Processed World Magazines 1981-1994

Processed World was an anti-capitalist magazine that emerged from the San Francisco punk scene in 1981. Writers focused on the daily lives of office staff, which many of the founders were, and encouraged dissidence among workers. While the publication actively opposed poor labor conditions and political administrations, its main focus was humor and collectivity through graphics.

Chris Carlsson came up with the initial idea for Processed World after he and other founders immersed themselves in San Francisco’s punk scene and took office jobs during the country’s shift towards automated office systems, which required more temporary employees. While in these positions, Carlsson and the other founders avoided full-time work to focus on their creative and political endeavors, which they more closely identified with. Carlsson recruited Caitlin Manning, Adam Cornford, Christopher Winks, and Steve Stallone to produce the first issue. The group took inspiration from attention-grabbing punk graphics and visual commentary.

The team grew after the first issue, and to recruit readers and collaborators, writers and editors took to the streets wearing paper mache costumes and asking for donations in exchange for the magazine. This tactic helped them avoid business regulations. To physically produce the issues, groups of 50-100 people gathered in a party-like atmosphere to fold and collate copies. In these spaces, contributors and workers engaged in political conversation and built connections. These gatherings continued until Issue 18. Afterwards, the magazine creators began paying a publication company to produce the issues.

Later in the 1980s, Processed World deviated from its initial focus on the everyday experiences of office workers and began to include broader anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist ideas, especially in the midst of the Reagan administration’s Cold War rhetoric.

Processed World stopped publishing in 1994 but regrouped for a 20th anniversary issue in 2001. A final digital issue was released in 2005.

“Are You Doing the Processing...” Processed World Introduction, processedworld.com/History/history.html. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.

Carlsson, Chris. “Processed World.” Notes From Below, 8 June 2019, notesfrombelow.org/article/processed-world.

Processed World Magazines, 1981-1994, contains 16 issues of the publication. Not all issues of Processed World are found in the collection.

This collection is arranged chronologically and according to issue number.

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[Identification of item], Processed World Magazines, MC 00801, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC

Purchase, 2025 November (Accession 2026.0016).

Processed by: Ella Mayfield, 2026 February; Collection guide written by: Ella Mayfield, 2026 February