Berlin last week, Amsterdam next week

A huge thank you to Jessica and Mark of the fabulous Do You Read Me? shop for inviting me to launch ‘The Modern Magazine’ in Berlin last week. They stock one of the best ranges of independent magazines I’ve seen (why doesn’t London have this?), so I picked up a bag full from the shop – that’s me above with Jessica (see panorama shot at end of post for a better idea of the amount of titles they hold) – before heading off to their other shop to do the talk.

A good crowd turned up to hear me in conversation with Kati Krause, based around the book but also veering into more general questions about magazine-making. It was a pleasure to see Kai from mono.kultur (next issue soon featuring Marina Abramovich), Kevin from Sleek and Manzine, Grashina from Flaneur (issue two on its way) and Johanna from Frieze d/e there too.

One point I was keen to make was that even since the book was completed there have been plenty of new independent launches, something Steve and I are celebrating at the next Printout with Alpine Review, FAT, Hole & Corner, Printed Pages and Works That Work. But there are plenty of others out there and I’ll be noting a bunch of them in one of our MagRush sessions here soon – 25 magazines reviewed in 24 hours! – watch out for news.

Thanks Kati for getting to know the book and asking all the right questions.

The following day I caught up with Axel from Der Wedding magazine, who are based in this extraordinary fifties concrete edifice in the Wedding area of the city (where else?). The big window top right is their base, looking out over the area their magazine covers.

I’ll be doing a similar event in Amsterdam next week, at another favourite magazine shop, The Atheneaum Nieuwscentrum. It takes place on Thursday 21 November at 5pm with Xandra Schutte from De Groene Amsterdammer asking the questions. Come and say hello!

Photographs, except the last three, by Philipp Langenheim