Shhh! Portfolio's contents a well-guarded secret

The New York Observer’s Michael Calderone wrote in Wednesday’s paper that the contents of the upcoming first issue of Conde Nast Portfolio is being closely guarded.

However, well-known writer Tom Wolfe has a piece on hedge funds, while Kurt Eichenwald is writing about terrorism.

Calderone wrote, “‘People understand why they want secrecy, but it’s also frustrating,’ said a Portfolio staffer. ‘You have to shut up in the elevators.’ And—especially?—the cafeteria.

“Speaking of shadowy processes, senior writer Kurt Eichenwald—late of The New York Times—has written a lengthy feature about terrorism for the inaugural issue.

“It’s one of five or six chunky (say, 5,000-word) features packed into the long-gestating Portfolio. But then, the first issue will have to keep readers occupied for four more months before issue No. 2 appears.

“Mr. Wolfe reported from Greenwich and New York for his piece, which will run outside that crowded feature well—even though he filed long. (‘It’s always catastrophic,’ Mr. Wolfe said. ‘I’d guess it’s closer to 25,000.’)

“Mr. Wolfe said he was recruited by Portfolio staff writer Alexandra Wolfe. Ms. Wolfe has a front-of-the-book piece in the launch. ‘It’s kind of like a father-daughter field entry,’ Mr. Wolfe said. ‘It’s like when you have two horses in the same stable.'”

Read more here. Editor Joanne Lipman was the focus of some staff frustration for ordering a working weekend last weekend and then not showing up until Sunday at 5 p.m., according to the piece.