Order the latest issue #16 of The New Territory or better yet, sign up for a subscription! This issue contains my Literary Landscapes essay about Miriam Davis Colt and the Vegetarian Settlement Company. The failed settlement of Octagon City once existed in Allen County, Kansas. Based on Colt’s travels and my own immigrant mother’s journey, I reflected on what we choose to carry and what to leave behind.
What is The New Territory? In 2016, The New Territory launched as a long-form print magazine for Lower Midwesterners who are hungry to understand the Great Plains and Ozarks through regional arts, culture, and literature.
In Issue 16, follow the joyful voices of Amy June Breesman, Angela Mitchell, Mark Brown, Katie Currid, and others. You’ll encounter endings, tough history, and our time’s challenging moments. You’ll find Issue 16 peppered with whimsical and weird art, reviews of a Bigfoot conference, and other charming details. These stories and more are all set against the background of the inimitable land we call the Lower Midwest.
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Save 16% off the Issue 16 cover price + free shipping by becoming a subscriber. The New Territory makes a unique gift subscription, too. Back issues are also available.
Prefer digital reading? Digital downloads of all 16 issues are available for only $5 each. Buy an issue or two to see what The New Territory is all about.
Supporting Midwestern Creative Voices
Besides having my literary writing featured in The New Territory, why am I investing time to promote the magazine?
When I’m not researching and writing my fifth book, Barons, Brewers, and Bootleggers: A Social History of Beer in Missouri (fall 2025), I serve as a volunteer board member of The New Territory nonprofit. Your support through purchases of issues and subscriptions helps to fund creative work sharing Midwest views and voices not found anywhere else.
You might recall my friend Tina Casagrand Foss, the editor and founder of The New Territory. Earlier this summer, Tina and I traveled from mid-Missouri to Bucyrus, Missouri, in the Ozarks to visit Piney River Brewing. In my forthcoming book, you’ll meet Piney River Brewing’s founders Brian and Joleen Durham and many other fascinating people from Missouri’s past and present.
Traveling with Tina as a road trip partner was a treat. She’s extremely knowledgeable about Missouri’s landscape and lore, making her a superb conversationalist on the road. She’s also someone equally passionate about sharing stories, essays, and photography about the Lower Midwest. Frankly, Tina’s launch of the magazine eight years ago inspired me as a freelance writer and newish author to keep finding local and regional stories to tell with a Midwest voice and perspective.
Over time, my admiration led to friendship and signing up as a magazine subscriber. Eventually, I accepted the opportunity to join the nonprofit board and help guide its way forward as an organization. The magazine and nonprofit are near and dear to me. The New Territory is one of the few outlets covering the Lower Midwest in a literary fashion with high-quality stories, views, and images. You won’t find anything else quite like it in today’s media landscape – and that’s refreshing and inspiring.
I hope you’ll purchase the latest copy, a back issue or two, and consider subscribing. It’s engaging reading for the slower, contemplative seasons of fall and winter.