In case you haven't already heard, here's this week's big news: as of 2016, Playboy will no longer feature nude models. That's right; the beloved porno mag of dads and grandpas everywhere is dropping nudity from its pages in an effort to pull the print edition more in line with its 100 percent SFW website. In the future, Playboy centerfolds will more closely resemble Maxim than Hustler, but, if we're being honest, they always did.
There's a very old joke about reading Playboy for the articles, but, for some readers, Hugh Hefner's iconic magazine has always been more about the writing than the T & A. Playboy has a long and prestigious list of contributing fiction writers that includes Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, Roald Dahl, and Haruki Murakami. My own mother — whom I just texted specifically to ask if I could share this tidbit — has regaled me with tales of reading Playboy for both its literary value and the thrill of trying to find the hidden bunny.
That's not a metaphor; there really is a bunny on every cover.
Treating Playboy like The New Yorker is all set to become the new norm. But what does the literary community at large have to say? Here are six writers' reactions to the news.
Oliva A. Cole, Author of Panther in the Hive
John Scalzi, Author of Lock In
Tim Carvell, Author of Planet Tad
Chris Nashawaty, Author of Crab Monsters and Stephen King, Author of Mr. Mercedes
Amanda Nelson, Managing Editor at Book Riot
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