UTNE Reader: The Best of the Alternative Press has been reconceived, redesigned and reborn as UTNE: A Different Kind of Read. Its oomph has been squashed, its bite has been sugar-coated, its edge has been dulled and we are left with a self-helpy, confessional rendition of what it once was. I’ve always loved this magazine. Its political bent, its spiritual backbone, its organic finesse. And so the first time I saw the cover of the new UTNE, my heart sank a little. The cover story, “What’s Your True Calling?,” reminded me of the overly personal and clichéd covers of the glossy mags I pass by every week at the supermarket. Even the new font suggests a softer, almost cartoon-like image. Inside, the cover story confirmed my suspicions. I felt as though I’d been conned by a woman unfolding an endless accordion of family photos from her wallet, when all I wanted was to be serenely tucked inside the covers of what used to be.