Even bigger than TV Hits when you unfold the Home and Away fold-out,says John Safran. Is Not Magazine is a magazine in the form of a 1.5m x2m bill poster. It is the work of five young Melburnians, and fromApril 9, 2005, it has been on display at 50 outdoor poster sites ininner-city Melbourne. A year later, it launched in Sydney, and willsoon appear at a café, bar, bookstore or laundromat near you.

IsNot is independently published, carries no advertisements and is, amongother things, an experiment in publishing real content where peopleexpect to find advertising. It’s a design challenge and a readingexperiment; a paper saving device; a bastion of editorial complexityand a grey area for the discerning communal reader. It uses the city asa canvas and brings reading to life. Approach it from any angle; benddown curiously; lean in for a closer look; embark on a treasure hunt tofind a story that ends in another location.

Is NotMagazine has no single editorial goal or ideology through which tofilter content – instead it is a collection of different contributors’perspectives and offers creative freedom to writers and illustrators.It is as much a piece of street art as a publishing project, and drawson Melbourne’s existing comic, stencil and street art culture. Thoughits heart is in Melbourne, it welcomes contributions from furtherafield and has featured t-shirt designs from Buenos Aires, architecturereviews from Helsinki, and short stories from Vermont.

Italso allows readers to contribute in more unusual ways. Capture a160-character ‘flash fiction’ story on your camera phone to read later,or text the magazine one yourself. Fill in the crossword. Write yourthoughts on the poster. Is Not is a canvas awaiting your comments.

Whileeach issue reaches thousands of readers in Melbourne, Is Not Magazineis developing many and varied supporters across Australia andinternationally. It is available for purchase full size only. It ischeap at the price. It is unique in all the world.