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AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 08: Jane Pratt, Editor in Chief of xoJane attends "Fearlessly Funny: The Women ... [+] Changing Digital Humor" during the 2014 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at Austin Convention Center on March 8, 2014 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Travis P Ball/Getty Images for SXSW)
To a certain demographic in the Nineties and early 2000s the name Jane Pratt was as famous in publishing as Anna Wintour or Hugh Hefner. Starting with Sassy, then continuing with Jane and xoJane, Pratt became one of the few celebrities in publishing, hanging with rock stars like Courtney Love and Michael Stipe, appearing on MTV, VH-1 and more. She earned her well-deserved fame by standing up for issues like LGBTQ rights and abortion rights.
Now 62, Pratt is using her cache and name to start a new venture, “Another Jane Pratt Thing,” on Substack. Like all of her endeavors she works with a close group of trusted friends, like Stipe and actress Ione Skye as the Music Editor. As I found in my fascinating conversation with Pratt, she is still passionately fighting the good fight for independent thought and free speech in journalism. So, trust me, you won’t read anything written by AI on “Another Jane Pratt Thing.”
Steve Baltin: How much of the inspiration for “Another Jane Pratt Thing” was continuing these long-standing relationships, like with Michael Stipe for example?
Jane Pratt: These books I have behind me are books that he just sent me there. We have a mutual love of 1970s female empowerment, like self-help books. He finds them and he sends them to me like these. He's one of my oldest friends. We've been friends for more than 40 years. [But]
I think I've been that way since starting Sassy, and I've said this before, but since even being a teenager and writing in my journal, "Oh, I want to start a magazine, but I want to do it with friends." That's always been the idea, working with people that you really like. This has been so fun to be able to get the gang back together. People from Sassy, people like Michael, Courtney, super gratifying.
Baltin: But what's nice about it now is you have these relationships, but then you also have the name from having done all the magazines. So, you can create this thing where you can do it on your terms.
Pratt: Yes, that's absolutely right. It's been really fun to see both with the people that have come on board like Ione coming on board recently. That just happened because I've known Ben [Lee, her husband]
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