 Cover of the first issue ofAvatar (1967) | |
| Type | Biweeklyunderground newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | newspaper |
| Publisher | Trust Incorporated |
| Editor | Brian Keating (issues 6 to 21) |
| Founded | June 9, 1967 |
| Language | English |
| Ceased publication | April 26, 1968 |
| Headquarters | Boston,Massachusetts |
Avatar was an Americanunderground newspaper published inBoston,Massachusetts, in 1967–1968. The newspaper's first issues were published from the headquarters ofBroadside magazine inCambridge.[1]
Avatar was started by a varied group of people from different parts of the Bostoncountercultural scene, but quickly came to be dominated byMel Lyman's group, the Fort Hill Community (or Lyman Family), which Lyman had formed over some years in Boston and Cambridge, and which has been variously described as a commune, family, or cult.[2][3]
Over time, disputes between the Fort Hill Community and other factions involved in putting out the paper led to an irreconcilable split, which ended that cycle of the paper.[4]
A total of 24 issues were printed bi-weekly from June 9, 1967, through April 26, 1968.[5] Toward the end of its run, six issues (nos. 18–23) were published in large-sizebroadsheet newspaper format, with a tabloid size magazine insert. A 25th issue, dated May 9, 1968, was assembled and printed by the non-Fort Hill faction, but all but 500 copies of the 35,000-copy press run were sequestered and disposed of by the Fort Hill faction.[4] Michael Kindman, founder of the East Lansing underground newspaperThe Paper, briefly worked onAvatar and remained with the group for five years. He later wrote of his experiences, including his participation in the theft, in his bookMy Odyssey Through the Underground Press.[6]
There were three short-lived spinoffs ofAvatar:
