I subscribed to Plough last year after coming across a couple of their articles and being impressed with the quality of the writing and variety of subject matter. Every issue, I learn about something new and people I’ve never thought of. I also liked the idea that I would get a print magazine and get my face out of my phone every now and then.
I appreciate the Christian focus as it gives a shape and a depth to the way the topics are treated. On the other hand, it can make the magazine uncomfortable to read at times because it feels like there’s an expectation of me as a reader that I don’t typically experience scrolling Substack or whatever. LOL. I’m not sure I will renew my subscription at the end of this year, but maybe I should just for that reason.
It actually took me several months to figure out the magazine was connected to Bruderhof, in part because I’d also never heard of that organization. For the most part, I’m still pretty impressed as for a pretty low cost, it’s a very interesting publication and each issue is different. I’ve subscribed to things like Scientific American in the past and apart from the tiresome politics that have taken over every magazine I read growing up, every issue seemed much the same: it was like they reused the same ideas over and over and just switched the titles up a bit.
Wonderful story! As a writer, the amazing variety of their stories can be frustrating because it’s hard to nail down what exactly makes an essay a “Plough piece.” But that’s also their greatest attraction. I think probably what’s happened to Scientific American and others like it is that they’ve become obsessed with audience capture and branding, which means the writing doesn’t exist to share the world but to build a brand. Also, for what it’s worth—their goal is to have a diverse readership (bc God made the world to be diverse and weird and wonderful etc), so if you’re not a Christian, don’t let that prevent you joining the conversation :))
I can't wait to hear more about the full weekend! (I have enjoyed all the Bruderhof and Plough readers I've encountered in person and via email.)
Plough is a strange beast, but in a good way: I got to write a long reported piece for them in 2023-24 but haven't had such luck since with pitches since (also reported essays). The omnivorous Christian unpredictability I love about the publication as a reader certainly makes it difficult to pitch something perfectly in line with what the editors want.
The other thing I've noticed: Plough values how its writers live their vocations, or how they find the people doing that. Given the total community of the Bruderhof, that makes perfect sense (and great reading).
I subscribed to Plough last year after coming across a couple of their articles and being impressed with the quality of the writing and variety of subject matter. Every issue, I learn about something new and people I’ve never thought of. I also liked the idea that I would get a print magazine and get my face out of my phone every now and then.
I appreciate the Christian focus as it gives a shape and a depth to the way the topics are treated. On the other hand, it can make the magazine uncomfortable to read at times because it feels like there’s an expectation of me as a reader that I don’t typically experience scrolling Substack or whatever. LOL. I’m not sure I will renew my subscription at the end of this year, but maybe I should just for that reason.
It actually took me several months to figure out the magazine was connected to Bruderhof, in part because I’d also never heard of that organization. For the most part, I’m still pretty impressed as for a pretty low cost, it’s a very interesting publication and each issue is different. I’ve subscribed to things like Scientific American in the past and apart from the tiresome politics that have taken over every magazine I read growing up, every issue seemed much the same: it was like they reused the same ideas over and over and just switched the titles up a bit.
Wonderful story! As a writer, the amazing variety of their stories can be frustrating because it’s hard to nail down what exactly makes an essay a “Plough piece.” But that’s also their greatest attraction. I think probably what’s happened to Scientific American and others like it is that they’ve become obsessed with audience capture and branding, which means the writing doesn’t exist to share the world but to build a brand. Also, for what it’s worth—their goal is to have a diverse readership (bc God made the world to be diverse and weird and wonderful etc), so if you’re not a Christian, don’t let that prevent you joining the conversation :))
I can't wait to hear more about the full weekend! (I have enjoyed all the Bruderhof and Plough readers I've encountered in person and via email.)
Plough is a strange beast, but in a good way: I got to write a long reported piece for them in 2023-24 but haven't had such luck since with pitches since (also reported essays). The omnivorous Christian unpredictability I love about the publication as a reader certainly makes it difficult to pitch something perfectly in line with what the editors want.
The other thing I've noticed: Plough values how its writers live their vocations, or how they find the people doing that. Given the total community of the Bruderhof, that makes perfect sense (and great reading).
Lucky us we get such great advice about writing!!!