Slo*Mo presents: Mo AYE-TEE-EL!

It’s been a hot minute since Atlanta had a great alternative weekly newspaper.

You know: those free publications that report on local news, food, culture and more — from a fun, frank and raw perspective. Over the years, Atlanta has been home to several alt-weeklies like that.

Hell, I even used to work for one. I served as the first Black editor-in-chief of Creative Loafing both here in Atlanta and in Charlotte, N.C. Working for the Loaf was a dream come true, but the glory days of alt-weeklies in the ATL are pretty much over … until now, that is, with the publication of: Mo AYE-TEE-EL.

A production of Slo*Mo Media, Mo AYE-TEE-EL is designed to — for one special, 8-page pilot issue — capture the voice, flavor and energy of our favorite alt-weeklies from back in the day, while breaking new ground by providing robust representation of the Black and Brown people that fuel Atlanta. To that end, we assembled some of the city’s best-known editors, writers, photographers, graphic designers and more, along with newer editorial voices, to craft some super-dope content. 

Even better, we linked up with the folks at the local media group Atlanta Intown (shout out to owner Keith Pepper) who graciously gave us the opportunity to debut the issue as both an insert in their paper and as a standalone publication. You can read Mo AYE-TEE-EL in the pages of the February 2023 edition of Atlanta Intown, which is distributed all over the metro Atlanta area. We’ll also be dropping off standalone copies at select retail outlets; just look for the cover image (featuring Oronike Odeleye photographed by Terra Coles and designed by Larmarrous Shirley).

Of course this whole project was made possible by donations raised in our recent crowdfunding campaign. So, if you donated, thanks for your support! And if you’d like to donate, click on the GoFundMe link: www.gofundme.com/f/the-new-atlanta-altweekly-project.

Here’s hoping you enjoy what we’ve cooked up. If you dig Mo AYE-TEE-EL, share your thoughts on our IG page (@slomomedia). Thanks for reading, and thanks for your support!

— Carlton Hargro
Co-Publisher/Editor-in-Chief