We’re doing something very fun: we’re traveling back in time!
Ok, sort of.
Starting this week, on Friday 6 October, Amanda and I are co-hosting Romantic Times Rewind, a new podcast series where we look back at old issues of RT Book Reviews, aka Romantic Times Magazine!
Remember those?
Each month, Amanda and I are going to re-read old issues of RT, and record two podcast episodes each month. One episode will be looking at all the reviews by genre in a particular issue, and the other will look at the features, ads, and book covers inside.
So on October 6, the podcast episode will be all about the reviews from our first trip down Romance Memory Lane with the May 2014 issue of RT Book Reviews. Then, on October 20, we’ll be looking at the ads and feature articles in that issue on the podcast.
But, wait, wasn’t RT a magazine? Yes! And podcasting is a very not-visual medium!
So in addition to the podcast episodes, I’ll be posting about our adventures going back in time, RT-style, here on SBTB, as well as on Instagram and, for that sweet sweet nostalgia, on Tumblr.
Plus, if you’re a member of the Patreon, you’ll have access to the complete issues we’re looking at, so you can read along with us – and tell us which books from back issues you’d most want to read.
The archives for Romantic Times Magazine and RT Book Reviews are not online anywhere that I’ve seen, and the site went dark in May 2018 shortly after the closure of the magazine and the end of the conference was announced. Some issues are at the Bowling Green State University Browne Popular Culture Library, and perhaps I’ll take a field trip at some point, but otherwise, back issues are a little tricky to find!
Most humbly, I ask: if you have back issues of RT Book Reviews or Romantic Times, print or digital, and you’d like to send them to be, PLEASE get in touch with me – sarah AT smart bitches trashy books.com. I’m scouring eBay magazine vendors and trying to gather as many as I can, and right now I have some from 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Part of the inspiration for this series comes from the absolutely wonderful podcast Listen to Sassy, where Tara Ariano, David T. Cole, and Pamela Ribon re-read old issues of Sassy Magazine, which was a formative part of my teenager-hood. After buying two old issues of RT on eBay, I realized that this could potentially be a fun adventure, and thus Romantic Times Rewind was born!
I hope you’ll follow us on Instagram and Tumblr (LOL) if you haven’t already, and that you’ll join us for a very fun journey into Romantic (Times) History!
I actually love Tumblr. It’s the only social media that still makes sense to me. Probably b/c I really only use it for fannish things that are hard to find collective squee about on other parts of the internet. I don’t even post, I just lurk to absorb the vibes and feel nostalgic.
Heck, I follow people who are falling in love with the X-Files for the first time and losing their minds over the chemistry between Mulder and Scully. Gives me all my early internet feels. I miss long rambling meta on livejournals and janky websites. It’s hard to find that in other parts of the internet or at least hard to find it w/out someone swooping in and mocking you or picking it apart.
Tumblr is definitely not for everything and everybody, it can get a little too silly at times, but I could use some silly in my life.
Looking forward to listening! I may try out the Sassy podcast too. Talk about a blast from the past!
As a RT reader and reviewer, I so miss getting the magazine and starring everything I wanted to buy/read!
What a fun idea! One of my first introductions to romance reading and eventually writing, was a copy of RT from the 1990s. I’ll definitely scour my files to see if I have a copy.
It’ll be eye-opening in ‘where are they now’ or ‘look how far they’ve come’ ways, too.
I adore tumblr, too, and am SO EXCITED about this trip back in time!!
Too bad I finally threw all my RT issues out a year or two ago. Surreal to see one I worked on as the center of this post.
I bought RT Book Reviews when I worked at Books A Million. I wish I’d kept them.
Oh how I loved that magazine, until someone ruined it by going digital and not leaving it in magazine format. I had issues re the owner too. They were asking for renewals right up to closing down and the owner must have known. I still lost out on a full years sub and it still grinds my gears! Also despite being promised that the web site would stay for a year, it disappeared after a few months. I did keep the last 2 issues but don’t want to part with them!
Looking forward to the podcasts
@Suleikha it was VERY COOL to see your byline in this issue!
Speaking as an old lady, 2014 doesn’t seem that long ago, lol. Nonetheless, I’m looking forward to your discussions on the podcast.
Oh, this is fun!
I still remember how the pages smelled… I think I might have one or two issues floating around. Makes me want to dig them out and read again.
This is a very cool idea, especially since it shut down around the time I started really getting into romance. Looking forward to it!!
@SB Sarah Those were truly interesting days. I’ve kept a few articles here and there, and seeing my byline never gets old. I was also pretty much operating as the Managing Editor when I left.