Maayan

Maayan (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 and it's coordinator and executive manager is Nimrod Kamer. 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, Ari Libsker, Maayan Strauss, Rinat Berckovitch, Nimrod Kamer, Naama Gershy, Dan Daor, Vaan Nguyen, Dan Shadur, Gil Shani and also more veteran contributors, such as Aharon Shabtai and yoel hoffman.

From the opening statement of issue #1 [ [http://chicky99.googlepages.com/maayanengl.pdf Opening Introduction] , from Maayan Vol.#1 , (2004-03-01)] : "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 2005, and was twice as big. It included an addition: an extra magazine folded in side for cinema, called Maarvon.

Maayan's fourth issue came out in March 2008. It featured over 300 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 to the hourly minimum wage at the time of vol.1 appearance in 2004.

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 March 2008 in 4,700 copies, 700 copies more than Maayan. The cover of the 1st issue was The World, film by Chinese director Jia Zhangke. That article also reveled a letter corespondent by former student of the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School Nimrod Kamer, giving an insight of routine inside the highly rated and closed school [ [http://nimrodkamer.com/pdf/maravon_nimrod_article__The_Conflict__from_maarvon_december2005.pdf "Where's the conflict?"] , article on the Sam Spiegel film school from Maarvon Vol.#1 , (2005-01-01)] . The cover story of the 2nd issue [ [http://www.scribd.com/full/4435535?access_key=key-ftl8pcq6m6uao31dsw4 Maarvon vol.2] complete issue from Scribd, (2007-01-01)] was a shot from the 1971 marginalised film "Punishment Park" by Peter Watkins that followed an article by Amy Taubin on the film. 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 representation 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 telenovelas in Latin America, and Jia Zhangke 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."

The first article in Maarvon vol.1 is called "A Certain Tendency in Israeli Cinema" [ [http://www.slashseconds.org/issues/002/001/articles/jsimon/index.php "A certain tendency in Israeli cinema"] , article on Israeli film funds and the trend of peripheral mainstream, (2005-01-01)] by Joshua Simon, he examines Israeli cinema and the Aesthetics of feature films sponsored by film funds, a growing European and International trend of Peripheral Mainstream.

Other Activities

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.

On July 2007 Maayan group representatives went to the Syrian Embassy in Amman in order to apply for a special Visa to Syria to promote peace between Israel and Syria. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu92bdTBPxs] , [http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2007/09/dreaming_of_damascus.html] .

On November 4th 2007 Maayan group held a joint poetry protest in order to support the "Coffee To Go" waitresses union. After a month long strike the waitresses got their way and the university coffee branch decided to let them have their tips and workers rights, while keeping their job. [http://gocoffeego.blogspot.com/2007/11/blog-post_5240.html] . Among the poets were Aharon Shabtai, Mati Shemoelof, Yuval Ben-Ami and the waitresses. Some of the poems were taken from recently published "Aduma" social poetry booklet, 2007.

References

External links

* [http://chicky99.googlepages.com/maayan2 Official homepage] en icon.
* [http://chicky99.googlepages.com/maayanengl.pdf Maayan 1 introduction text] en icon
*Articles from Haaretz newspaper:
** [http://www.geocities.com/chickyplus/galleryeng.htm "With a huge pompadour and a tight shirt"] on Maayan Vol. 1 by Shiri Lev-Ari, March 09, 2005. en icon
** [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=667098 "Between 'poetry' and 'life'"] on Maayan Vol. 2 by Daniel Oz, January 06, 2006. en icon
** [http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/825453.html "What a poetry magazine needs"] , includes Maayan Vol. 3 by Dror Burstein, February 14, 2007. he icon
** [http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/831262.html Reaction to mild reviews of new poetry journals] , Roy Arad, February 28, 2007. he icon
* [http://www.thejc.com/Home.aspx?ParentId=m11s19&AId=53062 Maayan] in the Jewish Chronicle, June 8, 2007 en icon
* [http://southjerusalem.com/2008/03/31/76 a blog article] against the radicalism in the fourth issue of Maayan.
* [http://nnimrodd.com/photos/Syrian_Embassy_Visit__The_JC_31.8.2007_page22.jpg"Maayan Poets go to Syria"] from the Jewish Chronicle, 31.8.2007