| All Saints, No Sinners | - new quarterly magazine
- first edition Monday 16 Jan 2006
- focuses on the culture, sub-culture, history, music, architecture and politics of Oxford Road
- named after the call by Manchester bus conductors on reaching All Saints
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Based on Oxford Road as we are (at least for now) the prospect of a new magazine all about our street caught our attention. All Saints, No Sinners will focus on the creative corridor that is Oxford Road. From Central Library past the Palace, Cornerhouse, both universities, Academy, Contact Theatre and all the way down to Whitworth Art Gallery, Oxford Rd does have a cultural thread running through it. But, as its editor Susie Stubbs explains, it's more than just another arts magazine. Richard Turner caught up with Susie at the Cornerhouse to find out more: So what's it all about?
 | | Susie Stubbs |
"All Saints, No Sinners is a slightly unusual proposition for a magazine. London has Time Out, Manchester had 21 years of City Life and unfortunately no longer has that, but no other city as far as I'm aware has so much going on along one street, that it dedicates an entire magazine to it. And I think it's a credit to Manchester as a city that we have so much going on culturally, socially, politically that we can create a magazine that comes out of Oxford Rd that talks about the art, the visual culture, the music, the history - the archeology even - of Oxford Rd." One street - bit of small niche isn't it? "It is one street, but when you think about how big it is and also how important it is - from Central Library down to the Whitworth - that's an awful long bit of road. But also when we talk about Oxford Rd, we're talking about it on a slightly wider basis so we can go as far as Manchester Art Gallery and Castlefield Gallery as well." So it's more than just the arts... "We're also looking at history and politics as well so it's culture in the widest sense. What we didn't want to do was make a listings magazine for example, or just look at the music of Manchester which we could have done. It's taking the broadest possible look." Who is going to buy it?
 | | Oxford Street at night |
"I think quite a lot of people, to be honest. Well, I'm hoping they are anyway! In Issue 1 we've got an article on punk by CP Lee, we've got an exclusive short fiction from Martin Bedford who's one of the UK's leading writers, we've got something on the RNCM's festival of brass... it's a very broad mix of features, so I'm hoping it will appeal to people who live and work in the city, to students, to artists, to writers - pretty much anyone who's interested in culture." Why Oxford Rd? "Manchester has become a knowledge capital. You've also got the universities and the thousands of students at the MMU and the University of Manchester. And there's also the creative businesses - I think there are 600 music-related businesses in the city many of which are concentrated around Oxford Rd. It's also one of the main arterial roads south of the city.. so strategically, it's a very important road for Manchester." Who will be writing for you? "We've been in talks with quite a few Manchester-based writers. Phil Griffin is a freelance writer and broadcaster who's been working in Manchester for many years writing about architecture - he's our editoral consultant as well. For issues 2 & 3, we're also working with Comma Press, the Manchester-based publishers and publishing new short fiction." So, where do you think Manchester is going culturally? "I think it's heading somewhere interesting! I think with the Manchester International Festival in 2007, Manchester has indicated very clearly that it wants to invest in culture and make this a culturally vibrant city. I think it already is, but I think it has a bright future ahead of it!" All Saints, No Sinners goes on sale on Monday 16 Jan at Cornerhouse, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, Urbis, the universties and Student Union building | 
