Astra Magazine, Filth: Issue Two by Nadja Spiegelman

Astra Magazine, Filth: Issue Two Reviews

• 
  Marc

  12/2/22: Very disappointed to learn this magazine has been discontinued.
  ----------------------------
  I guess if you're only allowed to put two issues of your publication out into the world, this is the way to do it. From the list of contributors to the content to the art direction, issue 2 picks right up where issue 1 left off with a marvelous assortment of literary and art treats. And then I find out their website has essays by some of my favorites like Sabrina Orah Mark (
  https://astra-mag.com/contributors/sa...)... Tell me again why we can't have nice things like this?!!
  
  Filth has never felt so good.
  
• 
  Brumchkin Murphy

  "There's a reason why people revel in their own filth. It's a place for reveling."
  
  This is the first time Ive ever read a literary zine, and I picked it out because I'm trying to be a zinepilled zinecel. This book was a mix of short stories, essays, poetry, comics, and art relating to the theme of "filth". All in all it was a great read, and I definitely will look into Astra's other issues. I liked most of the entries but my favorite was probably the fragments from Maggie Millner's "Couplets," which were a bunch of poems.
  
  
  I give this 4 filthy lil guys out of 5 filthy lil guys
• 
  Jay

  I really loved the first Astra magazine and bought both but this one I have to admit didn't quite hit the same high notes. Whilst it is still similarly gorgeous in its layout (although perhaps not one for public reading as some of the images are NSFW!), unlike the first issue, there was little in the way of mesmeric writing that elevated the magazine beyond other literary mags. In fact some of the writing in parts fell into an arty, but detached solipsism that befalls a lot of modern literature.
• 
  Kerry

  I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about a lit journal and holy shit it didn’t disappoint. I mean Astra gets the authors, just a who’s who of writers I love or am interested in, plus a line up of previously-unknown-to-me writers who I’ll look forward to seeing more of. Killer artworks and comics. Just a super solid collection of filth in a multitude of glorious forms. Guess I’ll be making room on the shelves every other month for the new issue from now on.
• 
  Olivia Spring

  I really love Astra and am so sad that it will stop publishing after this second issue :(. It is full of such brilliant writing and I appreciate how the theme was very present throughout the whole issue.
  My highlights:
  FICTION: Julie by Mariana Enriquez & Traitors by Pamela Erens
  ESSAY: We Were Hungry by Chris Dennis
  POETRY: Couplets by Maggie Millner & Self-Portrait of the Cuckoo in her Labyrinth of Wonder by Safiya Sinclair
• 
  Jessica

  I'm so sad this is the last issue. I fully intended on collecting every issue the way my Great Aunt collected all the National Geographics until they filled an entire room. I have this and the Ecstacy issue, the first one, and so I guess I achieved my goal but in the worst, saddest way possible. Goodbye Astra.
• 
  Ashlyn

  🫠 This rating is dedicated to Southwest Airlines. 🫠
  
  Not everything in this literature 'zine was a home run, but overall this is a great publication. I'm super sad Astra was cancelled before I even knew about it, but I'm so happy to have stumbled on this copy at a random airport in Texas I wasn't even supposed to be at.
• 
  R1CEC4KE

  This blew me away. An incredible blend of visual art, essays, short fiction, and poetry that only got better as it went on. One or two were misses, but I chalk that up to personal taste and can appreciate their literary value.
  
  Personal favourites include the "Cowboy Henk" comic strips, "We Were Hungry" and "Traitors"
• 
  Devon Border

  I literally cried when I learned this publication got shelved. This issue is front-to-back gold, and unapologetically filthy. Endlessly creative, thoroughly visceral, and ungodly hilarious. Plus, so many good contributions from international authors I really ought to have read before. This issue serves as a great crash course of the contemporary international queer canon.
• 
  Guillermo Pineda

  This magazine is amazing. Truly a celebration of filth in so many different forms. Really scratched an itch in my brain.
• 
  Angela

  RIP Astra. You were fabulous.
• 
  Alex P

  nice. i found some stories difficult to get through due to boredom, nonetheless the filth issue was still an enjoyable read. sad to hear astra mag has been discontinued
• 
  danielle

  sad disgusting overwrought varied well constructed
• 
  cass krug

  while this wasn’t my favorite theme or the most comfortable read, i will forever be sad about the loss of this publication so early on in its life