Greetings from Z,

It’s time for our annual Outrageous Offer, which gives subscribers a chance to buy gift subscriptions for a significantly reduced rate. If you’re not subscriber, you can order a subscription for yourself on the printable PDF order form, and then take advantage of this offer.

As we say goodbye to the Bush era, with its illegal and "pre-emptive" wars, spying on citizens without constitutional limit, and with threats across the board to our environment and future well-being, Z Magazine provides a much-needed lifeline of information.

Since the first issue of Z in 1988, hundreds of activists, academics, workers, and journalists have exposed in Z important issues ignored by mainstream news outlets. More significantly, Z writers offer in-depth analysis of the structures and systems that underlie and perpetuate oppression in our economy, culture, and official government policies.

As subscribers you know all this, especially since many of you have told us that you read Z "cover to cover" and can’t wait for it to arrive in your mailbox each month. In that case, surely you have friends, libraries, organizations, alternative stores that might like to read it Z "cover to cover" as well (see or reader comments below), but can’t afford it or haven’t heard of it.

Our 2008 holiday offer gives you a chance to sign people up for one year for as low as $9 (if you give five gifts). That’s just $4.05 more than the cover price of one issue. Even one gift is outrageously low at $19 for one year instead of the usual $33. If your subscription has recently lapsed, you can take advantage of our gift offer by re-subscribing at this time. Or, if you are not yet a subscriber, you can sign up now at $33/year and then order all the gifts you want.

Z is a reader-supported independent voice, with no paid advertising revenue (we give free ad space for worthy projects) or foundation grant money. We rely on people like you to get the word out. In past years subscribers have bought thousands of gift subscriptions that have been invaluable in helping Z survive for 21 years. We encourage you to buy thousands more as we move into what looks like a frightening new year, with continued war and an unprecedented financial crises, but also with new possibilities for showing the Republicans and the Democrats what kind of "change" we really want.

Click here for a printable PDF order form.

11 REASONS TO GIVE Z

1 –  ACTIVISM. City Council votes. National demon-strations. Civil disobedience at G8 meetings. Winter Soldier testimony. Katrina response. We cover activist efforts for a just world better than anybody. And we’re going to keep doing it.

2 – ECONOMY. Financial crises. Recession. Depression. Neo-liberalism. Structural adjustment. Global effects of capitalism. CEO salaries. Z covers it all, not with short news items, but with a complete look at what’s really going on.

3 – FOREIGN POLICY. Iraq War. Russia/Georgia. Pre-emptive war. Iran. U.S. machinations around the world. Z critiques it all, with background, analysis, and talking points for organizers.

4 – ENVIRONMENT. Climate change. Environmental toxins. Biodiversity. Genetic engineering. Z’s got more in-depth critical coverage of ecology than most environmental magazines.

5 – DOMESTIC ISSUES. Gender. Gay and Lesbian Community Notes. Racial profiling. PATRIOT Act. Religious right. Labor. Big Pharma. Medicare/Medicaid. Z covers as many topics as we can squeeze into 48 pages. We also run columns prepared by groups doing important work such as Labor Notes.

6 – VISION & STRATEGY. Z doesn’t just report on what’s wrong, rather we cover alternative proposals for as many of the topics listed above as we can find.

7 – Z WRITERS. Edward S. Herman. Noam Chomsky, Lydia Sargent, Elizabeth Martinez, Michael Bronski, and many others appear in our pages, including many new young freelance writers. 

8 – GRAPHICS/HUMOR. Cartoons. Illustrations. Photos. Z has over 20 graphics in each issue, including cartoons by Matt Wuerker, Andy Singer, Stephanie McMillan, Carol*Simpson, and Huck/Konopacki.

9 – ZAPS. Z provides free space (blurbs or full page) for groups and companies to promote their projects, demonstrations, talks, and fundraising campaigns.

10 – STAFF STRUCTURE. For 21 years Z’s staff has been organized around the principles of a democratic work-place with no hierarchy of decision making or work assignments.

11 – COMING UP. A subscription to Z is not just a subscription to Z, but support for the entire Z mission of working for social change through not only with print, but online, video, and a school, and soon we hope books designed for organizers and teachers.

Now that we’ve given 11 reasons to give gift subscriptions, here’s our exclusive offer available to our subscribers only. Usually a one year subscription costs $33. With this offer subscribers can buy:

Now that’s outrageous.

Z Subscribers in the past have bought thousands of gifts, thankfully, for libraries, friends, dentist offices, prisoners, organizations, and more. Orders received by November 9 will start with the December issue; by December 9 will start with the January issue. So hurry.

Click here for a printable PDF order form.

Comments From Readers/Writers

NOAM CHOMSKY:  I travel and speak often, in this country and abroad. I constantly discover that the people and organizations I come in contact with are relying very substantially on Z projects for information, discussion, and opportunities for interaction and organizing, to an extent that is quite remarkable. It is also an invaluable resource for me personally. It is of inestimable importance, in my judgment, that Z continues to flourish and expand.

JOANNE LANDY:  If the Left is going to survive in these grim times, it’s going to need its own media to keep its message and its spirit alive. Z is one of the most valuable alternative
media outlets. It deserves our enthusiastic support.

ARASH KOLAHI:  Z Magazine helps me stay sane in a world full of insane institutions. More, it presents thoughtful and critical analysis of existing institutional struc-tures, a lively and rich discussion of better alterna-tives, and diverse strategies to get from here to there. To our movement for a better world, Z Magazine is a beacon of hope.

MARIE TRIGONA:  Without Z Magazine I might not be the writer or militant that I am today. You have helped to shape generations of radicals committed to social change.

HOWARD ZINN:  Z Magazine has been a unique and heroic oddity in the corrupt world of American journalism. It has been both topical and theoretical, always bold and independent. I have so often encountered people in various parts of the country whose one lifeline to sensible radical ideas was Z Magazine.

Click here for a printable PDF order form.

OR click here for a PDF of the entire 4-page offer & order form.