Salon asked former Paste Associate writer Rachel Maddux to write an account and reflection on the life and death of Paste Magazine.  As usual, she doesn’t disappoint.  A great piece.

And then, on Tuesday, my bosses — three guys who built the publication and the company from the ground up — gathered our dozen-person staff into the conference room, slid the doors shut and said, “We have bad news.” And it was bad: The whole staff was furloughed effective immediately; the print magazine was dead; the website would continue, but under uncertain auspices.

I’ve cried over lesser things at work and in life, but for some reason, just after the announcement, I found myself having to stifle a laugh. Minutes later, seemingly in a burst of hysteric dyspepsia, someone in the room burped loudly. Then I laughed. And then I cried.