Clear writing and clear thinking about the worlds shaping the Bay Area. New pieces on Wednesdays. 

Asterisk is the little magazine of the San Francisco Bay Area — which is to say, we’re the little magazine of the world, a few years in advance.

We put our scenes and subcultures in conversation with themselves, and with everyone else. We are the only magazine that has published both Aella and Lyman Stone. We’re the sort of place where you are as likely to read an in-depth debate about whether AI will lead to economic growth as a personal exploration of Bay Area cults, or an agenda for Africa’s YIMBY movement.

Here’s what we’re not: a digest, a one-stop shop or – god forbid – snackable. Here’s what we are: long.* We value obsessive curiosity, clear thinking, and knowing what we don’t know. Asterisk is by and for the kind of people who aren’t satisfied until they’ve tested their assumptions and chased every claim back to its source. Our team is pedantic, and proud of it. Reading this magazine will fix your attention span. (Probably. Our evidence is highly anecdotal.)

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Asterisk Magazine

Asterisk’s Fall 2026 issue is the theme of Flourishing. We are now soliciting pitches for articles, essays, and interviews related to any aspect of flourishing — think broadly. We are also particularly interested in the following themes:<div><br></div><div>Morality and virtue: How can we be good? Why should we be good? Are we out of the horrible vice-signalling spiral yet? What even happened there? Are there any arguments about EA we haven’t had yet?</div><div><br></div><div>Relationships: How should we think about family, children, and parenting — conventional and unconventional? What kinds of communities and friendships should we build? (Radical anti-community takes also welcome.) Is there good dating advice for the singularity?</div><div><br></div><div>Man’s search for meaning, and coping with human inferiority: Is anyone happy? What happens if AI becomes better than us at every single thing? How will our institutions change?</div><div><br></div><div>Aesthetics and beauty: Is everything ugly? If so, how should we fix it? Bonus points if you’re willing to defend modern architecture.</div><div><br></div><div>AI consciousness: How would we know if our AI models are thriving? How much should we care?</div><div><br></div><div>Technology’s relationship to the world: What is Silicon Valley for? What legacy does it hope to leave behind?</div><div><br></div><div>Scene reporting: How are these questions playing out around you?</div><div><br></div><div>Our magazine pieces tend to be long (3000 to 5000 words on average), evergreen, and deeply researched. We welcome pitches and drafts from everyone, not just academics or professional writers.</div>

Pitches for Issue 16

It’s a dark and confusing world out there, and sometimes the hardest part is trying to figure out what’s going on. Our future is being decided in group chats you’ve never heard of. Members of technical staff are filling the timeline with cryptic warnings, and everyone you know has an opinion on third-party AI evaluations.<div><br></div><div>We can’t claim we’ve never been part of any shadowy cabals,1 but we still like to dig up dirt. That’s why Asterisk’s Winter 2027 issue is Secrets. Don’t go telling everyone, but we’re particularly interested in the following topics:</div><div><br></div><div><ul><li>Group chats, underground networks, and how the culture of secrecy affects everything else</li><li>Arms race dynamics, and whatever is going on at the labs</li><li>Niche or obscure histories, oddly influential but underrated arcane knowledge</li><li>National security, cybersecurity, and physical security</li><li>Taboos and open secrets</li><li>Genetics and medical privacy</li><li>Covert operations, bribery, and secret money</li><li>Persuasion, deception, manipulation, and cover-ups</li><li>The unconscious and the collective unconscious</li></ul></div><div><br></div><div>Our magazine pieces tend to be long (3000 to 5000 words on average), evergreen, and deeply researched. We welcome pitches and drafts from everyone, not just academics or professional writers.</div>

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