Fortean Times
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Fortean Times is a British monthly magazine devoted to the anomalous phenomena popularised by Charles Fort. Previously published by John Brown Publishing (from 1991 to 2001) and then I Feel Good Publishing (2001 to 2005), it is now published by Dennis Publishing Ltd. As of August 2005, its circulation was approximately 27,000 copies per month.
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About the magazine
The magazine was founded by Bob Rickard as The News in 1973 in order to continue Fort's work, renaming it Fortean Times in 1976. An early contributor was writer and researcher Nigel Watson, who wrote a regular column titled Enigma Variations for several editions. He has since contributed major articles on the subject of UFO-related murders and stories of sexual assault by aliens. In 1978, Paul Sieveking joined as editorial assistant, and eventually became co-editor. Several noted authors and researchers have been members of its staff, such as writer Mike Dash. The editorship passed to David Sutton in 2002, but both Rickard and Sieveking continue to work on the magazine. Sieveking edits the letters page as well as some specialist topics.
The identification of correct original sources by contributors is a defining feature of the magazine, and indeed Charles Fort himself. However, the "objective reality" of these reports is not as important. The magazine "maintains a position of benevolent scepticism towards both the orthodox and the unorthodox" and "toes no party line".
In most years, the magazine holds an annual convention in London called the Fortean Times UnConvention (UnCon). Its official website tracks Fortean news stories, holds a small archive of articles and photographs, and supports a busy message-board for discussion of Fortean topics. The magazine also occasionally published both academic and light-hearted books on various aspects of Forteana.
Regular content
- Strange Days - news pages consisting of material culled from newspapers and other sources from around the world (including sections on archaeology, medicine and cryptozoology). Clippings are requested from readers.
- Two or more feature articles
- Shorter articles
- Book, film and computer game reviews
- A letters page (including "it happened to me..." - readers stories of strange occurrences)
- Phenomenomix, a comic strip by Hunt Emerson.
- Simulacra Corner, photographs of the unusual submitted by readers.