Radio Silence

“This Bay Area journal is something people have been waiting for for fifty years, whether they knew it or not.”
—Greil Marcus

We’re thankful that you’ve decided to check out Radio Silence, a magazine for lovers of literature and music.

In each monthly issue, you’ll find four or five pieces—a selection of interviews, journalism, songs, memoirs, book and record reviews, fiction, poetry, podcasts, films, and illustrations from a line-up of the best authors, musicians, and artists. Some of the pieces land on the literature side, some are focused on rock & roll, and some walk the line between the two art forms.

This is not a magazine for specialists or academics. Radio Silence is for fans. In March 2015, we transitioned our digital edition to a completely free model—no pay walls or log-ins or accounts. Our move away from a traditional subscription service was an easy decision: We’re creating Radio Silence for a broad audience, and we don’t want to limit anyone’s ability to access or share our content. We’ve been able to make this change with the gracious help of a few like-minded underwriters and sponsors.

Along with our monthly digital edition, we publish a biannual print magazine, available for sale through our website and select stores nationwide. (Subscriptions are still available for our print edition.) We also put on unique live events with writers and musicians.

“Radio Silence is the bar we all wish we had in the neighborhood. Great jukebox, terrific conversation, and a few things to read quietly with a nightcap when the hour grows late.”
—Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket)

There’s also a 501(c)3 nonprofit element to Radio Silence, as we do our part to help create the next generation of artists and audiences. When you subscribe to our print magazine or attend our events, a portion of your payment will be set aside to buy books and musical instruments for under-served youth. If we can help inspire a few kids to want to be the next Buddy Holly or Langston Hughes—if we can help ignite some sparks—that ain’t a bad thing.

We don’t accept unsolicited submissions, but we’re always happy to hear from readers. Email us anytime: info [at] maintainradiosilence.com.

“If the Paris Review were starting today, it would be called Radio Silence. And if Melville were starting today, Radio Silence is where he’d want to be. How many journals can you say that about? And how many others do you read cover to cover?”
—David Ives

Thanks again for checking out Radio Silence. We’re building a community here—bringing together fans and creators of these artforms that we love—and we’re really happy that you’re part of it.