For most travelers, an airport delay usually means plenty of time spent griping, grumbling, grousing, and groaning. Longer delays (and more seasoned, synonymically gifted travelers) may result in kicking, kvetching, moaning, murmuring, barking and bellyaching. With even more time spent crammed into uncomfortable airport chairs eating dry $9 sandwiches and listening to the endless looping drones of CNN anchors most travelers are fresh out of ways to amuse themselves (and torment airline workers) and just give plain give up. Luckily, however, this was not the case with Mr. Andrew Losowsky.
Losowsky, who runs a magazine industry blog called Magtastic Blogsplosion, was stranded in April at the Dublin airport when the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull exploded and decided to turn the delay into a creative opportunity. An open submissions call was put out on the internet looking for bored “designers, writers, photographers, illustrators, art directors and anyone else who is stranded by the ash cloud, and would like something to do.” The submissions were welcome from all over the world. Once assembled, they would be compiled into a one-time special magazine commemorating the event. The only criteria for participation was that all the contributors had to be unintentionally stuck somewhere as a result of the volcano and its ash cloud.
Now, 5 months and more than 50 contributors later, Stranded has arrived. According to its press release, “it’s filled with true stories and amazing visuals, including volcano cocktails from around the world, the thoughts of a famous volcanologist, a horror story set inside the ash cloud, 54 journalists in a 16-hour race to catch a boat, a chance encounter with a cute Parisian waiter, a playlist for abandoned airports, and much more.” All proceeds from this impromptu endeavor into creative ingenuity benefit the International Rescue Committee. You can get your very own copy right now at MagCloud. It’ll give you something to read the next time you’re stuck waiting on a plane with nothing (save the usual) to do.
