pretty far out red suit. Indeed, each passing December seems to reaffirm the free market’s unfettered socio-cultural ascent–which is good news for fans of money, stuff, and the pursuit of money to buy stuff; and bad news for fans of, say, the planet or human rights. After all, society can’t be too social if we are all collectively staring into the void of Black Friday sales on our non-fair trade iPhones. More

We all know that you can’t judge a book by its cover. A book’s design, though, is an entirely different matter. Everything that goes into the physical creation of a book reflects its contents to a certain degree: romance novels are printed on trashy paper with even trashier imagery for good reason; and it is by no means arbitrary that gilded pages are found in Bibles or that lush paper and fine ink are used for the exhibition catalogues one finds at museums like the Louvre. The medium is the message, or at least a key part of it. This is certainly the case with isolarii–our November Surprise Subscription pick. More

One of our very favourite things about contemporary print culture is that there really is a magazine for everything. From bathing culture to modern witchcraft, the creativity, breadth and diversity of the magazine world never fails to amaze us.  That’s why we’ve chosen to bring you SICK magazine for your October Surprise. SICK began life as a zine-style pamphlet, produced by editor-in-chief Olivia Spring, and since its first issue, it has been a unique presence in the magazine world, dedicated to elevating the voices and experiences of chronically ill and disabled people. More

Let’s be clear: summer is overrated. The sun glares down from the sky, insects swarm in the air, the beaches heave with crowds; everywhere you go there is the palpable feeling that you should be out “having fun” and “making memories”--which is honestly a tall order to fill when stuck on a crammed train or plane with 100 kilos of luggage in tow. And to top it all off, it is too hot to enjoy our favorite foods! No soups or hearty stews or thick steaks or quiches or deep red wines; far from that, we find ourselves cornered and subjected to the humble pleasure of…salad. So now, as September makes its grand appearance after months of estival inferno, it is time to fire up our stoves and get cracking on the good stuff. Which brings us to Fare–this month’s Surprise Subscription choice. More

In a time when everything looks so flawless and shiny on our backlit screens, an imperfect, experimental and raw aesthetic is on the rise again as a counterculture. Zines have retained this character since the 60s until today. The thin booklets in simple photocopy style are the original form of self-publishing - fast, selfmade and niche. Usually monothematic and with small print runs, they print the part of culture that is absent from mainstream publications. Because profit is not the goal, but representation and participation in shaping culture. Their simple, analogue charm leaves room for experimentation with visual language. And so they are and always have been an uncut a constant source of inspiration. No wonder, then, that they are making a comeback! More

At a time when the borders created by language and culture have never been so porous, and when the idea of distance seems to grow smaller with each passing year, it is surprising how few truly international literary magazines can be found in the world of printed matter. Of course, most literary reviews feature occasional pieces from around the world; but if you happened to be in search of one whose primary goal was to establish a cosmopolitan community through the medium of a magazine, you would be hard-pressed to find it. Until now!  More