Dear Reader,

This is the 70th quarterly print issue of UPPERCASE magazine. Seventeen years is a very long time to do something over and over!

There is satisfaction and familiarity in the repetition. It’s the same, yet different, every time. The challenges of publishing an independent print magazine are many; but it is still gratifying to hold this printed publication as the result of my editorial eye and the tremendous talents of its contributors and readership.

Looking through the back issues, I can see recurring motifs and ideas, but also how much the magazine has evolved through the years—and how much I’ve changed with it. 

This observation and introspection is how the theme of “practice makes perfect” came about for issue #70. When it comes to perfection, though, we’re being very loose with the interpretation. 

Striving for perfection is often a matter of repetition. Try again, and again. It might sometimes feel like you’re going in circles. And so the circle as concept, symbol and visual motif is another theme for this issue.

Perfect!

Janine Vangool
publisher / editor / designer