Maayan ("Spring [of] water", or "fountain", also private female name; in Hebrew: מעין) is an Israeli magazine for poetry, literature, art, and ideas. Its first issue went out in the fall of 2004.
The editors of Maayan are Roy Arad and Joshua Simon. Its publisher is the Free Academy. Its motto is: "Maayan is Home for New Poetry". The magazine is graphically degined by Kerem Halbrecht and printed on a thin soft pinkish low cost news paper.
The magazine includes poetry and art from Israel (Jewish and Arab) and beyond. Mostly contributors are young creators, such as Zvi Elhyani, Zhiye Kundos, Maayan Strauss, Rinat Berckovitch, Aharon Shabtai, Nimrod Kamer, Naama Gershy, Dan Daor, Vaan Nguyen, Dan Shadur, Gil Shani, Wael Noureddine and more.
From the opening statement of issue #1 [1]: In its journey to the shelves, Maayan's poetic proposal entails a risk: according to preconceived standards, it is not clear if it qualifies as poetry at all. Maayan's poets write, like a child riding a tricycle through heavy traffic..."
The second issue of Maayan was released in December of 2005, and was twice as big. It included an addition: an extra magazine folded in side for cinema, called Maarvon.
Maayan's third issue came out in January 2007. It featured over 200 pages and 40 new writers, making it 70 plus contributors all together with the visual artists. From vol.3 opening arguments: ".. In Maayan we apply the politics of first name. Maayan, bottom line, is a name of a girl. The state of the Israeli language and discourse today demands first name politics as opposed to metaphorical and hollow trademarks such not calling the summer "feud" between Israel and Lebanon what it was - a war, and calling Israel's ruling party Kadima and meaningless name instead of "The National Responsibility" as it was meant to be named, because of PR consideration. Maayan - for better and for worse hales for the concrete. The words in the magazine are not a mere shadow of the events, happenings and reality, they try to describe and tell what is, specifically as possible. The Bombing of the Gaza Strip, the 2006 Lebanon War and the disappointment from Amir Peretz are weaved and integrated throughout its pages. "
Every volume of Maayan has 4000 printed copies, and averagely sales half of it in book shops and Maayan stands. It is sold for 17 Israeli sheqels, equal the minimum wage in time of vol.1 appearance in 2004.
In June 2006 at the Minshar gallery in Tel Aviv, Maayan creators put on an exhibition named "Doron" (after CEO of O.R.S human resources Doron Sabag - aka first names) which dealt with the relations of art and labour rights.
Maarvon
Maarvon (in hebrew: מערבון) is a film supplement to Maayan. Maarvon's editor is Joshua Simon, it's production coordinator is Nimrod Kamer.
The magazine latest issue came out in January 2007 in 4,700 copies, 700 copies more than Maayan. The cover story was an article by Amy Taubin on the 1970 marginalised film Punishment Park (1971) by director Peter Watkins. Other articles were on the unique genre of Hotel Cinema - Israeli comedic films shot in the 70's in hotel rooms and lobbies by Yoni Raz Portugali, an article on Avi Mograbi's rerpresantaion of suffering palestinians in his self-representing works by Shmulik Duvdevani, and also Ramle one-held-hand made films by high school students by Nimrod Kamer and all toghther 20 articles. Maarvon and Maayan faces the middle east reality with several articles. In Maarvon #2 there a translation of an article on the Lebanese film "Bosta" - a precedent in feature films in the region made by local money rather than western.
Issue #1 of Maarvon dealt with Mon Tresor of Keren Yedaya, Jaffa in Menahem Golan movies, the Israeli gay cinema between Amos Guttman and Eytan Fox, after Good Boys (Yair Hochner), political telanovelas in Latin America, and Jia Zhang-ke movies.
The people who write in Maarvon are: Benny Ben-David, Noam Yuran, Yoni Raz Portugali, Liat Simon, Mijal Grinberg, Glauber Rocha (Brazilian film maker), Tom Shoval, Yossi Atia, Nimrod Kamer, Roee Rosen, Ari Libsker, Dani Rosenberg, Shmulik Duvdevani, Rafram Chaddad, Dror Yzhar and Adam Aboulafia.
Maarvon in Hebrew means western. A quote from its first issue opening statement: for us films are not only themselves, but the entire discourse and culture that surrounds them.
External links
- Official homepage (in Hebrew and English).
- Maayan vol.1 introduction text (English)
- Articles from Haaretz newspaper:
- "With a huge pompadour and a tight shirt" on Maayan vol.1 by Shiri Lev-Ari, March 09, 2005 (English).
- "Between 'poetry' and 'life'" on Maayan vol.2 by Daniel Oz, January 06, 2006 (English).
- Lebanon\Beirut related texts from Maayan vol. 3 by Nimrod Kamer, Aharon Shabtai, and Wael Noureddine. (Hebrew)