> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://hyperallergic.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # RIP Bookforum - URL: https://hyperallergic.com/rip-bookforum/ - Published: 2022-12-12T22:48:08.000Z - Updated: 2025-11-24T16:37:59.000Z - Description: The news that Bookforum will cease publication comes days after Penske Media announced its acquisition of sister magazine Artforum. - Author: Valentina Di Liscia - Tags: News, New York, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 09:22 (2021, 2022, part 2) The New York-based literary magazine *Bookforum* will cease publication, according to an official [announcement](https://twitter.com/bookforum/status/1602347566351454209?ref=hyperallergic.com) today, December 12\. The news that *Bookforum*’s current December–February issue will be its last comes just days after the surprise reveal that Penske Media Corporation has acquired its sister magazine and parent company, *Artforum*. *Bookforum* was launched in 1994 as a literary supplement to *Artforum* and became known for running book reviews, essays, and interviews as well as for its "[Paper Trail](https://www.bookforum.com/papertrail?ref=hyperallergic.com)" column, featuring news and updates from the publishing industry. As responses to the magazine's dissolution poured in online, some interpreted it as a larger symbol of decline in the world of literary criticism, where platforms are increasingly scarce. "We might as well fold, too," [tweeted](https://twitter.com/SemiotextePress/status/1602359680109379584?s=20&t=68FP0lidCu6gkjXe-m%5FCJA&ref=hyperallergic.com) the independent press Semiotext(e). Two weeks ago, Astra Publishing House [announced the shuttering](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/91014-astra-house-shuts-its-literary-magazine.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) of its publication, *Astra Magazine,* after running just two issues. And controversy ensued earlier this year when the beloved New York literary magazine the *Believer* was acquired by a marketing company, whose [brief but disastrous takeover](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/16/books/the-believer-mcsweeneys.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) of the publication led its original publisher, the nonprofit McSweeney’s, to buy it back just a month later. In a bid to stay afloat, it's not rare for small publications to lean on wealthy backers — this fall, for example, the mega-gallery David Zwirner [announced](https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/david-zwirner-funds-the-drift-1234640645/?ref=hyperallergic.com) that it would become the lead funder of the *Drift*, a literary quarterly started in 2020. "The intense outpouring of grief on social media really says it all — *Bookforum* was rare and precious," Lauren O'Neill-Butler, a former senior editor at *Artforum*, told Hyperallergic in response to *Bookforum*’s shuttering. "Writing for the magazine was formative for me (and many others) and it's devastating that there will be no newcomers." A spokesperson for Penske Media Corporation reached by Hyperallergic said: “Penske Media acquired ARTFORUM to add to its portfolio of art publications. Penske Media did not acquire BOOKFORUM. Any decision related to the sale or closure of BOOKFORUM is unrelated to Penske Media.” Founded by Jay Penske, the son of billionaire automotive industry giant Roger Penske, the media group has over 20 [brands](https://pmc.com/about-us/?ref=hyperallergic.com) in its roster, including two other print art magazines, *Artnews* and *Art in America*. *Artforum* is the latest acquisition in Penske’s purchasing spree of recent years, which includes a majority stake in the film and tech festival South by Southwest and *Rolling* *Stone*. The latter was made after the company accepted a $200 million investment from the Saudi Research and Media Group, a publicly traded media company [whose chairman was Prince Badr bin Farhan Al-Saud](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jul/19/independent-joins-saudi-group-to-launch-middle-east-websites?ref=hyperallergic.com) (the current Saudi Minister of Culture). The dissolution of *Bookforum* today has prompted [fears and criticism](https://twitter.com/jackie%5Fess/status/1602351966889263104?s=20&t=ybRck8eXXZVnnhk-%5FxM5ow&ref=hyperallergic.com) from readers who saw Penske's *Artforum* purchase as a potentially disruptive consolidation that could lead to job cuts. Long before Penske's acquisition, *Artforum* was rocked by internal turmoil. Last year, the magazine [settled](https://hyperallergic.com/artforum-settles-retaliation-lawsuit-with-amanda-schmitt/) an unlawful retaliation lawsuit brought by its former employee, Amanda Schmitt, in 2017\. Schmitt accused *Artforum*’s former publisher, Knight Landesman, of sexually harassing her while she worked at the publication and after, and of retaliating against her when she and at least eight other women made their allegations public. *Artforum’s* longtime editor-in-chief, Michelle Kuo, [resigned](https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/artforum-editor-in-chief-michelle-kuo-on-why-she-resigned-9226/?ref=hyperallergic.com) in the wake of the lawsuit, and over 50 *Artforum* and *Bookforum* staff signed an [open letter](https://www.artforum.com/news/artforum-staff-condemns-magazine-s-management-of-allegations-71901?ref=hyperallergic.com) condemning the publishers' handling of Schmitt's allegations. Although Landesman resigned in October 2017, he remained a co-owner controlling an undisclosed number of shares, as *Hyperallergic* [revealed](https://hyperallergic.com/424038/artforum-knight-landesman-continue-to-fight-sexual-harassment-related-case/) in 2018\. Last March, *Artforum* [confirmed](https://hyperallergic.com/artforum-settles-retaliation-lawsuit-with-amanda-schmitt/) Landesman was no longer a shareholder but did not provide a timeline of his divestment. In response to Hyperallergic's request for comment, *Artforum*’s associate publisher Kate Koza said, "We would like to thank our extraordinarily talented staff and writers. We are so proud of the contribution *Bookforum* has made to the literary community and are immensely grateful to the advertisers, subscribers, and booksellers who made our mission possible over the years.” Penske Media noted in a statement that Koza along with publisher Danielle McConnell would continue to lead *Artforum* operations, while publisher andshareholder Anthony Korner would remain in "an ambassadorial role." Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.