Five minutes with A Fucking Magazine: Feeld’s answer to sexy print publications

Print might be dying, but sex is thriving. That’s the headline for Feeld’s newly-launched AFM: A Fucking Magazine, or A Feeld Magazine for any sensitive souls (although, let’s be honest, ‘sensitive’ isn’t really Feeld’s target audience). If you aren’t familiar with the dating app, Feeld is traditionally associated with the queer, kinky and non-monogamous. And, while it might not be your Tinder or Hinge, it’s become bloody popular as of late. Occasionally dubbed the ‘horny’ dating app, the number of members has actually grown by thirty percent a year since 2022. Admittedly, Feeld is getting a little more mainstream, but members still have two things in common: they’re curious, and they’re creative. “AFM stemmed out of in-depth research into Feeld’s membership base,” Maria Dimitrova, the magazine’s editor – and founder of Feeld’s former erotic publication, Mal Journal – tells us. “A significant proportion of members are creatives.” As such, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to create this “sensual encyclopaedia” of sorts — a tactile and archival exploration of the sexual landscape of 2024. “It’s always been important to us to create something tangible that gives a context for a deeper connection, and print does just that,” Dimitrova continues.

Dimitrova is only half of AFM’s dream team of editors, however. She is joined by Haley Mlotek, whose accolades include former deputy editor of SSENSE, as well as author of the yet-to-be-released No Fault: Romance and Divorce. “There is a continuity with AFM,” says Dimitrova. “It aspires to publish the kind and calibre of writing that appeared in Mal, but also has a broader editorial remit.” While Mal Journal was constrained to essays, fiction and poetry, AFM’s content extends to columns, guides and visual material. “Knowing that our members are readers themselves,” Mlotek joins in, “we’re just like so many of the people we’re aiming to reach — we just love a beautiful piece of printed matter.” It isn’t just AFM’s editors with plenty of experience, though — the first edition of the magazine includes work from a plethora of top-tier writers, including Allison P Davis (the acclaimed sex-and-relationships writer from New York Magazine and The Cut), Call Me By Your Name screenwriter James Ivory and Daphne Merkin, the essayist behind the – fittingly infamous – 1996 article about spanking in The New Yorker. Many of the contributions, though, come directly from the beating heart of Feeld: its members.

HUNGER: So, how are you bringing the Feeld vibe from the app to the pages of AFM?

Haley Mlotek: As people who have used Feeld can attest, it’s a place where people are really good at describing what they want. I often refer to Feeld Members as hyperverbal, because there are so many examples of people who use the app to very clearly and often beautifully express their own interests and desires. We’re definitely reflecting that experience by having our magazine be a place where contributors can also express their thoughts, feelings, experiences and ideas.

H: You’re calling AFM a “sensual encyclopedia”. Can you unpack that for us? What can readers expect to find inside?

Maria Dimitrova: It speaks to our intention to publish a broad range and depth of writing and visual work that relates to the senses. Inside the issue, readers will find a mix of fiction, essays, interviews, poetry, and even how-to guides on how to make your own latex — all related in some way to encountering, exploring and embracing one’s sensuality.

H: Your contributor list is seriously impressive. How did you pull together such a diverse group? 

MD: The project has been a labour of love and started with a dream list of contributors who we just cold emailed. We were very lucky with the response, and always knew we wanted to include writers from different generations and backgrounds, and with different perspectives on relationships and desire.

HM: The final magazine has people who are long-time writers or first-time published, people who live all over North America and Europe, people with ages that range from their early twenties to mid-nineties — the list goes on and on. 

H: Feeld’s all about curiosity. How does AFM tap into that same spirit?

MD: AFM, like Feeld, is for the emotionally, physically and intellectually curious. The magazine embodies the same ethos and spirit by introducing readers to something perhaps a little outside a familiar field of vision or comfort zone. 

H: It’s 2024 and conversations about sex are evolving fast. Where do you see AFM fitting into this landscape?

HM: We thought a lot about the history of literary magazines and sex-writing on this project. There’s a long lineage of conversations about sex that come out of specific moments in time, and we wanted this magazine to do the same — to be an archive of the present moment.

H: AFM seems to blend highbrow and, well, sexy content. How are you striking that balance?

MD: All our content has a slight scepticism about the high-lowbrow binary, which we see as a lot more fluid. The magazine’s strength is in the intentional crossover between genres, styles and voices. Someone called the issue “ecumenical,” which feels both accurate and true to our intentions.

HM: A lot of that balance is also about instinct and trusting our contributors to share what they want to share, and express what they want to express. We’ve offered a very open book.

H: If AFM takes off, could we see Feeld becoming more of a lifestyle brand? What’s the big picture here?

MD: Feeld has always looked beyond dating and invested in culture and community, whether through publications, events or its investment in high-quality editorial content. In that sense, AFM is very much a natural continuation of Feeld’s broader approach to dating and relationships as part of culture.

H: Are there any classic sex-positive publications that inspired AFM? What’s your twist on that legacy?

MD: Definitely, and we see AFM as part of that legacy. From more canonical examples like Eros, Olympia Press and even Viva (which featured Anna Wintour on its staff) to the more zine-like Off Our Backs and Original Plumbing – as well as some more recent predecessors like Adult, Phile and Extra Extra – we want to be in conversation with other magazines covering similar ground. In terms of our twist, we centre around the way people find each other and meet — and of course emphasise our collaboration with Feeld members alongside established voices to foster a space where personal and cultural pursuits intersect.

H: Consent and safety are huge in digital dating. How are you addressing these topics in print?

MD: We maintain the same principles in print that we do online and off the page — open and honest communication, consent, and inclusivity. The magazine addresses the ethics of relationships and personal boundaries through the different voices and perspectives featured in the issue. Feeld’s Safety and Community Guidelines for the app – with active consent at their core – also guide the offline work we do.

H: We love the name of the magazine. It’s very cheeky. Was that an easy choice, or did it cause some debate?

MD: Both. The moment Haley said it – it was her stroke of genius idea – we both just knew it fit but didn’t know if we’d get away with it. It was a long road until we were set on it, during which we had a few other names. All of them had that tongue-in-cheek ambiguity that we find so fitting. ‘Mixed Feelings’ was the frontrunner for a while.

HM: We always had that feeling of wanting to be bold and strong, especially as we’re both so aware of all the reasons not to make a print magazine. Committing to the name is our way of staying connected to all the reasons we believe in print magazines.

H: Print mags can feel outdated pretty quickly. What’s your game plan for keeping AFM fresh between issues?

MD: We hope there is a quality of timelessness in what we’ve committed to print — and at over two hundred pages, we hope the first issue will keep readers company for a while. Aside from that, Feeld has always published digital-only work on Feeld’s website, which will continue as part of AFM’s digital edition. And in between issues – which will come out biannually – we hope to host in-person events and panels.

HM: We also want our print magazine to be an artefact of the moment it was made in, so if it does date, that’s a sign that we captured the time when we created it. The digital side of the magazine aims to be reflexive and fluid, while the print is deliberate and clearly defined — that’s the beauty of working across both mediums.

AFM has been translated it into a digital publication, which you can find at feeld.co/magazine.