The L Magazine is a free bi-weekly magazine in New York City featuring investigative articles, arts and culture commentary, and event listings. It is available through distribution in Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

, Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, Queens

Queens

Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

, and Hoboken

Hoboken, New Jersey

Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...

.

History

The L Magazine was created in 2003 by brothers Scott and Daniel Stedman

Daniel Stedman

' is a multi-award-winning film director, producer, writer, and owner and current president of The L Magazine , Brooklyn Magazine, and the Northside Festival.-Background:Stedman received a degree in physics from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine...

 and editor Jonny Diamond in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

The Boxing Match

The L's launch coincided with that of New York Sports Express

New York Sports Express

The New York Sports Express, sometimes abbreviated NYSX, was a free publication distributed from April 2003 to July 2004 as a sister paper to the New York Press. The New York City, USA publication was designed to take an entertaining look at topical sports stories, in contrast to most sports...

, an offshoot of New York Press

New York Press

New York Press was a free alternative weekly in New York City, that was published from 1988 to 2011. During its lifetime, it was the main competitor to the Village Voice...

. The distribution boxes used by Express and The L looked very similar; both were bright orange, and they were the same shape and color.

While most likely a coincidence,Express editor-in-chief Jeff Koyen

Jeff Koyen

Jeff Koyen, born in 1969 in suburban New Jersey, is an American journalist living in Venice Beach, CA. He is a graduate of Rutgers University. He has worked as a freelance travel and culture writer, filing with Travel and Leisure, The New York Times, New York magazine, Radar, New York Post, New...

 decided to print a series of barbs against Scott Stedman, The L's publisher. Stedman responded with a full-sized ad in The L challenging Koyen to a boxing match. On October 25, Koyen and Stedman boxed at Gleason's Gym

Gleason's Gym

Gleason's is a boxing gym located on the Brooklyn waterfront. Since 1937, when the gym was founded in the Bronx, boxers with their eyes on Olympic glory or a shot at the title have been training at Gleason's. Fighters who trained at the gym include Jake LaMotta, Roberto Durán, Benny "Kid" Paret,...

 in Dumbo, Brooklyn to settle the score.
The match ended in a draw, and no re-match was re-scheduled.
The boxing match was re-created on the TV show Bored to Death

Bored to Death

Bored to Death is an American comedy series, which premiered on HBO on September 20, 2009. , three seasons have aired, each consisting of eight episodes. The show was created by author Jonathan Ames, and stars Jason Schwartzman as a fictional Jonathan Ames – a writer based in Brooklyn, New York...

. Jonathan Ames claims in his blog that the season finale was based on this match.

Events

In 2005, The L Magazine launched Summer Screen, a free weekly film series in Brooklyn's McCarren Park

McCarren Park

McCarren Park is a public park in New York City, USA. It is located in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn, and is bordered by Nassau Avenue, Bayard Street, Lorimer Street and North 12th Street...

.

In 2009, The L Magazine launched the Northside Music Festival. Headliners included indie rock acts Cymbals Eat Guitars

Cymbals Eat Guitars

Cymbals Eat Guitars is an indie rock band from Staten Island, New York, founded by high school friends Joseph D'Agostino and Matthew Miller. The band's name comes from a Lou Reed quote describing the sound of the Velvet Underground.-History:...

, The Dodos

The Dodos

The Dodos are an American indie rock band consisting of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber.- History :The Dodos began playing music together in 2005, when musician Meric Long, who had been gigging steadily in San Francisco as a solo singer-songwriter, was introduced to Logan Kroeber through a mutual...

, Screaming Females

Screaming Females

Screaming Females is an independent rock band, often labeled as a punk rock band, from New Brunswick, New Jersey. They have released four full length albums, entitled Baby Teeth, What If Someone Is Watching Their T.V.?, Power Move, and Castle Talk.The band features Marissa Paternoster on guitar...

, and Real Estate (band)

Real Estate (band)

Real Estate is an Indie rock band hailing from Ridgewood, New Jersey now rooted in Brooklyn, N.Y.-Band members:* Alex Bleeker – bass, vocals* Martin Courtney – guitar, vocals* Matthew Mondanile – guitar, vocals* Jackson Pollis – drums...

. In 2010, The L Magazine hosted the second Northside Festival, featuring performances by Polvo

Polvo

Polvo is an American indie noise rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band, formed in 1990, is fronted by guitarists/vocalists Ash Bowie and Dave Brylawski. Brian Quast plays drums, and Steve Popson plays bass guitar...

, Liars (band)

Liars (band)

Liars is a three-piece band formed in 2000 consisting of Angus Andrew , Aaron Hemphill , and Julian Gross...

, Elvis Perkins in Dearland

Elvis Perkins in Dearland

Elvis Perkins in Dearland is the second studio album by Elvis Perkins, and his first with backing band Elvis Perkins in Dearland, released on March 10, 2009, on XL Recordings....

, and The Fiery Furnaces

The Fiery Furnaces

The Fiery Furnaces are a U.S. indie rock band formed in 2000 in Brooklyn, New York. The band's primary members are Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger. The siblings are originally from Oak Park, Illinois, a near-western suburb of Chicago.- Band biography :...

. The festival also hosted the films Feast of Stephen by James Franco

James Franco

James Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...

 and Life During Wartime by Todd Solondz

Todd Solondz

Todd Solondz is an American independent film screenwriter and director known for his style of dark, thought-provoking, socially conscious satire. Solondz has been critically acclaimed for his examination of the "dark underbelly of middle class American suburbia", a reflection of his own background...

.

Awards

In November 2010 , The L Magazine art critic Paddy Johnson

Paddy Johnson

Paddy Johnson is a New York-based art critic, blogger, curator and writer. Johnson is the founder and editor of Art Fag City, which is an art blog....

was nominated for Art Critic of the Year in the Rob Pruitt Art Awards