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About Us

FLAMING HYDRA is a publishing project for people who like to read and write whatever we want, and to connect in an unmediated way, with no weirdo surveillance or profiteering—like the old internet used to be.

  • FLAMING HYDRA is our flagship news and culture newsletter, with articles, essays, criticism, fiction, and comics by more than 70 noted writers and artists, sent to our subscribers each weekday.
  • MAGAZINE WORLD subscribers in our highest tier also receive two printed zines via snail mail each year, plus quarterly Broadsides on historical, cultural and political topics
  • FLAMING HYDRA BOOKS publishes printed books, ebooks, and zines from our contributors
  • The FLAMING HYDRA LIBRARY PROJECT will allow libraries to buy, download, preserve, and permanently own (not license) ebooks.

To get in touch about site issues or any other questions, please email us at [email protected].

OUR GLORIOUS HISTORY

In 2019, a small group of independent publishers banded together to form a new cooperative called the Brick House. We raised about $90,000 through a Kickstarter campaign, and launched in December 2020.

After three years of publishing at the Brick House, seven of our founding members invested our combined knowledge and resources in a much more ambitious expansion of the cooperative: FLAMING HYDRA. Each of Flaming Hydra’s more than 75 members agrees to contribute to an ingenious, brief and captivating daily newsletter, in exchange for an equal share of that month’s subscription proceeds. Flaming Hydra members retain the rights to their work absolutely.

Subscribers to Flaming Hydra will receive articles and essays, comics and criticism, humor, literature, photos, and reviews, with surprises each weekday. Because there are a lot of us, only a small amount of work is required of each member. We’re sharing audiences, work, and resources, so that all can benefit and thrive.

On December 19, 2023, we published a Holiday PREVIEW SPECTACULAR offering a taste of what we had in mind. Our first real, official newsletter was published on January 30, 2024.

Here are a few of the pieces we’ve published since the launch, now free to read:

​The horrors of modern corporate publishing are eating the public commons alive every day, especially on the internet, with their AIs and LLMs and their busted search engines and draconian terms of service and the monetization of your every move. But at Flaming Hydra there are no investors and no advertisers to placate, and consequently no malign forces such as those described above in control of our publication. Regular people create every refreshing, interesting, and intense thing you’ll see and read each weekday, for just $3/month. Or support us at a higher level with a MAGAZINE WORLD subscription, at $95 annually, which comes with two quality paper magazines per year, delivered to you via snail mail, plus quarterly themed Broadsheets on matters of cultural or historical interest.

For press coverage, downloads and press releases, please visit our PRESS ROOM.

Please consider subscribing to Flaming Hydra, to help keep independent journalism on fire and flourishing. Thank you!

Lead Editor: Maria Bustillos
Lead Technologist: David Moore
Design & Code: Jacob Ford
Mostly Design: Puriya Mirza
Mostly Code: Norbert Hunyadi