Founded in 1984, the Utne Reader is something of a meta-magazine*. They aggregate "the best of the alternative media," reprinting articles from over 2,000 different sources. Their quest is to give a larger voice to these alternative authors, while showing readers various things (such as points of view) that they may not have heard about otherwise.
The magazine is released bimonthly, and every issue contains coverage of everything from current events to art and media to people. Of particular interest is the Gleanings section, which features many short essays on a vast and sundry list of topics, each usually only 250 to 1,000 words long. Each issue is guaranteed to include something that will make you smile, and something that will infuriate you.
You can subscribe to the Utne Reader for US$10.00 a year (six issues), though it is perhaps advisable to pick up an issue at a local newsstand for about US$3.00 to see whether or not it is your cup of tea. The alternative media is not for everyone; YMMV.
If you have recently had a work published and would like to submit it to the Utne Reader, you can do so by following the instructions at http://www.utne.com/magazine/submissions.html
*(Ouroboros says re Utne Reader: It is not a "meta-magazine", it is a review.)
http://www.utne.com | 
