MISSION
In The Fray is an online magazine for writers and artists to explore global issues and engage readers with personal perspectives and critical analysis.
A BRIEF HISTORY
In The Fray launched on April 9, 2001. An all-volunteer staff created the magazine with the goal of telling powerful, personal stories that further our understanding of other people and encourage empathy and compassion. In The Fray has always featured original reporting, with firsthand accounts and exclusive interviews from around the world, as well as compelling personal essays, commentary, cultural criticism, photography, and artwork by contributors from all walks of life. We have published articles from writers and artists on all seven continents, and our content has won national recognition from journalism and advocacy organizations, including an Excellence in Online Journalism Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and nominations from the National Press Photographers Association and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
In The Fray, Inc., the nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization that publishes the magazine, was established in 2000. The magazine’s founders were Victor Tan Chen and Alexander T. Nguyen. Our logo was designed by solargun.com.
To read the articles selected for our annual Best of In The Fray series, use the following links:
2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 50th issue | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001
STAFF
Victor Tan Chen, Editor in Chief and Cofounder
Victor Tan Chen is a sociologist who studies economic inequality. He is the author of two books: Cut Loose: Jobless and Hopeless in an Unfair Economy, which was the basis for a John T. Dunlop Outstanding Scholar Award from the Labor and Employment Relations Association, and (with Katherine S. Newman) The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor in America, which was selected as one of Library Journal‘s Best Business Books. Chen’s work has been featured in the Atlantic, the New York Times, BBC News, Next Question with Katie Couric, the Leonard Lopate Show, Newsday, Times Higher Education, Viewpoints, With Good Reason, Bill Moyers Journal, the Boston Globe, C-SPAN’s Book TV, and NPR. Chen received his PhD and BA from Harvard University, was a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and is now an associate professor of sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has given talks at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Cornell University, MIT, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago, and he has been interviewed by news outlets in the U.S. and abroad. Site: victortanchen.com | Facebook | X: @victortanchen
Timothy Beryl Bland, Senior Editor
Timothy Beryl Bland is a public policy expert and writer with experience spanning the U.S. House of Representatives (as a policy advisor), academia, and state government consulting. Holding a PhD in public policy and administration, Tim has advised lawmakers, managed federally funded programs during the Covid-19 response, and translated complex federal regulations into more accessible and equitable initiatives.
Jan Vihan, Contributing Editor
Jan Vihan teaches Chinese at Prague’s Charles University. He was previously a visiting scholar at the International Consortium for Research in the Humanities in Erlangen, Germany. He is the coauthor of the guidebook Rick Steves’s Prague & the Czech Republic.
We remember Oya Hadimli, a dedicated and passionate member of our staff and a beautiful soul. Rest in peace, Oya.