We have some bittersweet news: next summer, 4Columns will be celebrating its tenth anniversary, and also next summer, on June 26, 2026, 4Columns will put out our final issue, after a decade of publishing passionate, partial, and political criticism.

While the news may come as a surprise to some, the truth is that 4Columns was never meant to last. A project of a private foundation, the magazine was established with a budget to cover ten years. While our editorial team has explored myriad ways to see if we could extend the magazine’s lifespan—through grants, fundraising endeavors, subscriptions, etc.—we found no way to do so without compromising our foundational principles: to provide free issues, uncluttered by ads, to our readers; to compensate our writers fairly; and to run the magazine with absolutely no outside editorial interference or pressure.

Those principles have allowed us to create something that has been so special—a vehicle for what we believe has been some of the best cultural writing of the past decade, and a vital economic and discursive contribution to a healthier ecosystem for writers. 

Over this decade, we have witnessed political upheaval, widespread protests, a worldwide pandemic, and more. We never stopped publishing throughout, and our archive will remain online as a time capsule of the shifting cultural landscape of the years from 2016 to 2026. 

The pride we take in 4Columns is ultimately a testament to our incredible writers, and to you, our wonderful, engaged (sometimes enraged!), and thoughtful readers. We will miss you.