'Womens' Feelings' For Sale in Cambridge

Newspapers have traditionally covered everything from arson to zinnias. But a newspaper appearing in Cambridge bookstores this month has a surprising new focus--feelings.

"Women's Feelings News (Men Too!)" was previously distributed only in Fairfield, Iowa, home town of creator Marc Halberstadt. Now Halberstadt's brother, John, has brought the paper to Cambridge.

"There's never been a newspaper based on feelings," said John Halberstadt, who lives in Cambridge. "I think what you have in your hands is an American original."

Several bookstores throughout Harvard Square have already begun to distribute what the Halberstadts call "WFN(MT!)," though managers say it is too soon to tell how popular the newspaper will be.

In the first paper, editor Marc Halberstadt said he created WFN(MT!) to address both seriously and humorously the unexpressed feelings generated between men and women, parents and children and bosses and employees.

"People hurt each other on a subtler level of action--the level of conversation--and it's not reported in the paper because it is not a civil offense," he said.

"WFN(MT!) deals with crimes of conversation. It's a police report on conversation.

Halberstadt has appeared on Hard Copy and the Sally Jesse Raphael Show and is the author of What Do You Think of My Face?, which he describes as a "book-long advertisement for a wife."

The first issue's lead stories included "Boyfriend Intimidated by Goddess Within Her" and "Woman's Hand Freezes in Mid-Gesture, Waiting for It to Dawn on This Guy That He's Interrupting."

At least one of the Square's newspaper distributors is still not sure about WFN(MT!)

Fred Cohen of Out of Town News has not yet decided whether to distribute Halberstadt's publication. Low costs and reader response will determine whether he markets the newspaper.