Saturday, January 03, 2009

Hey There!

Unless you were specifically looking for us, you probably ended up here through a search engine or text link and may be thinking, “What the fuck is this?” That’s perfectly understandable because boink is unique and not something that you've seen before, unless you happen to go to college in Boston.

It all began when a group of my fellow Boston University undergrads and I decided to publish a magazine dedicated to the primary interest of most college students, namely SEX. We wanted to create something different that would entertain and possibly inform other college kids like us. We were looking for a fresh approach to the subject from the perspective of people our age and wanted to provide more than just pictures of big-breasted girls, photoshopped beyond the limits of fake perfection. We felt that it was important to keep it real and to provide something for everyone; guys and girls, straight, gay, and bi.

Of course, word quickly spread on campus about the project. We were soon inundated with requests from students who wanted to write and model for the magazine, which we decided to call boink to reflect the playfulness, openness, and above all fun with which we wanted to tackle the subject. We worked throughout the semester to turn our vision into reality, facing more than a few challenges along the way. What kept us going through all the setbacks was the enthusiasm with which our contributors and other members of our potential audience embraced the concept. The end result was an eclectic mix of sexy fiction and provocative non-fiction, cool illustrations and naked pics of REAL college girls and guys.

Needless to say, we stirred up a shit storm. The BU administration immediately distanced itself with a public statement that “The University does not endorse, nor welcome, the prospective publication Boink.” The story was picked up first by the local media and then by national and international news outlets. We were the subject of criticism and negative commentary from a variety of sources. Some parents and students complained that a sexually explicit magazine like boink would tarnish the University’s reputation and had no place at an institution of higher learning. Social conservatives, religious advocates, self righteous journalists—and others who are generally uptight about sex publicly attacked us. The police even shut down our launch party at a local club, which was attended by 1,400 people.

Yet despite all of the opposition, there were also a lot of people who supported our efforts, particularly among our fellow college students. And sales of the premier issue were impressive, especially given its limited distribution. Since then we have continued to publish in the face of controversy and to expand the circulation of boink and now have writers and models from schools all over the country.

If you’re curious... why don't you check out boink and join the growing number of boinkers across the country and around the world.

Boink on!

Alecia Oleyourryk
Editor & Cofounder

P.S. If you buy our new book by Tuesday, January 06, 2009, you’ll get a FREE copy of our current issue (an $8 value).