what is

Counterpoise?

The alternative press is an enormous body of books, pamphlets, magazines, zines, and audiovisual and electronic materials presenting socially responsible knowledge, points of view, and choices. Its ideas and publications are often ignored, misrepresented, or suppressed by corporate and government media, and are overlooked by schools, universities, and libraries worldwide. Counterpoise describes, criticizes, defends, and promotes these publications and products against this bias.

The journal's 67 pages contain original essays; comparative review articles; reviews of books, periodicals, and non-print materials commonly overlooked by other review journals; letters to the editor and editor's notes; an annotated directory of bibliographic tools for the alternative press; and indexes for publisher/distributor, author/title, and subject, which are cumulative by year. A limited amount of space is available in each issue for appropriate advertising. Counterpoise is a useful tool for libraries, bookstores, publishers, researchers, and informed citizens. And it's a good read.

history

For its first years (Vol. 1, No. 1 to Vol. 4, No. 2, January 1997 to April 2000) Counterpoise was published by AIP. Vol. 4, Nos. 3 and 4 (July and October 2000) were published by CRISES Press. Since Vol. 5, No. 1 (January 2001), Counterpoise is a project of the Civic Media Center and Library, a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt alternative library and gathering place in Gainesville near the University of Florida. Counterpoise is indexed in the Alternative Press Index and Book Review Index, and is a member of the Independent Press Association.