A newly released magazine founded by students from Duke University, encourages readers to feel smart and have some fun at the same time.
Mental_floss, which was started in the summer of 2001, is a magazine which was inspired by four college students. The four were sitting in their dorm, trying to find a publication that contained certain information.
“The idea came out when we were looking for something like it,” said Will Pearson, president and co-founder of mental_floss.
Pearson is a graduate from Duke University and received a bachelor’s degree in history. He explained how they were always trying to find a great educational magazine that was also entertaining to the readers.
The name mental_floss became the title of the magazine because they wanted to achieve two things, smart and fun, Pearson said.
The name also sounds witty and shows the magazine isn’t too serious, he said.
Mental_floss also targets a variety of readers.
Toby Maloney, the vice president of the magazine, said the magazine appeals to college students, teenagers, busy professionals or those who have intellectual curiosity.
“It’s targeted to busy people who are interested in learning,” Maloney said.
Some featured articles in the publication include a section called “right_brain, left_brain” which discusses issues involved in arts and sciences, Pearson said. Another section is called “scattered_brained” and deals with current issues.
Neely Harris, the editor in chief of mental_floss, said there are three things editors look for when they decide to publish an article in an issue.
The article should either include something students have learned in high schools or things they should have learned in high but never got the chance, Harris said.
The magazine tries to take issues that are intimidating and make them fun to learn, she said.
“We don’t want to publish articles on different theories or politics,” she said.
Harris said how they want to publish issues that will be readable today and five years from now.
“The magazine combines education with a sense of humor,” Harris said. “You can learn a lot and have fun doing it.”
Mental_floss is published six times a year and has a circulation of 50,000, Maloney said.
The circulation is growing with the Web site at www.mentalflossmag.com where they received 15,000 new visitors last Friday, he said. The Web site, contains a Quiz Of The Day and Fact Of The Day which contributes to the number of visitors.
Mental_floss can be purchased at newsstands, Borders, Barns & Noble, Books-A-Million and many other sites, Maloney said.
Pearson hopes to see the magazine as a backbone to many other ideas such as board games and newspapers columns.
“We put it out there because there are people like us,” Pearson said.
Pearson explained how besides receiving great reviews, they are really proud of the feedback from the readers explaining how this magazine is what they have always been looking for.
