$pread magazine to cease publication in 2011 =(

Oh how this little world of ours continues to change.

Sadly, $pread magazine will cease publication in 2011. After five years of being staffed by an all-volunteer crew, this truly breaks my heart. I feel that if more people knew of their existence (mainly, other sex workers and their allies) this would not be happening. This is an example of why it's crucial that we share the word with others and stop being afraid to speak up.

I hope a few of you will consider donating to them or ordering their final two issues or cool tshirts by clicking here.

$pread aimed to illuminate the sex industry and destigmatize sex work. They did a wonderful job these past five years and they will be sorely missed.

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from $pread magazine's blog

R.I.P Spread
23rd August 2010

Hello $pread fans. We regret to inform you that, while we expect to publish 5.4, the Crime and Punishment Issue and 6.1, the Race Issue (guest-edited by a fabulous collective of sex workers of color) by January, $pread will close its glittery doors soon after the dawn of the New Year.

Once the remaining two issues have been posted, we will fulfill subscriptions for those of you who are owed them with the option of back issues, or, if you’re feeling generous, a waiver to help us with closing costs. We apologize for those of you who have only recently come to know us, and to all our longtime supporters. After all these years, five all-volunteer years to be exact, we have come to the conclusion that an all-volunteer magazine is simply unsustainable in the current publishing climate. Short of a donation of $30,000, we will be unable to sustain the magazine past January.


For those of you with a hankering for $pread merchandise and back issues, make sure to go to the $pread Shop (www.spreadmagazine.org/shop) in the next few months. For those of you who do not currently have a subscription, please purchase the next two issues individually. Once we print the next two issues, we will donate the materials to our outreach partners as well as lay the foundation for a physical archive, complete with all the $pread memories of yore, blemishes and all.
We hope that you will look forward to a $pread retrospective in book form, featuring highlights of our five years of publishing. We will also package a ‘$pread Scrapbook’ for sex worker advocates looking for tips and tricks on publishing a magazine by and for people working in the sex industry. We are producing these materials in the hopes that our model will help motivate the continued movement for social justice among our many and varied communities, in the same way Danzine inspired our own publication.


We also close our doors in the comfort of knowing that right now, around the world, sex worker-run and sex worker-supportive media such as ConStellation (www.chezstella.org) in Montreal, Flower in Beijing, and Red Light District Chicago (www.redlightdistrictchicago.co m) are holding forth on the issues that matter to our communities.


$pread was motivated by the motto “Illuminating the Sex Industry.” We submit these five years of blood, sweat, and tears to you as a testament to this founding sentiment. May the struggle to end the stigma, discrimination, and violence perpetrated against our communities end in justice, and may the flashy strobe light of sex worker rights never go out, but illuminate the sex industry for the world to see.

Super sad. I love them.

I am buying all the back issues because I have a feeling it will be a LONG time before there is anything else like $pread. This is very sad.

I am buying all the back issues because I have a feeling it will be a LONG time before there is anything else like $pread. This is very sad. Originally Posted by MistressOlympia

If you can't make any money with an all-volunteer staff.....

Super sad. I love them. Originally Posted by Natalie

I am buying all the back issues because I have a feeling it will be a LONG time before there is anything else like $pread. This is very sad. Originally Posted by MistressOlympia

Agreed and agreed. I bought out about 3/4 of their online store!!

I think the closest thing is the new Whore! magazine. I hope people will start subscribing and supporting them right away...they're more of a melting pot of whores, if you will, rather than just SW focused. As they say, they are "dedicated to celebrating the current and historical qualities of women who have defined a role for themselves outside the status quo."

Buying issue's after they cease operations is like going to a relatives' funeral. I'm sure they would have appreciated more visits while they were alive.....especially if it may have prolonged their life!

I think the closest thing is the new Whore! magazine. Originally Posted by LynetteMarie

I'm sure the wife would love a copy in the living room.

I'm sure the wife would love a copy in the living room. Originally Posted by pjorourke

PJ, you're such a realist

I'm sure the wife would love a copy in the living room. Originally Posted by pjorourke

coffee table book?

I'm sure the wife would love a copy in the living room. Originally Posted by pjorourke

You should order a subscription for the priest. He can keep it in the church office or rectory. He is, after all, supposed to minister to "sinners."

You should order a subscription for the priest. He can keep it in the church office or rectory. He is, after all, supposed to minister to "sinners." Originally Posted by charlestudor2005

Not sure about priests but I gave copies to my pastors, fellow ministers and small group members (I led a study recently and we discussed SW/prostitution at length.) They were fascinated by it mostly...only a handful seemed scared, judgmental or driven to "save" those in the industry or their patrons.

Not sure about priests but I gave copies to my pastors, fellow ministers and small group members (I led a study recently and we discussed SW/prostitution at length.) They were fascinated by it mostly...only a handful seemed scared, judgmental or driven to "save" those in the industry or their patrons. Originally Posted by LynetteMarie

Kewl!!!!! I would have loved to attend those little studies.

Well, that is a damn shame.

Not sure about priests but I gave copies to my pastors, fellow ministers and small group members (I led a study recently and we discussed SW/prostitution at length.) Originally Posted by LynetteMarie

That is AWESOME!