Editor's note: this interview was conducted in 2022 after The Dilettante's second issue was released. Since then, editor Sophie Gargett has published Issue 3 of The Dilettante. We stock all three issues of The Dilettante in the shop.

For us, The Dilettanteis one of those magazines that feels like it was made just for us. There are three things we love about it.

It's got a splash of silliness. We particularly enjoyed "Bulletin", the satirical news page, and being a bit of a language geek, the page of outdated colloquialisms, "Vernacular Spectacular".

It's got some fascinating cultural history. There's a fantastic piece on Marlene Dietrich in Issue 1 that's brilliantly written to boot, and in Issue 2, a wonderful exploration of glam rock, its dandy origins and lasting legacy.

There's a spirit of curiosity and creativity on every page. We especially enjoyed their ideas to create your own absurd alter ego. "Collect some props... have make believe conversations on the telephone."

We asked editor and general "Person in Charge" Sophie Gargett a few questions to introduce you to this fab new magazine.

Congrats on a fantastic magazine. It's a real delight to read. Very entertaining and you find out about some very interesting things too. What makes a person or story worthy of the pages of The Dilettante?

Sophie: Thank you very much. I think foremost The Dilettante hopes to provide an escape from the quick-pace of the internet and banality of lots of modern media. So we tend to mine the past to find stories about remarkable, rebellious and creative people. That could be a vintage movie star such as Marlene Dietrich, who was also a bisexual, cross-dressing anti-fascist, or an intrepid globetrotting travel writer such as Patrick Leigh Fermor.

There is a lot of nostalgia within the pages, but as much as I love the past I don't want to solely focus on it either. So it's important to have things that reflect on our present or connect the past to today. Contemporary artists, poetry or photography features, plus we always have a piece on either indie zines, or nonsense games and creative ideas to have a play at.

The Dilettante has quite an interesting origin story. Can you tell us about The Dilettante zine? How did it begin, where did you sell it and how did you decide to take the plunge and make it into a magazine?

Sophie: The Dilettante Gazette began in 2014. A friend and I were both feeling quite lost creatively. We both enjoyed trying new mediums and hobbies but had never quite found a specific "thing" to get "good at". We sat in the pub one day and decided to make a zine about creativity and Nottingham history, with a bit of satire thrown in. Dilettante, meaning a dabbler or an amateur of the arts, felt like a good title. I wrote about historical figures and did the illustrations, my friend Rick did all the graphic design, and other friends made contributions to it also.

We would leave it in cafes and pubs and it was free for people to pick up. We really loved doing it, but we came to a point where we were finding a small print run of a Nottingham-focused zine unsustainable. This coincided with me starting a master's degree in Magazine Journalism, so pretty much straight after finishing that I started work on Issue 1 of The Dilettante Magazine, which came out in November 2021.

We love the interviews with contemporary artists. Are these people you know, or do you scour the internet to find these fascinating characters?

Sophie: I go looking for talented people that I've come across online but do not know personally, mostly on Instagram, and it just so happens that lots of them have been in Nottingham. Serendipity perhaps or a coincidence resulting from the fact that Instagram will show me things closer to where I am based. Nottingham has a really good creative and grassroots arts community. It'll be fun once things pick back up post-pandemic, and I can hopefully do some interviews with people in other places. My love of the print world means I would enjoy interviewing some of my favourite illustrators, writers and editors from wider afield too.

Is The Dilettante a one-woman show or is there a team behind the magazine?

Sophie: It is largely a solo endeavour for the print magazine, but the online offerings and Dilettante Society events are all done in collaboration with my wonderful friend Mel Butt. She writes lots of great satirical articles for the website and helps me with events, keeping things funny and social. There are also artists, writers and illustrators who have contributed to the print mag, though these tend to change with each issue. Then there are those who I work with more regularly. I always look forward to the artwork submitted by illustrator Alicia MacRae for pieces on stranger history or creative culture, as she is very talented. I really enjoy the "Dabbler's Journey" articles from writer Sam Kessler. He is a keen dilettante like myself and his articles have a wonderful mix of humour and creative motivation.

What magazines have inspired The Dilettante or what magazines do you admire?

Sophie: I really like The Idler, Oh Boshemia, and I do enjoy the ridiculousness of things like Viz and The Onion. I am also a big fan of The Chap magazine, which has always had dashes of humour thrown in with its history, style and air of grandeur. I like a magazine that tries to teach me new things and inspire me rather than mainly sell me things. My mind always turns to zines for inspiration though. They are a brilliant space for creativity and getting used to making things, because they are more about passion than skill. Zines are often strange and imperfect, and always made with affection.

When can we expect Issue 3 and are we allowed to know the theme?

Sophie: Issue 3 is in the works and will be available early next year. There's always a mix of historic and contemporary, but this time we're going back to the late 19th century and La Belle Époque to meet some fantastically odd bohemians.

(Issue 3 has since been published, focusing on La Belle Époque, and features The Marchesa Casati, Le Chat Noir, Hilma Af Klint, absinthe and more.)

And finally, in this digital age, why did you decide print was the right medium for The Dilettante?

Sophie: To me, magazines and books present ideas in a special way. I love the tangibility of print, the ability to keep something forever, and how a magazine can bring together talented artists, writers and thinkers into one keepsake. When I read something amazing in a magazine, or when someone recommends a book to me, I love that I can take it away with me and give it my full attention. Print is very much a slow medium in a fast paced digital world, and long may it live.

Thank you, Sophie. You can pick up all three issues of The Dilettante in the shop here.