Today we’re very proud to be launching a special issue of This Magazine to mark our 45th anniversary. This Magazine is About Schools published its first issue (seen at right) in April 1966, and quickly established itself as a vital part of the country’s social, political, and cultural landscape. The This that splashed down in the spring of ’66 was a giddy mix of radical politics, pedagogical heresies, and groovy ’60s zeitgeist. It quickly sold out (which is why today, all the archival copies in our office still say “2nd printing” on them), and its message — that the old ideas about education, politics, economics, and culture were being swept away — caught the imagination of a generation of Canadian writers, who flocked to contribute.

In the intervening 45 years, This has been a launch pad, way station, or incubator for some of the most exciting talents in Canadian arts and letters: Margaret Atwood, Dionne Brand, Drew Hayden Taylor, Tomson Highway, Mark Kingwell, Naomi Klein, Dennis Lee, Linda McQuaig, Michael Ondaatje, Stan Persky, Al Purdy, Rick Salutin, Doug Saunders, Jason Sherman, Clive Thompson, and literally hundreds more have been involved in this remarkable and unlikely project over the decades.

For this special issue, we wanted to look back over that impressive history, but also to look forward, to the Canada of the next 45 years. To that end we asked 45 “alumni” of the magazine to each suggest a person or organization they believe is doing important or innovative work, whether in politics, art, activism, academia, or any other field. They came up with a fascinating collection of people and groups who are building our future and doing awesome stuff, and we’ll be bringing you that full list on the website over the coming weeks.

The issue is now arriving on a newsstand near you (it looks like this) and in subscribers’ mailboxes. You’ll be able to read the full issue online eventually, of course, but we’d like to take a moment now to suggest that you consider purchasing a subscription to the print edition if you haven’t already (if you have, thank you!). This is a shoestring operation — always has been, likely always will be — and subscriptions are the best way to enjoy it for a couple reasons. First, it’s cheaper and more convenient for you — the full issue delivered right to your door, at a 46% discount off the cover price, which is, like, wow;  second, subscriptions help support the magazine’s mission, which is to bring you long-form investigative journalism, provocative commentary, and insightful culture reporting by Canada’s most exciting new talents. When you buy us on the newsstand, only a fraction of your dollar makes its way back to us; but when you subscribe, virtually all of the sticker price goes directly to support the magazine and its mandate.

OK, that’s enough lecturing on periodical economics for one sitting. Remember to keep checking this.org/45, where all the profiles will be made available over the next few weeks, and become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to keep informed about new articles as they’re posted. Finally — and this is so cool — take a look at our all-new online cover gallery, a way for you to browse and download images of every cover we’ve ever published over our 45 years.

After the jump, you’ll find the complete list of our alumni featured in the issue and the individuals and organizations they want you to know about. It makes for a very cool read. Thanks for 45 amazing years so far, and many more to come.

The This 45:

• Navneet Alang on blogger-of-the-future Tim Maly
• Joyce Byrne on open-source biologist Andrew Hessel
• Mark Callanan on Roy Miki‘s Mannequin Rising
• Luke Champion on music collective Tomboyfriend
• Susan Crean on indigenous theatre company Native Earth Performing Arts
• Lynn Crosbie on poet Paule Kelly-Rhéaume
• Andrea Curtis on socially responsible organic farmers Gillian Flies & Brent Preston
• Sarah Elton on community supported fishery Off The Hook
• Sky Gilbert on sex-workers’ rights group Big Susie’s
• Gerald Hannon on trans activist Syrus Marcus Ware
• Nicholas Hune-Brown on gospel-folk-rock choir Bruce Peninsula
• Jessica Leigh Johnston on teen feminist magazine Shameless
• Mark Kingwell on artist Olia Mishchenko
• Myrna Kostash on community arts hub Arts on the Avenue
• Katherine Laidlaw on Julie Booker‘s Up Up Up
• Gordon Laird on Buddhist teacher acariya Doug Duncan
• Canice Leung on Ivan E. Coyote & Zena Sharman‘s Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme
• Chandler Levack on electronic musician Mantler
• Linda McQuaig with Katie Addleman on emergency humanitarian force UNEPS
• Hal Niedzviecki on novelist Dany Laferriere
• Arif Noorani on free speech advocates Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
• Ron Nurwisah on ultra-local food co-operative Not Far From the Tree
• Christina Palassio on book futurist Hugh McGuire
• Judith Parker with Kelli Korducki on war-resister defence lawyer Alyssa Manning
• Andrew Potter with Victoria Salvas on democracy researcher Alison Loat
• Rachel Pulfer on foreign correspondents Jessica McDiarmid and Jenny Vaughan
• Judy Rebick on indigenous rights activists Defenders of the Land
• Satu Repo on documentary photographer Vincenzo Pietropaolo
• Jessica Rose on Suzette Mayr‘s Monoceros
• Alex Roslin on journalism incubator the Canadian Centre for Investigative Reporting
• Ellen Russell on activist educators the Catalyst Centre
• Natalie Samson on Youth HIV educator Tamara Dawit
• Craig Saunders on environmental crusader Gideon Forman
• Doug Saunders with Dylan C. Robertson on poverty-fighter Ratna Omidvar
• Emily Schultz on fiction writer Faye Guenther
• Graham F. Scott on parliamentarian Megan Leslie
• Jim Stanford on youth activist trainer Kevin Millsip
• Rosemary Sullivan on fiction writer Lauren Kirshner
• Clive Thompson on zero-growth economist Peter Victor
• RM Vaughan on the late queer impresario Will Munro
• Sonia Verma on Haiti humanitarian Dominique Anglade
• Mel Watkins on alternative news muckraker Ish Thielheimer
• Alana Wilcox on book collective Invisible Publishing
• Mason Wright on civic technologist Susanna Haas Lyons