# L Magazine

The L Magazine was a free bi-weekly magazine in New York City featuring investigative articles, arts and culture commentary, and event listings. It was available through distribution in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Hoboken.

## History

The L Magazine was created in 2003 by brothers Scott and Daniel Stedman and editor Jonny Diamond in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The brothers named it for the L train, a subway line that connects Brooklyn to Manhattan. It ceased publication in July 2015, with resources shifted to sister publication Brooklyn Magazine.

### The Boxing Match

The L's launch coincided with that of New York Sports Express, an offshoot of New York Press. The distribution boxes used by Express and The L looked very similar; both were bright orange, and they were the same shape and color.
While most likely a coincidence, Express editor-in-chief Jeff Koyen decided to print a series of barbs against Scott Stedman, The L's publisher. Stedman responded with a full-sized ad in The L challenging Koyen to a boxing match. On October 25, Koyen and Stedman boxed at Gleason's Gym in Dumbo, Brooklyn to settle the score. The match ended in a draw, and no re-match was rescheduled.
The boxing match was re-created on the TV show Bored to Death. Jonathan Ames claims in his blog that the season finale was based on this match.

## Events

In 2005, The L Magazine launched Summer Screen, a free weekly film series in Brooklyn's McCarren Park.
In 2009, The L Magazine launched the Northside Music Festival. Headliners included indie rock acts Cymbals Eat Guitars, The Dodos, Screaming Females, and Real Estate (band). In 2010, The L Magazine hosted the second Northside Festival, featuring performances by Polvo, Liars (band), Elvis Perkins in Dearland, and The Fiery Furnaces. The festival also hosted the films Feast of Stephen by James Franco and Life During Wartime by Todd Solondz.

## Awards

In November 2010, The L Magazine art critic Paddy Johnson was nominated for Art Critic of the Year in the Rob Pruitt Art Awards

## Sources

* ↑ "ABC". Abcas3.accessabc.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ "The L Magazine". Gawker.com. April 14, 2003. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Husni, Samir (December 20, 2016). "Brooklyn Magazine: Born From The Womb Of Its Mother, The L Magazine, This Artistically-Focused Magazine With A Regional Title Is Much More Than A Dart On A Map As It Showcases The Creative Movement That's Alive & Well And Living In Brooklyn – The Mr. Magazine™ Interview With Daniel Stedman, Co-Founder and Publisher, Brooklyn Magazine". MrMagazine.Wordpress.com. Retrieved November 26, 2020. Scott and I got this idea for The L Magazine, which admittedly has been a difficult brand name over time; people thought it was a lesbian magazine, or people have confused it with Elle, the fashion magazine, but the significance of the name I think was always appropriate in the subway that connected Greensburg with the East Village, or you could say more broadly, one of the trains connecting Brooklyn and downtown.
* ↑ Taibbi, Matt (July 27, 2004). "R.I.P. Nysxr.I.P. Nysx". Nypress.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ "EntertainmentEntertainment". Nypress.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ "Koyen v. Stedman Pictures". Gawker.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Elzweig, Matt (October 29, 2003). "Articles: Boxing Writers". Mediabistro. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ "NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: NY UP CLOSE; News Boxes In a Face-Off, Sort of – New York Times". The New York Times. August 3, 2003. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ "Bored to Death: Homepage". HBO. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Chaudhury, Nadia (December 28, 2009). "Green, how I want you green: Brooklyn Boxing". Mysticchildz.blogspot.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Parks, Richard (July 16, 2009). "Greenpoint Gazette:Reality Bites, but L Magazine's Summerscreen film showings do not". Greenpointnews.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Ries, Brian (July 14, 2010). "Weather 1, Bowie 0: Labyrinth SummerScreen Rescheduled Due to Rain". FREEwilliamsburg. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Ray, Kate (June 28, 2008). "Cinema under the stars". The Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ "The Northside Festival Celebrates Brooklyn". Interview Magazine. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Baron, Zach (April 30, 2010). "2010 Northside Festival Lineup Announced! – New York Music – Sound of the City". Blogs.villagevoice.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Rubenfeld, Samuel (June 22, 2010). "Northside Festival Celebrates Music, Film Art, Hipsters – Speakeasy – WSJ". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Colter, Seth (June 28, 2010). "The Northside Festival: It Turns Out Punk Is Dead-To Hipsters". The Awl. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ "Northside Festival". New York Post. June 21, 2010. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ "CoS Presents: Northside Festival '10 showcase featuring Les Savy Fav & Polvo". Consequence of sound. June 15, 2010. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010.
* ↑ "We Were There: Northside Festival 2010". Gothamist. June 28, 2010. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ "Northside Festival on Sunday: Harper Blynn, The Art of Shooting, Jody Porter, The Canon Logic and More | Sentimentalist Magazine". Sentimentalistmag.com. June 30, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Weston, Hillary (June 23, 2010). "Get Ready for the Northside Festival – Nightlife – BlackBook". Blackbookmag.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Baron, Zach (April 30, 2010). "2010 Northside Festival Lineup Announced! – New York Music – Sound of the City". Blogs.villagevoice.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ "The second annual Northside Festival brings The Fiery Furnaces and James Franco to Williamsburg". NY Daily News. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ "Indiescreen is a new movie theater & music venue in Williamsburg (Brooklyn Film Fest happening now)". Brooklynvegan.com. June 7, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Linderman, Juliet (July 1, 2010). "Greenpoint Gazette:Northside Takes Over the Northside". Greenpointnews.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ Paddy Johnson (November 17, 2010). "Rob Pruitt Awards Announced: Paddy Johnson Lands Critic of The Year Nomination". Artfagcity.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
* ↑ "2010 Art Awards". The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Archived from the original on November 15, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
* ↑ Artinfo (November 17, 2010). "Rob Pruitt Art Award Nominees Announced". Artinfo. Retrieved November 10, 2011.