FROM THE HEART OF THE FOREST TO THE EDGE OF THE ROADIt's the end and beginning of an exciting era for the cultural curiosity journal, Ampersand Magazine, - their fourth edition is out now, bringing them round about to officially become a quarterly mag. Now I hope that we may look forward to their colourful pages arriving with each new season...This journal, a handy pocket-sized package bursting at its colourful seams with glossy photos, poetry, critiques, cartoons, fiction and more, sidesteps the mainstream in favour of the uncut, unfashionable and unpredictable. Here's a sneaky preview...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A5muYIFu5E&feature=player_detailpageThis edition delves into remoteness; exploring the desolation and emptiness, but also the opportunities and escapism that lie beyond the suburbs.A huge huge success for the brainchild of editor, Alice Gage, this issue brings together a massive creative line up of contributors including (to name drop a few) Tracy Moffatt, Bob Brown, Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint's drummer), playwright Tommy Murphy, Fabian Muir, poet John Forbes, Craig Reynolds and My Darling Patricia. Within the pages are a whole bunch of pieces old and new, a mesh of words and images, hilarious, disturbing and hiding a great big melting pot of things that you'd never even thought about.Launched in the ballroom of the National Library of NSW on Tuesday night, the room was brimming with many an individual of Sydney's creative underworld and bursting with good food, wine, images and stories.An impressive culmination of the first full quarterly and an exciting taste of, hopefully, more to come... when's that summer edition due folks?Ampersand Magazine (Spring 2011), $10 from these stockists.http://www.ampersandmagazine.com.au/Liz de Fegely: liz_defegely@hotmail.com