The Sun (magazine) should not be confused with The Sun (United Kingdom).
| The Sun | |
| Editor: | Sy Safransky |
| Editor Title: | Editor |
| Frequency: | Monthly |
| Category: | Literature, photography |
| Company: | Sun Publishing Company |
| Firstdate: | 1974 |
| Country: | United States |
| Based: | Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| Language: | English |
| Issn: | 0744-9666 |
The Sun is a magazine based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The overall goal for the publication, as stated by editor and co-founder, Sy Safransky, is to create a feeling of connection between contributors and readers.[1]
In 1974, Sy Safransky started the magazine with co-founder, Mike Mathers, who left after 18 months. The partners borrowed $50 and solicited writing by friends and family for the first issue. Safransky typed up the material, Mathers drew illustrations, and it was printed on a copy machine.[2] The first issue was titled the Chapel Hill Sun and was sold for $0.25 each.[3] The title was later changed to The Sun. Readership was about 1000 for roughly the first decade[2] and has now increased to more than 70,000.[1]
Safransky describes the magazine as one "that honors the mystery at the heart of existence."[2] In 1990,[4] when readership reached roughly 10,000, Safransky dropped ads from the magazine and transformed it into a reader-supported publication.[5] Safransky believes this has "allowed for an uncommon atmosphere of intimacy in our pages."[5]
The Suns format features a lengthy interview with a “deep thinker” at the front of each issue, followed by fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and photography. In the “Readers Write” section, readers are invited to contribute reflections on a different theme for each issue.[6]