Muse (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Muse is a children's magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution
and Carus Publishing
, the publishers of Cricket
. Launched in October 1996, it is published in Chicago
, Illinois, and has readers throughout the United States and around the world. Recommended for ages ten and above, it features articles about history, science, and the arts. Muse encourages the reader to think about questions that may not have definite answers. Nine cartoon characters, known as the Muses, appear in the margins throughout the magazine as well as in the Kokopelli & Company
comic strip. Among them, only Urania
was one of the original Greek muses
; Kokopelli
, a trickster
, is a god in many native American tribes.
, a spoof about the main subject of the issue (Dear Muse Reader), a fun facts page (Bo's page), letters from readers (Muse Mail), a contest, a question-and-answer page written by Robert Coontz, Rosanne Spector, and Rebecca Lasley; an article written by a Muse reader ("Muserology"), a short article ("Last Page"), and articles on various topics. Often the topics of the articles are tangentially related. Past issues have included articles about vegetarianism, pie throwing, extraterrestrial life, naked mole rat
s, the origin of the moon, pirates, urban legends, insects, mummies, tenrecs, the history of napkins, contacting ghosts, New Zealand's exploding trousers
, Rube Goldberg
inventions, The Lord of the Rings
, and blind cavefish.
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
and Carus Publishing
Carus Publishing Company
The Carus Publishing Company is a publisher with offices in Chicago, Peru, Illinois, and Peterborough, New Hampshire. It owns the Open Court Publishing Company as well as the Cricket Magazine Group, and Cobblestone Publishing...
, the publishers of Cricket
Cricket (magazine)
Cricket is an illustrated literary magazine for children published in the United States, founded in September 1973 by Marianne Carus, whose intent was to create "The New Yorker for children." Marianne Carus still serves as the magazine's editor-in-chief.Each issue of Cricket is 64 pages...
. Launched in October 1996, it is published in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois, and has readers throughout the United States and around the world. Recommended for ages ten and above, it features articles about history, science, and the arts. Muse encourages the reader to think about questions that may not have definite answers. Nine cartoon characters, known as the Muses, appear in the margins throughout the magazine as well as in the Kokopelli & Company
Kokopelli & Company
Kokopelli & Company is a comic strip drawn by science historian and cartoonist Larry Gonick, aimed generally at ten- to fifteen-year-olds. Appearing monthly in Muse magazine, the strip relates the adventures of the nine New Muses, talented but definitely eccentric personalities tasked with helping...
comic strip. Among them, only Urania
Urania
Urania was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy. Some accounts list her as the mother of the musician Linus. She is usually depicted with a globe in her left hand. She is able to foretell the future by the arrangement of the stars...
was one of the original Greek muses
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
; Kokopelli
Kokopelli
Kokopelli is a fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player , who has been venerated by some Native American cultures in the Southwestern United States. Like most fertility deities, Kokopelli presides over both childbirth and agriculture...
, a trickster
Trickster
In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. It is suggested by Hansen that the term "Trickster" was probably first used in this...
, is a god in many native American tribes.
Magazine contents
Muse is published nine times annually. Each issue contains a comic strip ("Kokopelli & Company") written by Larry GonickLarry Gonick
Larry Gonick is a cartoonist best known for The Cartoon History of the Universe, a history of the world in comic book form, which he has been publishing in installments since 1977...
, a spoof about the main subject of the issue (Dear Muse Reader), a fun facts page (Bo's page), letters from readers (Muse Mail), a contest, a question-and-answer page written by Robert Coontz, Rosanne Spector, and Rebecca Lasley; an article written by a Muse reader ("Muserology"), a short article ("Last Page"), and articles on various topics. Often the topics of the articles are tangentially related. Past issues have included articles about vegetarianism, pie throwing, extraterrestrial life, naked mole rat
Naked Mole Rat
The naked mole rat , also known as the sand puppy or desert mole rat, is a burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa and the only species currently classified in the genus Heterocephalus...
s, the origin of the moon, pirates, urban legends, insects, mummies, tenrecs, the history of napkins, contacting ghosts, New Zealand's exploding trousers
Exploding trousers
In New Zealand in the 1930s, farmers reportedly had trouble with exploding trousers as a result of attempts to wipe out the weed ragwort.Farmers had been spraying sodium chlorate, a government recommended weedkiller, onto the ragwort, and some of the spray had ended up on their clothes. Sodium...
, Rube Goldberg
Rube Goldberg
Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor.He is best known for a series of popular cartoons depicting complex gadgets that perform simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways. These devices, now known as Rube Goldberg machines, are similar to...
inventions, The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
, and blind cavefish.
Readers' online community
Muses Q&A columnists run an unofficial fan page and blog for readers. MuseBlog is an online community which welcomes anyone who enjoys the magazine. Via posts to various threads, MuseBloggers discuss music, books, relationships, movies, sports, science, and other relevant topics.The Muses
- KokopelliKokopelliKokopelli is a fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player , who has been venerated by some Native American cultures in the Southwestern United States. Like most fertility deities, Kokopelli presides over both childbirth and agriculture...
: Muse of tunes and tricks, who often throws pies - Chad: Muse of HardwareHardwareHardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
- Aeiou: Muse of Software
- Bo: Muse of FactoidFactoidA factoid is a questionable or spurious—unverified, incorrect, or fabricated—statement presented as a fact, but with no veracity. The word can also be used to describe a particularly insignificant or novel fact, in the absence of much relevant context...
s - UraniaUraniaUrania was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy. Some accounts list her as the mother of the musician Linus. She is usually depicted with a globe in her left hand. She is able to foretell the future by the arrangement of the stars...
: Muse of AstronomyAstronomyAstronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth... - Feather: Muse of PlantPlantPlants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s - Crraw: Muse of Bad PoetryPoetryPoetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
- Pwt: Muse of AnimalAnimalAnimals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s - MimiMimi (folklore)Mimis are fairy-like beings of Arnhem Land in the folklore of the Indigenous Australians of northern Australia. They are described as having extremely thin and elongated bodies, so thin as to be in danger of breaking in case of a high wind. To avoid this, they usually spend most of their time...
: Muse of getting along with people - Lil' Devil: Not a muse, Kokopelli's dog