The Best Of Canny Outlaw

Like many, I am deeply concerned by the parlous state of the public sphere in our advanced Western societies, and especially the evacuation of questions of goodness and justice from our political conversation. Young people are often accused of being disengaged from politics, but I have long suspected this is more a case of ‘if that’s what you call politics, you can keep it!’


As an experiment, I got a bunch of friends together, made an app and started a digital magazine with the aim of linking curiosity about the world with a strong sense of political imagination. I called it Canny Outlaw in deference to a phrase that describes a certain kind of person who sticks out, who I invariably befriend and often want to embrace tightly and say ‘thankyou’ to through misty eyes.


I soon learned that ‘interest’ is not the right word to describe the appetite for this sort of publication. No, there is a hunger for it. People really do want to engage their moral emotions and political imaginations, though they probably would never say it like that. Sadly, I also learned that I’m not cut out as a publisher. Getting traction for any publication requires resources, connections and a set of skills that proved far more than I could muster as a toiling graduate student. But the idea that inspired Canny Outlaw remains a good one.


Rehabilitating our public sphere is important – it nurtures a collective capacity to think about ourselves and talk to (rather than past) each other. So I’m proud to present to you the best of Canny Outlaw’s short run in that spirit. My sincere thanks to all who supported the experiment and were so willing to spend their time getting involved. Enjoy!