Twin Cities Wire

Twin Cities Wire was a zine based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was published from 2003 through 2005.

The Twin Cities Wire (often shortened to “the Wire”) was initially published and edited by Jason Colvin, and written and distributed by Colvin, Joel Bremer, and Chris Anderson. As circulation increased, the publication also began offering staff writer internships to previously unpublished journalism students and upstart writers. One issue was titled "New Voices," and was dedicated solely to providing an outlet to first-time writers. At its height, there was a volunteer staff of 8 writers and photographers.

Originally, the Wire was intended to be a humor publication, which utilized satirical news stories and editorial articles. The first two issues had large, prominent headlines meant to elicit a reaction of shock or interest, such as "Peace Camp Given 48-hour Ultimatum by Coalition Forces" and "Pope Found Dead."

Issues were distributed by contributors at Twin Cities bars, coffeeshops, bookstores, record shops, some college campuses, and other venues. Typically, 10-20 copies were left at each location.

After the first couple of issues had been distributed, the format shifted away from humor and satire, and subsequent issues included many more political matters and markedly more serious editorial content and interviews. There were frequent open letters to public figures, and coverage of current events.

Minnesota music and nightlife were also covered prominently, with small local bars and musical acts being very popular subjects. Upstart projects and groups, such as Galvanic Alien, Dooley, Podland, and the Divebomb Honey, were covered in nearly every issue.

The Twin Cities Wire eventually published 10 printed editions, and had an estimated print readership of 2,500, and an estimated online readership of 10,000. The core contributors also attempted to reach a larger audience by taking part in the first annual Twin Cites Zine Fest in 2004 at the Stevens Square Arts Center. However, after the tenth issue was printed in 2005, the Wire ceased printing, and went to a strictly online format. Shortly after moving to the online format, the name and website were sold in an auction format to the highest bidder.

The change of ownership seemed to indicate the end of the Twin Cities Wire. No further updates were done, no known additional issues were printed, and by 2007 the website was canceled, and had been replaced by a generic placeholder page by a domain holding company.

However, either the new owner or one of the previous volunteers submitted copies and information about the zine to the Zine Library at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, where it can now be seen as a reference material. [1]