Editor's note: this interview was conducted in autumn 2021, when Niki Seth-Smith was Deputy Editor of New Humanist and the magazine was published by the Rationalist Association. Since then, Niki has become Editor, and in January 2025 the Rationalist Association merged with Humanists UK, which now publishes New Humanist. The magazine continues to publish quarterly and is still very much on our shelves.

New Humanist is definitely not new to the indie magazine world, but it's one of the ones we're most pleased to stock. Niki Seth-Smith, then Deputy Editor, sat down to answer some of our questions about what makes this magazine what it is.

Thank you so much for talking with us, Niki. Firstly, could you sum up New Humanist in a sentence or two?

Niki: Published by the Rationalist Association, a charity founded in 1885, New Humanist stands for free thought and rational inquiry in an age of extremes. A quarterly magazine of ideas, culture, politics, science and comment, we bring you quality journalism to illuminate these turbulent times.

We gather the magazine has a rather long history...

Niki: New Humanisthas been in print for 136 years, starting out life as Watts's Literary Guide, founded by C. A. Watts in November 1885. It later became The Literary Guide and Rationalist Review (1894-1954), Humanist (1956-1971) and New Humanist in 1972.

Of course there has been a lot of change in this time. Print and digital subscribers also receive access to our rich archive, an invaluable cultural and historical resource.

That's got to be the longest running magazine on our shelves. New Humanistcovers science, philosophy, culture and so much else, and you have some fantastic contributors. How do you put an issue together?

Niki: We have a fantastic stable of columnists and regular writers, including Samira Ahmed, Laurie Taylor and Michael Rosen. We also work with many new and emerging young journalists, for example Jem Bartholomew, who recently won best newcomer at the Street Institutional Press Awards.

We take diversity seriously, particularly in areas where representation is traditionally unequal. For example, we publish equal numbers of male and female science writers. We also commission from across the globe. Over the last four issues, we have published journalists based in Kenya, Poland, Turkey, Brazil and Hong Kong.

Wonderful. What other indie magazines are on your reading list?

Niki: Aeon magazine, Wired UK, Philosophy Now, the New Scientist, openDemocracy.

We ask all the magazines we interview this one. In our increasingly online world, why still make print magazines?

Niki: Recent trends have shown that readers value print publications and particularly the long-read, which in our age of bite-size writing is enjoying a welcome revival. New Humanist offers a mix of reportage, reviews, columns, poems and long features, which dig deep into the big ideas and trends of the day. Readers value our beautiful design, and many prefer particularly to read long features in print. As a quarterly magazine, we are not driven by the news agenda, but by the spirit of rational inquiry and independent thinking.

And finally, who do you think will enjoy New Humanist?

Niki: Free-thinking people, with a love of culture and an interest in understanding the ideas, trends and systems shaping our world.

Thank you, Niki. You can browse our current stock of New Humanist here.