PRINCETON UNIVERSITY CLASS OF '79 Featured Classmate - Charles Riley, II As pilfered from the May 17, 2000 PAW

Rescuing Ernest Hemingway from political incorrectness Charles Riley '79's magazine for people with disabilities scores literary coup

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Last year, when We magazine nailed down rights to reprint excerpts from Ernest Hemingway's posthumous novel, True at First Light, this literary coup raised more than a few eyebrows. For one thing, despite having a circulation of 300,000, the Manhattan-based publication is only three years old and is still very much a new title on the stands. For another, as its cover states, We is a magazine "for people with disabilities, their families and friends"-a group most people don't associate with the big-game hunting, deep-sea fishing author. But that, as We's editor-in-chief, Charles Riley II '79, will tell you, is exactly the point. "When people think of disabilities, they automatically think of someone who is blind or deaf or in a wheelchair," says Riley, who has no disability other than weak eyesight, for which he wears a pair of glasses. "But there are many, many people walking around with hidden disabilities, like respiratory ailments, diabetes, mental disabilities, and recovery from alcohol or drug addiction. In fact, one out of five Americans has some sort of disability."

Hemingway had to contend with poor eyesight in his left eye from birth as well as injuries from mortar wounds in World War I and from two plane crashes later in life-not to mention diabetes, bouts of depression, and alcoholism. "You have rescued Hemingway from political incorrectness," publisher Charles Scribner told Riley when he phoned to okay the deal.

More accurately, Riley and his tight-knit staff are demonstrating that a caring, straightforward approach to a difficult subject can transcend the concept of political correctness. The magazine's covers have celebrated the courage of Michael J. Fox (who went public about his seven-year struggle with Parkinson's disease), the journalistic skills of NBC's John Hockenberry, and the emotional virtuosity of violinist Itzhak Perlman, who contracted polio as a child. "Our profiles tend to emphasize what someone has accomplished, rather than dwelling on a specific disability," says Riley.

That's not to say the magazine doesn't face disability issues head on: We's articles range from a report on the first ascent of Mount Everest by a disabled climber to fashion spreads of stunning-looking models (all of whom are disabled), medical news, and reviews of new technology. The magazine also contains commentary on political topics, including the ongoing court challenges to the landmark 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.

On leave from Baruch College, where he's a tenured professor of literature and journalism, Riley cofounded We with the well-known Vietnam veteran and advocate for the disabled Terry Moakley. "I'd been coasting as a teacher, and I wanted to do something that would make a difference," Riley says.

To date, Riley and team seem to be satisfying the demands of the disabled community and investors. After being near insolvency a couple of years back, an infusion of funding combined with solid advertising growth has put the glossy publication on firm footing. Essays by the likes of Oliver Sacks and Bill Moyers haven't hurt, either. "We've gotten a lot of praise for our coverage and our appearance," says Riley. "But we have to be good. To be taken seriously, we need to be able to compete with the very best magazines in terms of content and production values."

-Royce Flippin '80
Royce Flippin is a freelance writer living in New York City.