Smile Politely is Champaign-Urbana’s culture magazine. Established in 2007 as a community contributor-driven publication, Smile Politely has evolved to include a full editorial staff and an Editorial Board, publishing more than 40,000 articles in Arts, Culture, Food and Drink, Music, and Opinion. We publish engaging editorial content each weekday, providing our community with passionate, trustworthy, and informed points of view on a variety of topics that are locally-focused. Our writers and community contributors draw from their varied experiences to speak to what’s happening in C-U.
We believe C-U to be one of the best places to live, and our content reflects that. C-U is not without its faults, however, and we address these topics in a way we hope initiates dialogue toward making change. Our Editorial Board publishes an article each week, tackling everything from school resource officers and policing to the best burgers in the area.
At Smile Politely, we uphold progressive values of inclusivity and anti-racism. We want to center the voices and stories of people and communities in C-U that have been excluded. As we move through our second decade of publishing, we will continue to strive for more diversity among our writers, editors, and Editorial Board.
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Publisher
Smile Politely Media, Inc.
Editors + Publishers
Alyssa Buckley
Food + Drink Editor
Debra Domal
Arts Editor
Gertrude Namara
Editorial Board Member
Jessica Hammie
Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board Member
Julie McClure
Managing Editor, Culture Editor, and Editorial Board Member
Mara Thacker
Editorial Board Member
Patrick Singer
Executive Editor and Editorial Board Member
Sean Wilkinson
Music Editor
Seth Fein
Founder and Publisher
Co-Founders
Christopher Maier
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus and Founder
Justine Bursoni
Founder
Mason Kessinger
Designer and Founder