About
jour·nal (n.) - a periodical presenting articles on a particular subject
cul⋅ture (n.) – the sum of total ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another
con⋅ver⋅sa⋅tion (n.) - an informal interchange of thoughts and information
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Once upon a time, someone told a story.
And the story was passed on across generations and cultures. Perhaps the story ignited an amazing idea, inspired a person or fueled a groundbreaking change.
But sometimes a story is lost. Remarkable people, events and innovations – and their trusted companions, learning and impact – often go unnoticed. We want to radically change that.
Authored by cultural explorers, The Journal of Cultural Conversation is the home of an online independent, educational magazine, featuring stories designed to connect us to the world’s colorful palette of ideas.
Based on our diverse interests, we share colorful commentary that loudly speaks to our global community, original interviews with authors and artists that are creatively educating our world and insightful reviews that tell their own stories. Simply put, we put a creative lens on the people, places and things that make our world cool.
Why Culture? Why Conversation? (The Short Answer…)
Access to knowledge, for the first time in history, is almost universally accessible to most people in many countries. Without much effort or cost, it’s possible to become informed if you choose. By giving others unique ways to look at different worldviews and experiences, we aim to be a trusted resource people turn to when they’re looking to learn about who and what is happening in the world.
By sharing what’s in our world and asking about what’s in your world:
1. We create original content about a mosaic of topics to reflect the diversity of the world’s perspectives – food, books, art, economic trends, social action, music, religion, travel, creativity, writing – the list goes on.
2. We write to educate and learn from others. Knowledge is power. Sharing knowledge in useful ways empowers. Information is available in ways like never before; our goal is to curate stories in a thoughtful and juicy so that they are useful, offering innovative ideas to inspire others to take personal or global action.
3. We intentionally depart from mainstream media by featuring a mosaic of perspectives – local, unusual and personal stories and experiences. Raising awareness and inspiring change usually starts small – with one person, idea or action that might not make the evening news. We dig deep to share perspectives from new voices.
Why Culture? Why Conversation? (The Long Answer…)
Culture is about the ways we live and how we share knowledge, from story to story. When we listen to others’ stories and open our minds to different ways of doing things, living and connecting, we almost always discover new ideas.
Many of us spend our lives locked into the systems of thinking, being and doing imposed upon us by our histories. Exploring the nooks and crannies of an unfamiliar culture through travel, study, or conversation can be an amazing experience one that helps us better understand our own lives.
Knowing – via perspectives, examples and evidence – that there are many different ways of approaching the same topic helps us consciously shape our lives based on our preferences rather than the rules of our heritage or the social standards of our own geographic or personal worlds.
We think, in today’s world, it’s critical to provide a useful way to educate and share knowledge beyond the traditional classroom. It will only become more important as technology advances and our global society becomes increasingly interconnected.
Join Us!
Explore, share, discover, and have fun. We’re psyched to hear what you have to say – and invite you to:
Subscribe and connect: If you like what we’re about, you can subscribe via email or RSS. You can also join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Become a guest contributor: We’re always open to guest posts that fit with our philosophy and approach. Have a look around the various topics and categories and send a short e-mail with your idea.
Thanks for stopping by — see you soon.
- Laura Cococcia, Editor, The Journal of Cultural Conversation
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Kudos From Cool People
Josh Hanagarne: World’s Strongest Librarian
Laura Cococcia wrote a guest post for me here back on WSL a few months ago. I was hooked. This person can write, and wow, can she tell a story. She left a job with Google to do some traveling, writing, blogging, and commenting here on my blog. I don’t think she left Google just to come comment here, though, but I can’t say for sure. Laura tells stories. She focuses on people and occasionally interviews them. Again, I never know what she’s going to write, and I rarely care. It’s enough that Laura is Laura. Here she is on Twitter.
Tara Sophia Mohr: Wise Living
This blog is one of my favorite discoveries of late. Very cool, eclectic mix of topics and great writing, woven together by brilliant mastermind Laura Cococcia.
Lisa Frank: Park Lane Post
I have a strong desire to learn and challenge myself in all aspects of my professional and personal life. I am drawn to people that seek out and convey new experiences with a passion and a voice that inspire me find out more. As it happens, one of those people first entered my life in high school. Laura publishes and manages a site that I visit several times per week, at least. Not out of a sense of duty or the fact that I ‘knew her when’, but because I love the posted works.
The Journal of Cultural Conversation includes pieces about everything from travel and wellness to activism and the arts, posts that are threaded together through their ability to advance learning about the world. Laura and her team of guest writers have collectively experienced and shared so much, that reading their words helps formulate plans for my next adventure. Because of my friendship with Laura, I wrote a guest piece about how my mom’s illness sparked me to take action. It was an amazing opportunity!
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A culture is reflective of the knowledge that underlies it. ~ Scott Mutter
Culture, then, is a study of perfection, and perfection which insists on becoming something rather than in having something, in an inward condition of the mind and spirit, not in an outward set of circumstances. ~Matthew Arnold
