And now we get to the best of all these teasers for my SNOW web magazine (see parts one, two, and three), looking at the aspect of this project that really has me the most excited, and that’s the guest columns. As I talked about earlier, it was always my intention to make this magazine something that was more than just a re-purposed venue for my editorial coverage. I really want SNOW to act as a voice for a lot of the interesting people that I’ve come to know over my years as a Tokyo resident, and I’m doing that with the inclusion of guest columns.

The idea here was to get all of these people to contribute short monthly columns (or posts, or articles, or whatever you want to call them) covering topics that are near and dear to each of them. Some of these will be themed columns, some will be all over the place, some will be visual, I just promise that it will be a fun collection of content that I think needs to be shared.

Below, all of the people who have agreed to contribute to the site. Some have already determined exactly what they’ll be covering (and have even already sent me their first column), others are still not sure and we need to discuss things more, but you’ll be seeing their contributions on the site in the near future.

• Andrew Lee: Currently editor at Kodansha International, but also the art director of a little book I was involved with called Arcade Mania.
• Alin Huma: Photographer, zine maker, barista, and the man you need to talk to if you want to get a custom bike built for you.
• Audrey Fondecave: Artist, co-founder of OK Fred magazine, and of course my co-host for Radio OK Fred.
• Bianca Beuttel: Kyoto-based designer and essayist who will be continuing her coverage of Japanese package design, something she did brilliantly at PingMag.
• Claire Tanaka: Writer and translator based in Tokushima, whose byline you probably remember from PingMag and PingMag MAKE.
• David Marx: The man, the myth, founder of Néojaponisme, and currently Tokyo city editor at CNNGo.
• Hiroshi Egaitsu: Professor, thinker, freelance writer, and a man who has made you shake your ass at many a club event.
• Hiyoko Imai: Amsterdam-based designer and illustrator, and also a partner in a new project I’m involved with (but more on that later).
• Ian Lynam: Graphic designer, art director, typographer, professor, dancer…
• James Kay: Game developer and founder of the Tokyo-based Score Studios.
• Jeriaska: Contributor to many a game coverage site, who tends to focus on the music side of the games industry.
• Johan Prag: Art director who just can’t help but create beautiful things.
• Johnny Strategy: If you aren’t reading his site, Spoon & Tamago, then head there now.
• Josh McKible: Illustrator and, more and more, papercraft enthusiast and creator of NaniBird.
• Mari Kojima: Photographer who will get your body moving in her guise as member of Mammal.
• Marie Iida: Writer, translator, soon-to-be filmmaker, and all-around project booster.
• Masao Tamoaki: Founder of the online select design shop TokyoMade.
• Micke Thorsby: You know him as PMKFA, the graphic designer extraordinaire.
• Mark MacDonald: A true veteran of the world of games editorial (EGM, 1UP), and current localizer of some of Japan’s biggest games.
• Paul Baron: Co-founder of Tokyo Art Beat — a site I can’t imagine having to live without — and designer at Tokyo-based web studio AQ.
• Patrick Benny: No one has followed the Japanese indies music scene as long or as closely as him, and he’s also founder of the still amazing Tokyo Recohan online select shop of used Japanese CDs.
• Remo Camerota: Filmmaker, art director, comic creator, he’s also the author of the terrific Graffiti Japan.
• Shane Lester: Designer and art director at W+K Tokyo, member of the W+K Tokyo Lab, and the person you’re least likely to catch up on while biking.
• Sophie Knight: Freelance writer and zine fanatic, who creates her own as well.
• Yoshi Tsujimura: The founder and editor-in-chief of OK Fred magazine, a freelance contributor to many a publication, and my fellow co-host of Radio OK Fred.

So there you have it, the amazing group that will help give life to SNOW, and that I again must thank publicly for agreeing to join me on this crazy project. This is also the last of my pre-launch teaser posts, and the next time I mention SNOW will be to announce its launch.