The Wax Paper is a broadsheet publication open to all forms of written word, imagery, and collected conversation. The first priority of The Wax Paper is to expand our understanding of the people we share the world with, and in doing so, expand our understanding of ourselves. Pieces will be selected on their ability to illuminate the humanity and significance of the subjects that inhabit the work.
The Wax Paper was inspired by the life of Louis “Studs” Terkel. Our name is taken after his first radio show, The Wax Museum, a groundbreaking program, emblematic of his democratic fondness of variety, in which arias were played alongside folk ballads. We look to populate The Wax Paper with pieces that share the spirit inherent in Studs’ written work. Work that required patient observation, remained steadfast in its empathy, and displayed genuine vitality.
Studs Terkel’s voice and the voices he collected are a necessary antidote to the rising flood of overtures and platitudes gushing from advertisers, politicians, corporations, and zealots. Their whispers and broadcasts are often seductive and well-crafted. They tickle our fleeting desires and exploit our fears. The Wax Paper stands in direct opposition to their messages. We will oppose them by publishing pieces created with careful observation, empathy, and vitality.
Chicago, March 2015
Publisher - Nicholas Freeman Editor-in-Chief - Hans Hetrick
Poetry Editor - Casey Knott Media Editor - Corryn Cummins
Assistant Editors - Allen Paul & Sean Trevor
Family - Valentine Sargent, Elizabeth O’Connell-Thompson, Ewa Blecharczyk, Matthew Crane
Chloe Bliss-Snyder, Samantha Mueller, Nicholas Healy & Phil Woodley
856 N. Marshfield Ave. Chicago, IL 60622 waxed@thewaxpaper.com 312 622-8921