Having studied at Art College for three long years I know how important it is to get your work in…read morethe public domain as early and as much as possible. So I think it' very commendable that the creative art student's at Bristol's University have put together Helicon Magazine. This free magazine showcases their talents in photography, fine art, poetry and journalism. Bristol is renowned for its talented artists, in all shapes and forms, so this seasonal mag is a great way of catching a glimpse of tomorrow's bright young stars. Helicon can be picked up from the University itself, Cooshti and St Nicholas market to name just a few places.

Artistic expression is what Helicon is all about, don't pick it up if you want to find out about…read morethe latest thing the government has screwed up. As an English student i find it interesting to peruse the pages from time to tim and find out what other students are spending their free time doing. the paper is not for everyone but it certainly provide a good read for those interested by the arts.

Reminiscent of The Guardian's Guide, The Cut is one of the best free listings magazines Bristol has…read moreto offer. On the whole, these freebie mags tend to be jammed packed with adverts making it all gloss and no content. The Cut is completely different - its main focus is to show locals Bristol's best of the best in the world of music, theatre, arts, comedy and food. This monthly guide has listings, interviews and features on local Bristol businesses and people. The writing is witty, fresh and interesting, and the design is arty and accessible. It's the essential magazine for locals and visitors to the city to find out where to eat, dance and laugh. As a well known cheapskate it takes a lot for me to say this - but The Cut is the only free magazine that I'd actually pay cold hard cash for (but am eternally grateful that it remains free of charge!) The best places to pick it up are in Park Street shops, St Nicholas Market and Thekla.

This is one of the newer free music magazines in the Bristol area. It's a wonder that so many…read moremanage to survive. You've got Venue the paid for listings magazine, then comes 247 Magazine for all your music needs and there's a couple more smaller ones, The Scene, Suit Yourself Magazine and now The Cut. What amazed me about The Cut is that it had no adverts in it. How the heck was it funded? If you've been in publishing at all you will know that free magazines rely on advertising to pay the bills. It is the bane of any journalists life, having to cut pages due to a lack of advertising to pay for the print run but The Cut does not appear to have this problem and I just don't get it. Perhaps they will start pulling in the ads in future editions? It's largely written by an ex Bristol Evening Post and Venue music writer who knows her stuff so is a good read and the ones I've seen have pretty good artwork too.

Don't be misled by the title of this magazine! Thankfully, it isn't exactly what it says on the…read moretin! What it is, is an amazing free monthly music publication that predominantly caters for the electronic music scene. Crack magazine, however, is much more than a music magazine; It is about modern music, modern youth culture and art. I've been reading Crack for quite some time and they have some of they pull articles and features from some of the biggest electronic music artist in the world - Nina Kravitz, Maya Jane Coles, Todd Terje and Flying Lotus to name just a few! I don't think I've ever had an edition that I've read for less than a a few hours, or picked up less than a dozen times. Half the fun of Crack is finding one. You wont find one in WH Smiths, but you will find a pile of them in the doorway of some cool bars, cafes and pubs around Bristol. Crack also set up brilliant parties in some of Bristol mist unused and unground venues. I've been to a couple and loved them. The guys that run the magazine are also heavily involved in The Christmas Steps pub, which was formerly the 3 sugar loaves. Keep your eye out for Crack!

This magazine is great. There have only been 4 issues so far, but having picked up the last one in…read morethe Flyer on Gloucester road, I began thumbing through it - and very much liked what I saw. It really stands out from the other free publications in the area. Firstly it looks like a newspaper rather than a glossy mag, which gives the impression that you're going to be reading something substantial - which you are. Secondly, there are loads of interesting and in-depth features and articles inside focusing heavily on the music, art and fashion scenes in Bristol. You'll find interviews with local bands and international artists alike, as well as a centre fold poster and even a crossword section at the back. Oh and also, did I mention... it's called Crack. Excellent.

I heart Venue. Not just the listings magazine with its fantabulous local previews, reviews and news…read moreof film, food, nights out, music and events. Not just its unique and enchanting dating and hating service 'I Saw You' and 'I'm Sore at You'. Not just its funny and irrevevant outlook on everything Bristolian and Bathtonian. Not just its bargain price and weekly publication, nor its websites and days out West guides, or green-focused festival companions that come free on a regular basis. Not that it sold out and moved to new offices with the local paper (no, actually I don't love that). I love that its always there, I have a subscription to it and there's always something exciting and new to read. And it makes me go out and do new things - always a bonus.

Bristol's leading listings magazine, Venue is one of very few decent media outlets this city has…read more They do their main job well, with up to date listings of films, gigs, pubs and other things like that. The writing is sharp and funny, and they don't mind slagging something off if that what it deserves. Just what you need if you're new to Bristol, their student guide should be obligatory. What, from my point of view, makes this a good magazine is that they seem to have an idea of the tastes, trends, and likes and dislikes of people like myself. As said before, they're owned by the Daily Mail, which is definitely not cool. There isn't any horrifically right wing editorials to be found though, so it seems to be a fairly benign influence. Venue is decent writing with a good eye as to what should be found in a pub, band, club and the various other things they cover.

Come on guys - give heart a break!…read more So it might not do your street cred much good to have it blaring out with the windows down but I find, in my half an hour drive from work to home it is one of the only stations that I can guarantee actually being able to listen to some music on! Other stations decide to use this peak listening time to presenting mindless babble, when all I want is a few tunes to get me home quicker. I do agree that the talking on Heart is just as bad if not worse, I tend to just tune into another station in between songs. The other real good point is that they are a local station, so you get the travel news relevant to you, and during our recent snow crisis I used their website to find out which buses where running and which roads were closed. I am a fan. If there gave me a t-shirt - I'd wear it.

Oh my God. I had to listen to this radio station whenever I was at my old job and I hated it. The…read moreworst thing was that I found myself singing along after about a week of listening to the same songs over and over again. Even worse are the terrible adverts and jingles (more signing along). Even worse...me having these songs and jingle stuck in my head after work and all the way home. Thanks for polluting my mind.

Bristol University's long-established student paper, entirely run, written and published by a team…read moreof hard-working students. Since I've been at university the paper has improved enormously. Although the current layout is a bit of a Guardian rip-off, it's still looking a lot better than it was before. The website has also been developed and is looking fairly good at the moment. It's a decent student paper although nothing particularly ground-breaking. The quality of writing has improved although is still patchy. Some of the articles are a tad insubstantial or ill-thought out as well. I remember as well numerous teething problems in printing articles - it was heart-breaking to slave over a piece only to find that the closing sentence had been lopped off by a failure to size the page correctly before submission to the printers. Gripes aside, the Epigram is probably of minimal interest to anyone other than students. It's worth a flick through in moments of boredom but until it gets its act together is condemned to line dustbins.

The Epigram is the Bristol University paper, run, and written by the student body. It is published…read moreonce every 2 weeks, and is much the same as the paper you get through your letterbox, although a little broader and student orientated. I find the student directed articles frustrating. They are a complete waste of time and pretty irrelevant and get in the way of the rest of the paper, which directs good writing at interesting topics. The Epigram have recently created a new very impressive website, much like the national newspapers, which is worth a look if you can't get your hands on the actual publications. Pick one up in any of the student buildings.

This radio station is fairly new on the Bristol airwaves. It started broadcasting just over a year…read moreago, and I absolutely love it. I spend a lot of time in my car, and it's such a breath of fresh air compared to the commercial nonsense that's pumped of Radio 1, and don't even get me started on the other local stations - they're not worth the time. Ujima, though, is a gem of a radio station. Playing an eclectic mix of styles, from reggae, soul, r'n'b and hip hop all day long, their presenters vary in confidence and proficiency. Some are very good and sound slick and well experienced, whilst others take a bit of bearing with - but I don't see this as a bad thing at all, rather a nice reality of what this community station is doing for its local area. The station is based in St Pauls, just off Portland Square, and advertise local events and nights that are being put on. I just love getting in the car in the middle of the day and hearing some reggae on the radio - it does just the trick to chill you out at work. Tune into 98fm, you won't regret it.

'Great Music, Great Chat, Great Opportunities'…read more Off the back of the reviews by Jon and Lisa I tuned into Ujima on my way home for work last week - the music was great in places, I'm really not a fan of radio chat at all and theirs was below average, but that does seem to be redeemed by their involvement in local events. 'From Bristol with Love' is their next planned event on 3rd March at the Metropolis to raise money for Haiti. Whether they play your kind of music or not you have to admire their determination to represent and involve the African and Caribbean communities in Bristol, I think they are gaining momentum and are well on their way to meeting their aim of becoming a flagship radio station. Give it a try on your way home!

A warning to all you ladies out there: if, after dragging your doting boyfriend around the retro…read moreshops of Park Street, you loving ask, 'is there anywhere you want to go?' you may just end up at Forbidden Planet. This comic book and sci-fi mega store is every boys dream and every girl's nightmare. Be prepared to lose several very important shopping hours here. Having said that, it's easy to admire the scale of the store and the quality of the goods they have to offer. Even I, a sci-fi phobic, enjoyed flicking through the comic books and eyeing up the DVDs. It's a great place to shop for presents for boyfriends, friends and little brothers. And, luckily for me, the shop assistants are so helpful so even the clueless can pick the perfect stocking filler.

Comic book nerds and geeks (or those that think Sci Fi is so square that it's hip) from all around…read morewill love forbidden planet. It's not the easiest place to find - it's on the less visited part of triangle, so a little away from the main shopping drag on Park Street, but definitely worth making the effort for. If you're not into comics too much yourself, this is definitely a brilliant place to grab an original gift for someone who is - there's endless amounts of memorabilia. The stuff here is pretty expensive though.