Here's The Love...

This was an experience much appreciated by my self and all the other people who won't get to take a class like Small Press. Of all the enlightening subjects I've involved myself in I have to say I learned much of what I came to school to learn in that class. Everyone was a joy to work around and learn from and we all know Jonathan is a great teacher. You all are more than welcome to keep in contact with me and also keep this blog up and going. I'll check it every now and then and hang out on it. Shoot I like the darn thing.

Anyways, good luck finding work and getting you creative passions fulfilled as you look and you will reach nirvana...

Bruce Kent
Audio8.com
AV8*ion Publishing

It's All Over

I really enjoyed this class. It gave me the motivation to start up my own zine which I've been wanting to do since last semester when I took Fiction Writers and Publishing. I feel like everyone in the class put in their best effort and everyones projects turned out great. I've already linked up a few of you on StickBall. I can't wait to see where these all go in the future.

Here's the web address for StickBall is anybody needs it. www.stickballzine.com

Also, Candace, I was having trouble linking to Anonymous City so can you give me the link? Thanks a lot.

The End

Well, it's been a lot of fun working on this project and I still feel like I want to go back in and tweak some things and just keep messing with it, but I know it's done. I just have to sit back and enjoy it now, get the word out about it, and then get some more submissions for the next issue. It is a relief to have it all done, though.

I agree with Anna - all the web people should put their urls up. And all the print people should make some more copies and mail them to us :) or sell them at Quimby's.

Kaleidoscopic Resonance's url - http://kaleidoscopicresonance.wordpress.com

It's been fun, everyone! Thanks for a great class, Jonathan!

clink url

http://www.clinkdrunkstories.wordpress.com


could everyone else with websites post their urls, so I can link to them on clink?

In which I get my shit together and everything falls into place at mostly the last second. Funny how that works, huh?

clink is up and running. I solved the video problem, thank goodness. Well, I sort of solved it. I just reshot the Cinderella one with the same chickiba who told it before, only this time she was drunker and she laughed more. And I got more videos. So I am totally happy. I hope you all are so excited to see the site tomorrow night that you won't be able to sleep, eat, or breathe.

I will never be a Luddite

I don't have internet right now. Haven't had it, actually, since May 1. It's been both a blessing and a curse for my project and my life.

The blessing? I've been able to whip out a bunch of prototypes of what I want the physical thing to look like much faster than if I had access to the sundries of the Internet. I even spent more consecutive and cumulative time in front of the computer, er, building the website for Invisible Arc than I would've if I had access to Myspace and Facebook and my stupid blog.

The curse? Communicating with people has been a bitch of a time. I didn't realize I relied so much on e-mail. It's just really frustrating not being able to respond to people the instant I get their e-mail. Really. How did people live without e-mail? And constantly checking the weather. And seeing if I still have enough space on my Flickr account because I'm too cheap to upgrade to a Pro account. And updating my Podcasts. And a billion other things not related to my project.

Anyway, regardless of the 'net situation, I'm still not freaking out really. I feel like I ought to, though, as if it's the sort of thing I need to do. Maybe I've been extremely lucky with this project and it's going to kick my ass so hard when I venture to do my next one (which is happening, definitely, because, c'mon, after interning/working at two lit journals and making my own zine, I think I have the gumption to make more than one). Though, I know that at like two in the morning, I'll wake up, freak out at the stitching in my binding is all muffed up and probably end up rebinding a whole new book because last-minute panics are the best, I guess.

AND. I can't find my phone so I can't even call my lousy artist or writers to make any last minute demands. I have the faintest inkling that it fell out of my pocket or something whilst biking. Technology and I, we don't get along much.

Anonymous City Press Release

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Welcome to Anonymous-City

Myanonymouscity.wordpress.com is the forthcoming, first phase of an online magazine aiming to incite the social and cultural instance based tales from new and emerging student writers. The intention is to briefly commandeer an array of reader’s emotions and ideals for an assortment of flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry from Columbia College Chicago’s students, one recent graduate and an adjunct faculty member. A tri-quarterly magazine each year’s three issues will include repeating themes. The premier issue’s theme will be women’s lives/femininity in society and all the relationships, conflicts, triumphs, lessons learned and all that meanders in between. For example, Anonymous City’s first issue includes a young woman’s journey of family love by finding a soul mate in her closest cousin and childhood friend. Separately, a lady entering middle age finally decides to have children but discovers the impossibility within her own uterus and conversely the possibilities of rediscovering her body and femininity without a procreating destiny.

Each issue of Anonymous City will be posted by the 16th of January, May and September months. From each contributor their brief biographies, current projects as well as links to their personal websites will be made available following their contribution posts. Included in the premeir issue will be an interview with Amy Schroeder, Editor and Founder of Venus Zine. It's not your average Q and A but we hope you enjoy. For further information please contact the Editor-in-Chief.

Candace Robertson
Address inserted
Crob243@yahoo.com
773-780-8420

The following are a couple of writers Anonymous City thinks that you should look out for:
Jessica Young has a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in Performance Studies, and this spring she's graduating with an MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago. She's been published in Warpland, Hair Trigger 29 and 30, the 2007 and 2008 Story Week Reader, and she has an essay in the upcoming issue of Ghost Factory. She is a contributor to Chicago Public Radio's Eight Forty Eight. Jessica is currently an adjunct faculty member at Columbia College. She is at work on her first short story collection, and lives in Chicago.

CP Chang received his M.F.A. in Fiction Writing from Columbia College of Chicago in 2007. His fiction and poetry have appeared in Hair Trigger, artisan, Upstairs at Duroc, Atlanta Review, on Nerve.com, on wordriot.org, and in the anthology My Angels and Demons at War. He also writes a column for the suburban newspaper The Evanston Sentinel. A section of his novel-in-progress (tentatively titled Causes) won the Patricia Painton Scholarship at the Paris Writers Workshop and an Honorable Mention with the Helen Fong Dare Scholarship at Columbia College.
He can be heard performing his work as a contributor to the reading series RUI: Reading Under the Influence, at the Kate the Great's bookstore, and as part of the 2nd Story performance group. His photography can be seen in No Touching and on Schmap Chicago.

Monica? Are you there?

Yo Monica. I was wondering if you could email me about your roommate and his willingness to eat cake for booking services. If you get this my email is crissieo@gmail.com

Out Of The Gate, The Race Begins

I finally got the finished file from the designer.  Had little things fixed like switching odd page numbers to the right-side page, etc.  Uploaded it to AlphaGraphics and am waiting to hear from them to go over some specifics.  Now it's off to the races to get it proofed and printed by Tuesday.  They still say that Tuesday by 4:00 p.m. should be "nooo problemo."

*5/9 UPDATE:  AlphaGraphics said the proof will be ready Monday afternoon.  After I look at it and give the okay, the rest of the copies will be ready for pick up at 2:00 Tuesday.

Now...about those other classes I'm taking...  

A Taste of Something New

I received my first unsolicited submission! Finally! The week before this thing is due. I'm so excited though. A couple weeks ago, I posted a call for submissions on Columbia's new classified ad section on the InTheLoop thing for students and alumni and I think that is probably where she learned about my magazine. The best part is that the submission is for the Taste section, which was lacking any content. Now I just need to figure out what to say in the acceptance letter - wish I had some acceptance letters of my own to refer to. I want to write her and be like, "OMG! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your awesome poem! Because I was really getting desperate for something to fill the Taste section and this poem is better than I ever expected to find!" But that really wouldn't be very professional would it? I feel a bit embarrassed though, because the submission comes from a stranger, a Columbia alumni, and is a very well written poem, whereas my other submissions were solicited as favors from my amateur friends - some of which haven't written anything since high school. Not to slam them or anything, because their submissions are much appreciated, but it is not the best work I've ever read in my life. Now, with a real writer other than myself, I feel like the stakes have been raised. It no longer feels like just another class project. This person may actually credit my magazine in her cover letter for future submissions. Whoa.

Preparing for Anonymous City's Premier

In the beginning I constructed this elaborate design for this all art all the time website, somehow forgetting that I don’t know very much about web design and I’m not one for asking others for help. So, I’ve definitely decided to work on the blog site with WordPress and the stories that have been submitted. In my Fiction Writing and Publishing course last semester, we were made aware of the fact that most writers don’t send online magazines their best stuff, so I had to be prepared for the worst. Then, I read the stories and I was pleasantly surprised and grateful they even sent me anything at all.

Now it’s time to post everything and I hope that it comes out ok. Knowing that the site won’t be exactly what I want it to be, I have to focus on the stories and their potential. Speaking to that issue, I’ve always considered myself more of a novel person but since Fiction II I can’t put down my Norton’s Anthology, Oxford Book of American Short stories, Sherman Alexie’s “Toughest Indian in the World” and after reading Kelly Link’s “Stranger Things Happen” they’ve changed how I look at short fiction and I believe they have helped my editing of the short stories I’ve received from my contributors. Even thought my contributors’ stories were pretty much finished when I received them, my reading is helping me dig into their meaning or themes as they relate to AC’s first issue’s theme. Hopefully the blog won’t be too bad of a read.

Home Stretch

Found a pro designer that is doing the layout for me.  I see it as paying them to keep my sanity InTact.  Also, I talked to Alpha Graphics today and they say that 6x9, saddle stitch, full-color with nice cover can be turned around in 48-hours.  My artist said all work will be completed by this weekend, so that will give the designer a couple of days to do his magic.  I think all is good in the riding hood.  But next time I will do things different. Like:

• Plan to do the writing myself for the first copy.  Anything submitted by others will be icing on the cake, but not hold me hostage.
• Hire a designer from the get-go.  For the second edition, I will have something in hand that fits my expectations to show a collaborator.
• Artwork is a pain, but it is a necessary one.  After I have a copy in my hands, I don't think finding an artist for a 2nd issue will be as hard.  A real artist sees the first one,  says "That's crap.  I'll do it much better."  Then I dare them to.

Not in Class

Hey Guys I wasn't in class Tuesday so I was wondering if any of you could let me know what is due for next week? Thanks a lot.

Coming down the home stretch

I now have all of my submissions complete with editing and my cover art taken care of. Even with the big stuff taken care of, this task of actually putting it together still seems rather daunting. I finally dealt with that writer problem (or problem writer) and he sent back a re-write. Though it is barely a re-write, he fixed what I asked him to and now I don't really have to bother with him anymore. I guess the next step is heading to Kinko's and spend some quality bonding time with my kitchen floor.

God Porn Press Release

God Por’n

Christopher Watson, John Logan, Camonie Johnson

4873 N. Kenmore Ave.

Chicago, IL 60640

(773) 599-7718

godpornzine@gmail.com

“There aren’t enough exclamation points to puncture a single succulent second of existence!” –God Por’n motto

God Por’n is a new kind of magazine that intends to revolutionize literature and culture through the embrace of passion and the exploration of the infinite possibilities offered by the dawning Information Age. Its content willfully combats the complacency and nonchalance that has become the veneer of our postmodern world without the usual preachiness and gloom of your average revolutionary. In contrast, the magazine embraces the zany and surreal in a conscious attempt to bring their power into the concrete world in an understandable way. Though well educated with degrees in literature, the founders of God Por’n envision the magazine as a blue collar literary showcase. Although deep theosophical, philosophical and ontological issues are addressed, they are discussed in ways translatable and entertaining to the everyday human.

The form of the magazine is loosely based around the concept of literature, though the theme and content of each issue will change dramatically. The Zero Issue (also known as The Six Headed Beast) is centered around six poems by different writers with each of the authors writing short stories and lunatic essays in response to each other to create a wild tapestry of agnostic dread, existential optimism, street music, the loss and regaining of self and the secret immortality hiding in the right kind of smile. The next issue, known as The Manifesto Estate will be a collection of personal, social, political and religious manifestos from some of the brightest and most energetic minds in the Chicago underground.

God Por’n is a zine that has been aching in the heart of Chicago long before it was ever published (June 31^st, 2008, $6) and brings together the city’s loose ends into a beautiful tangle worthy of a new genre. It’s been building into a force whose momentum seems unstoppable as the buzz spreads through different communities and submissions skyrocket. We at God Por’n cordially invite you to be there at the magazine’s inception to review each issue and attend our fundraising parties.

Christopher Watson graduated Columbia College in 2008 with a degree in Fiction Writing. He is the chief A&R executive of the record label Auidio 8 Recordings and is the front man and founder of the band “Harlet Star”.

John Logan graduated from Columbia College in 2008 with a degree in Fiction Writing and a minor in Poetry. He is the founder of LCP Inc., an underground organization of pranksters that has been handing out strange, goofy and philosophical flyers in 3 states since 2001. He is also the front man and founder of the band “The Fighting Scientists”.

Camonie Johnson graduated UIC in 2005 with a degree in English. He currently works with the non for profit organization Chicago Young Authors to enact social change that encourages writing and literature in Chicago communities. He is also the co-founder of the band “The Innervisionists”.

Just When You Thought Going to Print Meant "Done"

So after an arduous process, I converted everything to PDF and then to FTP only to find out there were some formatting issues. Things like "text subsets" and "embedded codes". These things are not in my vocabulary. As I was speaking with my guys at the printers, I'm giving a lot of "uh-huh" replies. I get off the phone with them, dial up my layout girl, and start biting her head off about why these issues were not taken care of. Suffice to say, beggars can't be choosers. Free help is not easy to negotiate. Fortunately, I put her in touch with their tech person and now things are being smoothed out. I may be a writer and an editor but a graphic designer and code writer I am not.

Web Comic in StickBall?

Well today I got a lovely little message from my friend Mason saying that he would like to submit a web comic. So I told him I would check it out and actually really enjoyed it. Now I originally wanted to keep the zine to all prose but the addition of a web comic seems like a good idea. Instead of the magazine being all about words there will be some visual as well. I really like the idea of that and I also tend to enjoy graphic novel to I'm thinking about allowing that submitted as well.

When Tapes Attack (Or don't, in this case)

So maybe it's the end of the world.

Not really, but I'm about to scream. Here's what happened:

My friend borrowed a camera from his school and brought it to my house on Saturday night, where many people were gathered with alcohol. Don't worry; the camera was not harmed at any point in the night, nor was it stolen, both of which kind of surprised me. Anyway, he set it up and we had this chair and all this great lighting and a line of people who wanted to tell drunk stories and then Pooty, my friend who brought the camera, realized that he didn't have a tape. HE DIDN'T HAVE A TAPE TO RECORD ANY VIDEO ON!!!! This was both of our faults, seeing as I just assumed he'd bring it, and he forgot all about the part where you need a tape to record videos. Because sometimes he is an idiot. But really, I love him for getting the camera.

Anyway, so I didn't get any drunk videos on Saturday, and I still haven't heard from my writers. But it's okay. Because I have decided to use my awesome digital camera to do the video, because it's easier than dragging around Pooty and his borrowed camera, especially because he forgets about tape. And I wrote one drunk story and got a few non-writerly friends of mine to tell me some drunk stories or promise to write them down.

So it's not the end of the world. And I won't get an F in this class, because I WILL actually have something to put up on the internet before the semester is over. I promise.

The editing monster

I've finally set up some sort of plan of attack to finally complete this thing, but alas, plans will only get screwed eventually. The editing thing is my main problem still. The writer of the piece that I believe needs the most editing seemed offended when I suggested a re-write. He said he'd do it, but I have a feeling I'll need to start making some nagging phone calls soon. Other than that piece, I think the others are turning out quite nicely (whew), and I've asked a few people to sketch a cover illustration for me. I figure, if they all actually come through, I'll have options for the cover.

Having decided to make this publication in the kitchen floor/countless late nights/scissors and glue sticks sort of approach, I'm excited to start the hands-on process. It's like painting or molding a book rather than writing.

Any suggestions on how to deal with stubborn/sensitive/slightly asshole writer are welcome.

My love/hate relationship with InDesign.

So I downloaded the free trial of InDesign. And after a couple hours of complete frustration and confusion and wanting to throw my computer out the window, I think I'm finally starting to get it. The only problem now is there's so many options, I'm spending way too much time obsessing over little details like "what font should the title be?" "should I move this paragraph up a little more?" "why won't this last sentence fit onto the previous page?!"
But I'm actually starting to have some fun with it. I still can't find out how to get a picture onto my cover, but I'm surprised at how professional it's starting to look. I was thinking about buying the whole program on a whim, just because there's so much you can do with it- like story boards and menus!- but then I realized I will never have to make either.
Anyway, I guess I'm just really excited about having actually been able to figure it out- and without a tutorial! I was just clicking around randomly.
My next problem is if I just print it out from my printer, and then get it bound at Kinko's, the pages are going to be one sided, and it's not really going to look as nice as I would like. But like we were saying in class, it's only a prototype, right?

One Author Gets Brownie Points

One of my authors is making me feel better about being an editor. Today I received her final edit on the piece that we've been working on together for quite sometime and truthfully I think we're both happy with it. I just went in and did a few line edits but other then that it's ready to go. This made me feel really good about what I'm doing with StickBall as opposed to how I'd been feeling before. The two other authors that I'd heard back from were rather difficult toward my edits and I just felt like, "Hey I'm trying to help you guys out."

It felt really good to have a piece finalized and finished, completely ready to post online at the zine. Now I'm just waiting on everyone else. It's one less thing on my mind at the moment so that really helps.

It's all about Craig's little list

I posted a request on craigslist.org for "Designer Needed for New Zine," and within 24 hours received 7 replies.  My post pointed out that it is a non-paying gig, that the only real compensation is the chance to buff their portfolio.  Some have even forwarded links to their work.

It seems that everything is getting back on track, but at this point I still get bent whichever way the wind blows.  

Cheap and Lazy- cater to it

Every time I manage to get something for free, whether it is a nightstand from the alley, cheese and crackers from an event I didn't attend, or a book online, I feel an inner moment of bliss from cheating the system. Maybe it's because I read Stranger Things online to begin with that the idea of reading a book online doesn't bother me as much as others. Yes, reading online is definitely different, online is public while a book is personal. There is a private personal attachment to a physical book, for instance, if I lend a book to someone and don't get it back, I will burn with resentment and no longer call that person my friend. Books are dear to the heart, a kind of friend. Reading online lacks all intimacy, its like porn, or something... I'll flesh out that simile later, but I have to say that the convenience of online reading will sometimes outweigh the lack of person-to-print bonding.

I just reread an old time favorite of mine online, 1984, which I probably would not have done if I had to truck to the library, worry about overdue fines, or buy it outright from a bookstore (which hardly ever happens), so I read something because I got it online. Is that such a bad thing? And with the prospect of moving again, I am not looking forward to lugging those books up and down stairs for the third time in three years. Having books is wonderful but so is having the option of attaining stories through the internet, where it might even reach more people.

More Editor Woes

Like I mentioned in class last night my writer's have been pretty picky about what I'm doing as an editor. Today I received two replies from the edits I made and one writer told me that I over-edited his piece and gave me a lengthy reply as to why everything I edited was wrong in his eyes.

I don't know if maybe because all of the writers I'm dealing with are students or what, but do editors deal with this on a regular basis. I felt like what I did added to the piece not took away from him and he made me feel like my input was unwanted and unneeded.

I also feel like just because I edit something doesn't mean I don't like it. I decided to publish the work which means that I obviously like it. Oh and I got a reply from the girl with the pac-man bar story who said she understood why I took that section out that I did and agreed with me that it slows down the piece. That made me feel pretty good actually. Since it affirmed I knew what I was talking about at least.

I know that some pieces are like people's children, but come on, let them grow up. I mean maybe I did over edit, maybe I did change a bit too much, but that's why I expect to have a correspondence with each and every one of the writers I'm publishing so we can reach a nice medium where we both like where things are at in the piece.

SRANGER THINGS ONLINE!?

Survival’s Ball, or, The Donner Party:

I re-read as a free download, and I would like to take a moment to speak on the matter. There was a fear of mine that I wouldn’t be able to see the story in my mind the same way as if it were read from the book on the page. That was a stupid assumption seeing as I read stories on line all the time. I guess the thing that made me feel this was the fact that it was an assignment that caused me to dwell on the matter. Seeing the story in my mind is a very intimate experience that shouldn’t be compromised. Reading on the train or with the television on in the back ground don’t break my concentration either. I did not feel the distraction of other media attempting to take my attention on my computer the way most people in the class feared.

The pros of reading a download. There are manipulations that one can claim that cannot occur from a book format. When you download an article of writing you can change the font size or the actual font to fit your personal preferences. That is all…

The cons of a download. It feels disposable. When I have a book in hand I want to keep it. This download is getting erased as soon as I am done. I also feel more connected when reading a book apposed to being online. It feels more real somehow. I like to collect books of all kinds. Text books on writing and most sciences, journals, poetry and novels are all objects that make my house a home. Keeping them around allows for dramatic effect and employs others to gain access in a more traditional way. I prefer not to scroll when I read. Now that does cause a break in concentration for me when I’m not editing my own work.

Sheesh, the list is depressing. I feel if you can do both then it is obviously the best way to go. I did like the fact that I had the option to do both. If I were given the option before I bought the book then I would have bought the book anyway just to add to my collection. Hey, some people collect stamps or rocks. I collect all three and much more.

As far as a selling agent I feel that it can help for people who don’t have money and that’s cool. And for the people who do have the cash to make the purchase, they can introduce it to there friends without having to let them borrow the hard copy. I wonder when is the best time to release a free version of a book on line? After it has sold a considerable amount or if it isn’t selling much in the first place. I would imagine that both are acceptable. If it isn’t selling well then allowing people to see and example of you work could bring promising results for a second product in production.

At the end of the day I think I want my books as books. The Internet is has taken over too much of our lives as it is and the last thing I want to see in the world is books disappearing from the shelves of libraries and schools. Novels should be available for free after a while just as a playwright’s material becomes public domain. People take too much advantage of the Speed Racer lifestyle and should slow down more in general. Granted these are all my personal opinions but looking at the state of the world has led me to believe that nothing we are doing in the today is going to pay off for any of us in the long run of man kinds progression.

In the end I stand on the fact that both function to meet the expectation of the reader. If we could write these stories as painting to reach a wider audience then we should.


-Bruce Kent
Audio8.com

"That's Almost a Wrap People"

So after a long, daunting, and soul-draining process, I've compiled everything I need to go to print. I'd say the toughest part was getting my celebrity writer's submission. I've learned that sometimes you have to play Cap'n Mother-Fucking-Asshole/Play the Game in order to appease all parties, meet deadlines, and still have a staff. Doing all the proofing/editing is no easy task so once this thing is negotiated, signed, and backed, I'm hiring a second staffer. I can't do this all by myself. Fortunately, I had a free-lance artist who worked for free pending my guarantee of a future gig which I'm in the process of making good.

All I can say is that launching a journal is not for anyone who wants to do this as a hobby; esp if you're also a writer. You're either all the way or get the fuck outta here. I'm in this for the long haul so either contribute, start a press, or have fun in a suit.

The Tooth that Told the Truth

Kelly Link's Stranger Things Happen proves that yes they do indeed after reading her short story entitled The Survivor's Ball or The Donner Party.

The story hooks you instantly as we are thrown into a situation already transpiring with two friends who met by happenstance during their course of travel. Jasper, one of the two main characters, has a broken molar which has become the acting "little voice in the back of his head." The time is not really made clear yet it must be sometime in the mid 20th century as they are driving along a wintered, winding road in search of a hotel. The relationship between Jasper and Serena is juxtaposed with the twisting and turning road in which they are traveling. Outwardly, it's platonic but Link avails little hints between the two that suggest it building into something more serious.

They swerve to miss a random, road rug-rat that sends them off the road into a ditch which seems to parallel with Jasper's uncertainty about the whole situation. The parallel structure juxtaposed with the other character makes for an intricate blue print in this telling. Link brings the two about as they find themselves at a hotel mingling with a group of elegant yet sketchy characters who seem to be hiding something larger. The leader or MC of the gathering, Mr. Donner, is conveyed as a multi-faceted character who Link uses to hint at what's really going on but not enough to make it too obvious.

Link's use of Magical Realism is dashed on the platter for flavor as Serena disappears into the hoard of guests followed by a wolf's howl in a land of Marsupials.

Link online

I don't like to read anything longer than a paragraph from a monitor.  Even when doing research papers I'll just read the title of an article, then print it.  Most of the time I can cherry-pick a few sentences and make them fit my thesis.  By doing this I save paper and my eyes.

When I first pulled up The Specialist's Hat on my computer, the large black & white blocks of words illuminated by the bright smiling-dog-faced background of my desktop, I felt a familiar sense of dread.  It reminded me of one of the lengthy soapbox emails I get from a relative. The kind that usually ends with, "If you believe in this message, share the lord and forward this to 19 of your friends.  But if you hate God and country, just delete it.  You jerk."  

But I did read a few paragraphs of the story.  Enough to know that I didn't like it.  I'd rather kick back on the couch and read, turning pages, and when I fall asleep I can move my bookmark and start snoozing; minimal effort here.  Reading on my desktop?  Not a fan.

so much for brevity. har har.

I chose to reread "The Specialist's Hat" because I couldn't remember if the hat actually bit someone or not; I needed to settle my mind on the issue. After rereading it twice? The groundskeeper, I think? Still can't remember. Unlike my first reading--which was quick but awesome because it was one of my favorite--I just plowed through the internet readings, hoping to actually finish reading the story without my eyes bleeding from staring at practically the same spot on my monitor for so long. I don't think I retained much.

The problem with reading online is that I am mostly online when I'm at work and so there's more than internet distractions. There's work distractions. Work distractions for me include rousing games of ping pong where I DOMINATE (well, not really, but I have the swagger and trash talk of someone who does) and occasional bouts of actual work. It took me about three hours to read and it was difficult to stay focused. I mean, I made two moves on this Scrabulous game I'm playing that's taking about eight years to complete, checked my e-mail a handful of times, and left a friend a Myspace comment. So I tried again earlier tonight in the comforts of my room in front of my own computer.

And it still wasn't very fun. I cheated, I guess, and downloaded the PDF as it looked more like pages instead of huge blocks of text that the HTML version gave me at work. It was easier, the simulation of pages, to get through. The fact that I initially wrote "get through" instead of "read" sort of bothered me. I'm not sure why. Maybe I just don't take reading that much in one sitting at the computer as seriously or enjoyable(-y?) as I do with an actual book. I mean, I do enjoy reading things on the internet; I read Brevity, McSweeney's, a few other online lit journals, and more blogs than I can count, but those are are quick reads that often don't demand much from me as a reader. I'm stuck on the nice tangibility of having a book, as mentioned by Katie, that acts as a trophy of sorts that helps inflate my ego so I can subliminally say to everyone when I place it on my shelf, "See, I READ. This book here? Read. Have you read it? Well, it doesn't matter because I have and I don't have to tell you because it's on my shelf, thus implying that it's been read." Reading from a book has this nice sense of accomplishment; you can actually feel the pages go by until all of sudden you're at the end. Staring at my computer screen? Endless.

I like my books as books

I hate reading things online. Especially stories. I tried rereading "Water Off A Black Dog's Back", and I honestly couldn't even get through it. I ended up skimming through parts, I got confused a lot because my eyes kept crossing or something. With all the pronouns, I was like "who's what now?"
Skimming was a huge part of why I couldn't take in the story. I'd see these huge blocks of single spaced words that never seemed to end and I just felt like I had to get through the story. With an actual book, I can physically turn the pages- there's an end in sight. I could close the book after a story or chapter and set it down with a bookmark. What do you have online? There's no bookmark, except the one you used to mark the website that holds the entire story on page!
I don't understand this new technology, it's called Kindle, and it's like an iPod for books. I guess it can hold a whole library, and you read these books on your screen. Even in theory, I don't like the idea. Part of the book experience is having them on your shelf, in your library! They're like little trophies or something. You read them, you've lived through the characters, and then there they rest until you want to pick it up again. But maybe I'm just being old fashioned.
I'm getting off the topic, but I guess what I mean to say is I like my books as books, not as online documents.

Reread of Water Off A Black Dog's Back

I reread Water Off A Black Dog's Back online just like we were assigned. As I was reading I kept thinking of other things I needed to do, clicking off to check my email, etc.

My eyes also started to hurt after awhile. The type wasn't double spaced and everything seemed so pressed together. There's only so long I can concentrate on a computer screen.

I'm easily distracted when I'm reading online as well and it was no different with Kelly Link's story. I just think it's too lengthy to be something read online. I started to get frustrated with having to reread this again in a less comfortable manner.

I can see why she would put her work online for people to access freely, but I think it would be better to print it out. That's a lot of ink though and I don't know how many people would be willing to do that. I also don't know how many people would be willing to sit there and read the whole collection online.

I'm not a website moron!

Okay so today I decided what the hell let's start making StickBall for real. I registered at wordpress and got down to business. So, me, the one with all the questions about design and how do I do this just started messing around. I picked a template, I made my own header and started making pages. After about an hour or so I really liked the way it was looking. Not gonna lie I'm kind of proud of myself. Earlier in the semester it seemed like something so foreign, something that I was incapable of doing and now I have the page all set up. I really like the way it looks right now, and I might just leave it for good, but I think I'm going to try and personalize the design a bit more. Go for the original idea that I had about the mixed skyline. The header I chose now is an actual photo that I took driving along the BQE with my parents. So it's original. I don't know if taking photos of skylines and cutting them up from online and making my own would be copyright infringement. Do any of you know if it is?

Organizized

With all my submissions together and set, I've run into the next problem: organizing. All the stories fit into the theme of my journal, but I'm growing more concerned with how to order them within the pages. Logic will suggest alphabetical order, but that same logic makes me want to avoid it, if that makes any sense. Maybe I'm just getting to a point where I'm stressing about every minor detail.

I'M ALMOST DONE!!!

GOT ALL THE SUBMISSIONS.

LOOKING FOR PRINT QUOTES? MAY ALREADY HAVE AN IN WITH A BUDDY.

CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT I REALLY WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE...

WAITING FOR THE START UP CASH.

AUDIO8.COM

OH BOY

So over this past weekend I read through each of my submissions. Some of them were okay and well one I refused to accept and work with the guy on editing. It was really just awful. The five others were all pretty good. Only three needed full rewrites which I told the authors why, one was too dialect heavy for my taste, the other needed something brought to the forefront much earlier and the last just had a lot of filler that didn't need to be there. If she doesn't take it out then I think I just will. The other pieces just need some editing stuff which is fine by me.

I was really surprised by how different each of the pieces were though. All of them fit the theme but in different ways and I loved that about reading them. The Cubana is a great piece about a Mexican wedding and the guy being obsessed with his cousins ex-wife and The Wrong Side of Candyland is an awesome piece of flash fiction about the seedy underbelly of Candyland. I also got a great flash fiction piece about a bum on the El. Only one piece that was written seemed like, "here take this just because you asked me and I'm being nice," and I told that author that it needed a rewrite.

Now, onto the Kelly Link interview.

I love what she said about fantasy writing and the quote she used by John Updike. The idea that everything needs to be realistic is ingrained in us as Americans and it tends to be what the American public enjoys. So why can't a story about pirates with magic maps and rejuvenating treasure be just as good as that? I feel like sometimes we take ourselves too seriously and don't have enough fun and that's why fantasy has such a terrible label placed on it.

I also feel that same way she does about being a literary writer. I don't really like to call myself that either. I just write, whatever comes to mind and I write it. In a way she's saying the same thing even though she'd rather be called a science fiction writer. I definitely agree with her saying that people are almost afraid of the genre books and I don't really understand why. I thought reading was about Immersing oneself in a different world. So why do Science Fiction and Fantasy have such a stigma about them? I don't really get it. My favorite book of all time is Peter Pan and in essence it's a fantasy story, but why is that such a bad thing? I love it. I love reading about things that couldn't possible happen but seem like they could. That's what Kelly Link is saying to me. Read these outlandish stories because what else is there? Writing fiction is about engaging the imagination.

I feel like Kelly is talking to me in this interview especially when she mentions her fear of boring people or that writers get stuck using particular themes or types of characters. I know that I do that for a fact and that I tend to enter my comfort zone and stay there. I've recently been trying to break that I definitely understand where she's coming from with this statement. I'm always afraid that something I've written isn't engaging or has no real moment that the reader gets hooked on the story. I don't think that fear ever ends, and hearing that from Kelly Link tells me that it really doesn't.

"Writer's should lead quiet boring lives, but be sure to have friends with interesting and difficult ones." I'm not going to say that my life is boring or quiet, but this completely makes sense. Most of the time I prefer to stay home and just watch a movie. I'd rather not go to a club, bar or party, when I'm home I just want to watch T.V with my parents or visit my grandfather with my mom. Kelly Link takes details of her friends lives and uses them in her stories, making them grander and more fanatical. I believe that all writers do that just not in the same capacity that she does. She creates a fantasy world out of real happens. Autobiographical points in a story make them something better then just having them be completely fiction, for me anyway and to know that even though Kelly writes strange, awkward and completely out there fiction but draws from real life makes me adore her writing even more.

What Kelly says about writing YA fiction makes total sense. I wouldn't like to be talked down to or to be lectured. I didn't like it when I was fifteen and I'm sure I didn't like it as a kid. I also have to agree that in order to write a book for a certain age group of readers you have to go back and remember everything about what it was like to be that age. I think those are the best YA books. The ones that tap into that time in the author's life even though they might be telling a vampire story or something like that.

Kelly Link made so many good points in this interview, so many things that really got to me as a writer, things that I do or don't do, or things that I even think about. As I read it I was going "Oh yeah, yes I know what you mean." She was dead on with almost everything she said. I actually want to read more of her work as well as some more interviews.

Paint for Macs?

So at first I was getting kind of overwhelmed when I was editing my friends' pieces they had sent me, because (unexpectedly) I was actually timid to tell them about the changes I thought they should make, especially the poetry.
I guess when it's someone I don't know, it's a lot easier to address it professionally. But other than that, I feel like my project is really starting to come together.
The only thing I wish I had was some sort of paint program on my Mac for my cover. Does any one know if there's a similar program that Apple sells?
Also did any one realize that we only have like 6 more classes? That's kind of frightening...

Print Quotes

Getting confused with the print quotes...it looked so easy in class. 

On Bookmobile.com:  What is the difference between a galley and a paperback?  Why can't I do anything other than get an "instant quote?"  How do you create an account?  

On unitedgraphics.com: the only question I understand is my address.  What are halftones and duotones?  And how many do I need?  

Those are the only 2 companies I'm really aware of, and the others I'm finding online seem to be way expensive (Blurb.com = $18.95/book with minimum of 10 - but you get a 10% discount).

[*Just found www.instantpublisher.com    Seems pretty simple and about $100/25 copies.  Cannot print detailed quote, though.]

Anybody that's had success with this, please let me know.  

Personal email:  eric.a.hanson@comcast.net

Plan B

I feel as though I am in a similar boat as KT with Kaleioscopic Resonance. I would like to believe that I came up with a nice concept for the magazine's premiere issue. I've asked several people and sent out a few more emails, but I have yet to recieve any submissions. This sucks! I'm going to have to tackle, tag and cage this beast from a different angle because right now its winning. I guess I have to be prepared to put up my work only for the first issue, but I pray that it will all come together sooner than later.

As far as my interview with Amy Schroder, she was really cool about the whole thing and easy to talk to. As you all could tell from class, she's not really an angry, firey feminist. She calls it like she sees it and has a descent wealth of knowledge of female artist across the board from musicians to painters. I can appreciate how she refined the clarity of her mission with Venus and is going for it completely. As she hones her business and literary/journalist instincts she's well aware of any obstacles to the mainstream growth of her magazine, as well as the pit falls that other small magazine publications have come against. I admire her drive and ability to find other editors and writers just as hard working as she, who are willing to stick it out, not for a woman, but for a an editor, a writer and an entrepreneur they trust to stick with into sucess.

Getting Closer

Like my dad used to tell us kids while on lengthy road trips, when being grilled on how much longer,  "We're getting closer every minute."  Then he'd usually slap somebody's finger out of their nose.  

Even though everything seemed overwhelming a few weeks ago, I can almost see the final point of destination.  I have received two printable short stories with at least one more on the way.  With my own contribution(s) I'll hopefully have enough to make an interesting prototype.  That's my mantra, anyway.  My main concern is the artwork.  I'll have to shop around on the net for downloadable artwork that will correspond with each story, all along keeping with the theme.  It's like mowing the yard - I have to keep going 'round in circles until it's done.

Another issue that is taking my attention is trying to get published somewhere.  I recently picked up a copy of "Writer's Market," and have been shuffling through it.  Now all I have to do is write something worth publishing.

"ONE MAN ARMY"

WHILE I'M WAITING FOR MY FINAL SUBMISSION FROM MR. LAST-MINUTE HERO, I'VE ASSIGNED THE VISUAL LAYOUT TO MY ARTIST. IT'S NOT EASY HAVING TO PLAY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GRAPHIC MANAGER, AND SUBMISSION MANAGER ALL AT ONE TIME. MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE YET IS TRYING TO CONVEY WHAT THE JACKET IS TO LOOK LIKE TO MY ARTIST WHILE GATHERING BIOS FROM MY AUTHORS; BASICALLY, NOT HAVING ENOUGH TIME. I REALLY NEED HELP. I'M KEEPING IT UNDER WRAPS AND ALL, BUT MY SANITY AND PERSONAL LIFE HAVE SUFFERED SEVERELY . I'VE PRETTY MUCH TUNED OUT THE WORLD. I WOULDN'T EVEN CARE IF SOME PLUNK FELL FROM A SKYSCRAPER AND LANDED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME; I'D SHRUG, KEEP WALKING, AND LIGHT UP A CIGARETTE.

IT DOESN'T STOP THERE, OH NO. I'M ALREADY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW I'M GOING TO FIT A MEETING IN WITH "THE POWERS THAT BE". PLUS, I'M HAVING TO CO-ARRANGE MY MOVE BACK TO THE WEST COAST. FUCKING DEAD-LINES ALL AROUND ME; I'M TELLIN' YA!

April 8 class

So we had a poor showing for class on April Fool's Day. Guess spring break extends further than I thought.

Here's a list of what you need to have ready to go in class on 4/8:

1. You must have read Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link and be prepared to discuss.
2. You must have your small press interview ready to roll.
3. You must have figured out costs for your project. Web people, that means you've decided on how you're publishing online (free or paid), and have decided on whether you're buying your domain name. Print: That means you've put out print quotes (this can be to United Graphics or other printers, Bookmobile, Kinko's, etc. Use the internet to find printers). You should have received quotes from three printers.
4. I want everyone to bring in one submission for their project, the draft that was submitted to you and how you've edited it, and be prepared to discuss. If you're self-publishing, that's fine, bring in two drafts.
5. Looking ahead to the 4/15 class, you're going to have to have a sense of how you want your project designed. Zach will be in class to discuss design principles, and I'd like for everyone to have something to show him, so he can give you practical, individualized attention.

All right, that's about it.

Change of Focus

I've decided to change the focus of Kaleidoscopic Resonance (at least for this first issue) to stories that use strong sensory details in ANY of the senses, rather than just focusing on hearing for the first issue. After the devastating lack of submissions, I figured I would have more luck if I broadened the scope a bit. I figure I'll separate the stories by the strongest sense they use and have a section for each sense, perhaps. Now I've got two submissions - both from friends who are very amateur writers (if you could even call them writers). But with a little editorial work with their stories, this magazine may actually feature someone's work other than my own! If any of you have a story you think would fit, please feel free to send them my way. :) Hope everyone else is having better luck than I am.

Oh Interviews

So I've emailed Todd Dills my interview questions. I only had eight questions ready figuring that I'd email him back based on his answers. I'm really interested to see how he responded to a lot of the questions I raised.

The only other interview I've ever done was with Elizabeth Bernstein from The Big Ugly Review and that went extremely well. It still worries me though because these people are doing me a favor and they don't really have to take it seriously I guess. When it comes to that they could just answer in two sentences and that's it. What do I do with that? Anytime I do an interview I'm extremely nervous. I also had to interview someone with my dream job this semester and my favorite author in the entire world, Diana Gabaldon agreed to do the interview, I was shocked. As I was thinking of questions to ask her pertaining to the life of a full time writer I was more stressed out then I've ever been in my entire life. I guess I'm just wondering if doing this gets any easier, just the constant anxiety of wondering what the hell they're gonna say.

Oh about Story Week,

Aimee Bender's piece was fantastic and Christina Garcia's voice annoyed me. I also don't know how I feel about her writing. There's something there obviously but I don't know if it is something I actually enjoy. I mean it's good, but I don't know. I can't quite put my finger on it. Then again maybe it was just her mousy squeaky voice that made it that way. Who knows.

Speaking of Story Week

Definitely not mandatory, but if anyone's not busy tomorrow at 11am, I'm on a Story Week panel with Johnny Temple of Akashic Books, whose work we've discussed, and whose essay on author promotion we read. In fact, the panel is on that very topic. So if you have the time, come check it out:

11:00 AM
Panel: Beyond the Bookstore Tour,
A Look at Guerrilla Marketing for Authors
with Jonathan Messinger, books editor, TimeOut Chicago,
publisher, Featherproof Books, and author, Hiding Out; Hillary Carlip, publisher, FreshYarn.com, performance artist, and author, A la Cart: The Secret Lives of Grocery Shoppers; Eric Kirsammer, owner, Chicago Comics and Quimby's Bookstore; Shawn Shiflett, author, Hidden Place; Johnny Temple, publisher, Akashic Books
Host: Sam Weller, The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury
Columbia College Chicago
Film Row Cinema, 8th Floor
1104 S. Wabash, Chicago

Class meeting tonight

Just a reminder that we're not meeting in class tonight. You're all expected to go to the Story Week event at the Harold Washington Library Center, 247 S State St, in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium. Here's the info. So no assignments due tonight, just be at the reading, and make sure I know you're there, otherwise you will be marked absent.

See you tonight.

Lost in an abyss of paper work

Okay,

I really am having a hard time figuring out what it is I am supposed to be doing. I probably should have taken notes. My bad. Anyway, if there is any way I could get some direction on what is expected from us for Tuesday that would be appreciated. I kind of know what I doing but I think it would be good, if not for the whole class, then just me if we could get a post of what we all need to have ready for you this week.

good at rambling

Other than catching the flu for the first time since I was, I don't know, five, in the time I've been missing from class, I was approached by a friend about a project, well, a publication--a zine/music thing that would see no financial contribution on my part whatsoever. I thought I'd never ever get financial backing for any of my insane projects but in six months time, I hope, people'll be seeing a pop-up, pop-culture oriented zine/10" single/thing out with the help of yours truly and a couple of amazing people scattered around the country and production paid for by someone else (!). The opportunity is really great and I'm glad to be part of something, but it totally brings in a few facets I've never had to deal with before.

Namely, there's someone rich I don't know well expecting something from us with set in stone deadlines. Also, an "us". I've never worked with other people before on a scale like this, where the budget is something I don't have to worry about dipping into my rent, where I only have to concentrate on how to make our ideas work together in a timely manner. Other people? Freak me out. I'm used to just making books/zines of this nature alone, that it's a weird shifting from a very personal, "do it while I'm watching TV" thing to a "meeting on Sundays to discuss screen-printers" mindset. What I like to do for "fun" is turning into work and that is AWESOME (but not FANTASTIC because I'd really like to see shit like this buy me, like, a pair of shoes or something instead of just stroking my ego...). No one expects to make any money from this and it'll be a one-time deal but it's planted a lot of thoughts and questions in my head. Would it be possible for a tiny project like this to blossom into something bigger? Into something self-sustaining (rather, as self-sustaining as it can be while still dependent on distribution and marketing and whatnot)? Into something people actually want and pay for? Will I be lucky again to find people who think I'm endearing enough to throw money at once in a while for really ridiculous projects? How do people "make it", if they "make it" at all? Will it be possible to quit my dead-end job to do things I'm stoked on like help word/art/story/whatever projects materialize? So many thoughts! Other than sheer will and tenacity, constant toil, and hoping that rich people who feel bad for poor people always exist, I wonder if there is any other way.

But, back to Invisible Arc, back to my baby. And that's the name I'm sticking with for the project in class because although it sounds dumb when read aloud, it looks really good written down and typeset. Never saying my project title aloud again. Yes. What I'm psyched on for that? An artist/musician/graphic novelist agreed to an interview for it. He may or may not be doing the artwork, too, depending on how desperate sounding I am on the phone or something, but dude encompasses a lot of the hodge-podge, aesthetic-driven, cross/mixed-media stuff I'm interested in showcasing inside of Invisible Arc and he seemed at least interested in my project. So I'm excited for the interview, if that's all I can charm out of him.

Flunking Down

No one wants the dollar anymore and no one can buy your magazine. With the collapsing American economy it is tough to keep any small business up and running. Small businesses, whether they be presses or clothing stores, are shutting down, having "everything must go" sales and shutting the door. Until a big business like Marc Jacobs moves in and replaces the independent store with better prices and familiar label names.
I don't think people suck, well actually I do, but that's not the point. If anything small presses need more options, more distributors to work with so that if one goes under, not every magazine gets pulled down with them. The community support is there, the donation of 16,000 is quite impressive, but the lack of a healthy distributor with steady cash flow, is where the problem comes in. The word "backers" comes to mind, wealthy backers, a rich uncle with John Lennon glasses and a velvet robe...
But really, with the economy they way it is today, with the American market floating on a tide of inflation, I wonder how much longer any business can last, even the big ones.

I should just teach myself how to draw.

Seriously, other people suck. That really dependable artist I talked about in class, told me he was too busy a week ago. Now I'm relying on an old friend who's been drawing for a good long time, though I've never seen him draw comics before. I sent him the script on saturday, he said he'd get back to me by sunday, and now I'm going to call him before class today to try and get a definitive answer.

This is all making me want to make my web comic submission oriented. I have a lot of problems with this model, though. Like "won't I have to pay people?" I was contemplating an idea where you could take the ad money and anything donated and divide it evenly amongst the contributers, but that was one of the dumber ideas I've ever had, really. I imagine the contributors saying: "Hey, the website I was published on just sent me a check for $0.45! I'm gonna buy a gumball!"

Also, if I'm going to be doing a website with other people's comics in them, I should try to differentiate myself from people like Drawn & Quarterly and Flight. Though maybe the only real difference I need to have is to be a web comic (something that has new content multiple times a week and costs nothing) as opposed as a print magazine or anthology(something that has new content a few times a year, and costs money). So, yes, numerous roadblocks.

Great Typos

That is supposed to say, "Brought to you by the ruthless dictator, LOQUTOUS! Resistance is futile.



But I think I like it that way now that I can't change it. WE need to get more hard core about our dreams and stop believing some fairy god company is going to scoop us up and save us from the horrors of the universe. Become Magneto!

Audio8.com

Print'n Ain't Easy

Looking at this article through the eyes of Bruce Kent makes me more determined to amplify my ability to be proactive. Many of us wait around for someone else to do the work. WE ALL know we are waiting for science to solve all of our problems. Why are we waiting? Because we think we can, because it is easier than doing it ourselves.... I have said for quite some time now, "I work four times as hard not to do something than if I would have just done it in the first place."

Who can we depend on? NO ONE! if you look at a situation from that perspective, when things do go your way you can use your over preparedness as an extra, or save it up for a rainy day. I wish I thought this way a decade ago!? I personally wait until the very last moment to do certain things, and breaking myself of that habit is hard. Now, ...thinking my finances will be taken care of just because some company was created to ensure it still does not give me the security I really need. (PERSONALLY).

I will never ever again let another humans idea be my security blanket , no matter how full proof it seems. We should all be helping each other out I know, but at the same time working at a pace we can afford. I though that is what taking out college loans was all about? I mean, a dream is important and if it is so important that you have to put your trust in some union, then it should be important enough to come up with multiple back up plans for production as well.

I do admire the proactive stand that was taken to get the ball rolling on getting the money. Sometimes you do have to kick a little butt to get people in line. We've all had our fair share of spankings in our day and I think we can all agree that without them we would be worse off. At least I would anyway. In short you can either be passive or aggressive just to make it black and white for a moment. You can be the bitch getting pimped or the pimp slapping the hoe. The point is when you start playing the numbers game if you're not ruthless the chances of success are very slim.

This is not a place for the soft hearted and the care givers of the world. A very ridged and focused mind set is needed, with the ability to sometimes turn a blind eye to moral logics. How much can one person submit to something like that? Is it for the greater good? WERE THERE REALLY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION? Probably, but who cares? The four percent of rich jerks people in other countries really hate in the first place, that's who. Are we at war as writers? You bet you sweet biscuits we are. Are you properly armed for this war? I don't think so!

The only way to win is to pay very close attention and don't sleep. The British are coming, and they're our parents and friends who won't help us. They are the people who don't read or write ...ever! The teachers who are pains in the asses because they can be, the students who don't really know what they want to be when they grow up and get in the way of real people who value their educations.

There is an up side to all of this. One day the Earth will be gone and everything about it. So the fact that none of us totally made it won't really matter. On the other hand, since we're here and also good at what we do -what's the harm of giving it all we've got until the bitter end. Figure out who your real foes are and stop making them up in your head. We all know who our worst enemies are. Right? ...Us!

So, when things don't go right, WHO DO WE BLAME? Ourselves. That's where it stops. Not your friend who didn't get it done on time. You knew they sucked before you asked them to participate. Just think about something that you do everyday that you really like and want to do and how easy it is to get that done. Almost effortless that is isn't it. Now all the sudden we can't take time out of our day to fight back a little and become the writers we know we can create with a little elbow grease....

....Hey Print'n ain't easy!

Audio8.com
Brought to you be the ruthless dictator LOQUTOUS. Resistance is futile!

Intake

I've received my first three submission and I must ask "Where is the time?" Between work, school, and leading the Hell Cat project, it's most tiring. One of the submissions had the worst grammatical errors I've ever seen. It came from a musician who will remain nameless but I expected much better from him. However, it's exciting to read stories that are structued similar to my own but carry very different tones, pacing, and voice.

Also, another one of my submitees is callin' in his peopl to submit to this and it's great but I need a good chunk of time to absorb them all! I got so caught up in putting this thing together, I didn't really stop to think about the possibility of calling for help. "HELP!"

Life's tough out there...

I couldn't imagine the stress that would come with the demands of distribution, and still not getting a check in October when it was due on September 15th! I would be especially pissed off if I started my zine 11 years ago and this little financial mess-up threatened to destroy everything I worked for. This whole thing seems like such a headache! Not enough money, not enough people reading it, not enough anything! But I guess Venus got through it, right? How is PunkPlanet doing?
I really would like to know if IPA is still being so stretched financially today. Also looking at these pictures, do they have offices for their zines? I'm only asking because if its based outside of, say their desk at home, then these zines are quite a bit bigger than I had imagined. For some reason I always think that zines are something that gets put together at home, not big enough to have an office of their own. Maybe that's my own misconception.
It's amazing, too, how BigTop is kinda their last hope. With the big publishers, these zines are like the misunderstood teen living in a super-strict parents' house. "Why would you want to sell 15,000 copies instead of hundreds of thousands or millions?"
Life's tough out there for the little guys, I guess.

Money Woes

Hearing about the flight of Punk Planet and Venus is frightening. These zines seemed to be doing fairly well but when they couldn't be paid they essentially faced the daunting realization that they could go under. Punk Planet and Venus have been in publication for over a decade and now, when they aren't being paid by a company who they trusted, they are folding.

The idea that a project that is beloved and doing well can collapse in a heartbeat is scary. My project isn't going to be in print, but for my fellow classmates who are going the print route, they have to realize that it's a risky business. Even well established zines can collapse when the revenues aren't being paid. For those just starting out with little to no money for production face an even larger economic struggle.

I really feel for Punk Planet and Venus, these zines were their editors and creators' babies. Now they are facing collapse and there is absolutely nothing they can do about it. I think Punk Planet actually went under which is devastating to those of us just entering into a small press venture.

The Death of Indie Distro?

Written in 11/05, I'd like to learn what happened to turn the situation around (if anything).  I’m aware of, but don't know Punk Planet or Venus, so I don't know if they are still working with IPA/Bigtop Newsstand.  I could feel the frustration of these people coming through, though.  It must be a really helpless feeling to know that the one group that is supposed to support you has debilitating troubles of its own. 

          One quote that confused me:

"BigTop is the last distributor that specializes in the small independent press. So do you go to a big national distributor, who doesn't understand what you do and doesn't understand why you'd want to sell 15,000 copies instead of hundreds of thousands or millions? And those distributors have even more arduous payment terms than BigTop has."

How necessary is it that the (larger) distributor "understand you," as long as your readers get it?  

Why I'm publishing scares me

After reading about the problems that Punk Planet and Venus have faced, that's my real fear of even trying to start a publication. The constant about the "money factor". I admire those people for pressing on, because I would definitely consider abandoning ship. Starting your own business in today's world is a difficult task anyways. Let alone in a dying market. It's like trying to sell Beanie Babies. I'm also not one who likes to sit back while my money changes as many hands as it has to in the publishing industry.

clink Mission Statement II

We're going to have to face it, people. Drinking is a big part of our culture, whether we like it or not. One of my favorite things about drinking is the talking; knock back a coupe martinis or beers or shots or whatever your chosen poison is, and sooner or later, you'll be talking up a storm. Chances are you'll be telling lots of stories while you're doing all that talking. As a frequenter of bars (and the bottom of the bottle), I've heard plenty of those stories, however slurred they may have been. I've also been on the other end; drunkenly expounding to equally inebriated peers (or strangers, on more than a few occasions).

clink is a meeting place for those stories. Stories about drunk people, drinking, being drunk, wishing you were drunk, overheard while drunk or getting there, told while drunk or getting there... clink is where those stories come to live. It's purpose is to entertain, primarily, but it is also to preserve those stories often forgotten in the drunken haze of bars and wild nights.

_______

I like this one better-- it opens up the range of submissions, instead of limiting it to Chicago-specific stories. I also think it has a bit more of a voice than the first one...

Next week's reading

http://www.chicagoreader.com/hottype/2005/051104_1.html

Oh Submissions

I've received four submissions for my project and I haven't really had a chance to take a look at them yet. From what I've skimmed over they all have a different feel to them and one story takes place in Vienna which is great. Everyone who I've solicited to seems to be really interested in the project which is really encouraging especially when entering into a daunting task such as this.

Being an intern who is constantly reading submissions I think I've gained a good eye at searching for what is appropriate for a certain zine or small press. I'm definitely going to use that sort of critiquing and analytical approach when it comes to accepting pieces for Stick Ball.

When all this first started it seemed like such a large daunting task and now as we're getting into actually gathering submissions, creating our mock up's, cementing mission statements and guidelines, it doesn't seem to huge anymore. Everything is coming together really well. I'm also thinking of asking my interviewee, Todd Dills from the2ndhand, if I can publish his interview in my magazine, but I'm not sure if it will fit the theme when I'm done interviewing him.

So that's what I've got so far, a couple of submissions, a bitchin' mock up coming from my unartistic skills and pretty solid submission guidelines and a missions statement. Now all I need is a website, a domain name and somewhere to host the thing.

Proofing Your Life

I've received my first submission for "The Hell Cat Quarterly". I skimmed through it and it's exactly what I asked from "S.K.U.N.X. de Hoot". Everything's getting crazy in that I'm distributing one literary journal out of S.F. here in Chicago, lining up an interview with a guy at S.P.D.(Small Press Distribution), and putting my project together; all while writing on the side. It's good to be busy. Multi-tasking on a network level is like being in a bar fight-You don't know the outcome so you gotta make every hit count!

Pat Strachan's Mentor

In just browsing through the Q&A with Pat Strachan, one thing that caught my attention (on page 2) was the discussion about learning to edit and whether or not she had a mentor.  Strachan said that she had had several mentors, one being another editor that allowed her to see his manuscripts after he edited them.  She then says that her primary teacher was Carmen Gomezplata, a chief copyeditor, who taught her more than “technical editing…the punctuation and if you put the possessive here or there,” but also what Strachan referred to as “instinctive editing.”

 

This is something I think can really make or break a non-established writer.  Of course, there is an element of “who you know” that can help you get published, marketed, etc.  But having a good mentor must be one of the most important aspects of becoming successful at just about anything.  A lot of times we assume that an artist, writer or musician creates their art on their own, and have enough talent and drive to push the project into being.  I know I can’t.  In academia alone I have already changed what I read, and how I write based on opinions of people I respect.  Note, I say: Of people I respect.  I do not have a strong mentor right now, but I seek advice from other students and instructors that I feel can offer it.  My instincts have been sharpened at least a little by learning and trying new things that I would have otherwise never thought of.  I know that I will be better off working with other writers, editors or those in the field before trying to set out on my own.  I just know that I have sooo much to learn.

Stranger Things Happen

So I've been reading Stranger Things Happen and I'm really enjoying it. Maybe it's because I've always been into fantasy stories but don't actually write them (and when I do write them they come out really really corny) but the real reason I think I'm loving this book so much is because every story starts out like it could be happening to me. Then some outrageous event happens or something is slightly off, but every story seems like it's true to life and that's what's keeping my attention.

So far I have to say my favorite story was the parody of the fairytale, Travels With The Snow Queen. I know the original story fairly well, but the way Kelly Link tells it is so much more enticing and really allowed me to identify with the girl traveling on a path of broken glass. I guess I might just be a sucker for fairytales, (one of my favorite movies is Stardust and my all time favorite book is Peter Pan, yeah just goes to show my taste) but something about this was unique and enticing. It wasn't told in this overall narrator omniscient sort of way, it was second person so YOU were the character. Kelly Link knew what she was doing when she wrote this story cause most of the time second person kills me, it makes me crazy and I can't stand it, but this, this was great and it moved perfectly and made me feel like I was a part of the fairytale. That's why I liked it so much. I was there with her, walking a path of broken glass.

I'm almost done. I have four stories left and other obligations have just kept me away from them which is making me kind of sad. I would love nothing more then to curl up in bed and finish this collection of short stories, which I might actually do tonight since I took a five hour nap and there's no way I'm going to bed...ever again. Kidding.

The Search for a Host

I've been looking at all kinds of web hosting sites and it's been pretty daunting. There are so freaking many places and most of them don't offer very much space for a site. I've looked at the ones that charge and I'm just not sure I'm ready to pay just yet. I'm thinking I'd be better off hosting on a free one for now and then if I do well enough and can keep it up, then I'll pay. But, on the other hand, I really want to have my own domain name instead of having a host's sub-domain attached. I want it to look professional and kaleidoscopic-resonance.com looks a lot better than kaleidoscopic-resonance.geocities.com or something like that, you know? And I would like to be able to recruit my own advertisers to make money for myself, rather than have my host put their own advertiser's banner up on my page and make money off of me. I'm so undecided! Maybe I haven't been looking in the right places. I'm curious what everyone else who's planning their project to go online is thinking. Does anyone know a right and easy way to go about this?

Not mandatory, but recommended

An interview with Pat Strachan, editor at FSG, that I think speaks to a lot of what we discussed last night.

Assignment for next week

Complete outline of project to hand in.

Mock-up of project due. What a mock-up means is the first few pages of your project, including a cover. What I'd like to see in there is a logo or banner, your mission statement and guidelines, and a sample piece. These can be very rough, but I want you thinking about design now, and what shape you want your project to take.

If you're doing an online project, then this will be fairly rough, maybe even handdrawn if you're not familiar with web design at all. Also, for the web, I want included in your mock-up a couple of sites with similar looks or feels.

Also: Don't forget that you must have a confirmed interview with a professional in small press publishing when you come to class on Tuesday. If you need help finding someone, check out the CLMP membership list found in this post from the beginning of class

Clink, Mission Statement I

Chicago is a big city, full of people, full of stories. As a frequent bar-hopper, I've heard plenty of those stories, however slurred they may have been. I've also been on the other end, telling stories in the company of clearly inebriated people. Clink will be a meeting place for all these stories, told in short vignettes and maybe without the beer goggles. It's purpose is both to entertain and to preserve those stories often forgotten in the drunken haze of bars and wild Chicago nights.

Faux Tales

[Had to lock the brakes:  My original idea, RUBs, is no more.  A non-biker biker magazine is a wreck in itself.  I'm now speeding in a different direction.]

Faux Tales

Mission: 

Making new use of a well-worn story. 

Should the Three Little Pigs really be Three Little Spoiled Brats who were not given the coping skills to deal with adversity?  Bad mom!  Bad!

Maybe Cinderella was a gold digging tart, and the story should be told through the eyes of her taken-for-granted [Not invited to the wedding?  What a bitch.] Fairy Godmother.

What if the Little Engine could, but would rather not?

Tell your story.

HIT ME AGAIN AND AGAIN

You don't want to think about or even take a shot at it. Unless you are independently wealthy or have peaked the minds of some decent investors, you're gonna have to make your mark somewhere in the corporate world of writing. Of all the "necessary evils" there are in this life, mainstream lit is the fawn in that Forest of Crooked Creatures. I have NO issues with them. They can take it, edit it, design the damn cover for all I care. I don't care because I know that eventually, I'll have 51% of the vote. Long Term gang; it's how you have to look at it.

Dogwelder: Redux

There are a few formats that dominate the landscape when it comes to American comics: the strip, the serial, and the long form graphic novel. The serialized story, in comics, is descended from the pulp magazine, which published genre prose, both stand alone stories and multi-part segments. Video killed the short story in prose, and now short prose has been reduced to teaching tool and stepping stone for young writers. This didn't occur in comics, perhaps because respect for comics in the 1950's had nowhere to go but up, or because comics weren't consistently published in novel format until the 80's. In this decade, comics have both critical acclaim and a popular novel length format, and the profits from the major publishers of the 32-page comic books suggest that the end of that era in comics may be near. The purpose of Dogwelder is to promote the self contained short story in comics. "Self contained," because it's something you don't see in comics now, and "short," because I don't want to hear people say: "That was a great story, but when are you going to write a graphic novel?"

Anonymous City: The Mealworm Mission

This mealworm is for writing with "a reckless ferocity of purpose." Each story told, must include the intention to place a scar on literature and to be an uncompromising lump in the throats of larger society. That being said, what aspects of daily life are you itching to affect? And speak up. I don't think they're listening.

Invisible Arc - Mission Statement

Invisible Arc is a blatant attempt at being filler, at being the grout that holds the art tile on to the world floor securely and snuggly. With no interest in being a bridge, Invisible Arc forces the world of text, image, sound, and stuff together into one cohesive volume. It's a magazine, sort of. A small "magazine book" that features writing about music, music inspired by television, short fiction based on long interviews, poetry birthed from other poems, and whatever combination to prove that there is little divide between mediums. It is art and media in a pretty, hand-bound, screen-printed, numbered package that doesn't take itself too seriously and realizes the twee nature of this mission statement. Further incarnations may be a book, a series of envelopes, a couple of CDs, or something that can't yet be revealed. Maybe, babies. However, it is always something literary to have and to hold, literally.

mission statement

Pandora’s Book is a literary magazine dedicated to publishing those works that so many artists have “always been meaning to finish…” We combine poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and any medium that has a story to tell. So many voices have been lost to that well-known enemy called apathy. So if apathy is the super villain, think of Pandora’s Book as the superhero, the defender of artists everywhere.

Publishing is a problematic business

On one hand, I have come to the conclusion that establishing oneself as an independent or small press publisher is fulfilling a desire to become that corporate publisher you despise/admire only on a smaller scale. That is exactly how Johnny Temple comes across with lines such as: “Nearly every Akashic contract gives the writer full creative control on both the editorial and design levels.” That was eerily close to “virtually fat-free.” On the other hand, Temple did offer a lot of good ideas for new and emerging writers to help get the work noticed. I concluded that he’s informing writers that not only do we have to write it, but come up with unique ways to promote and convince people to buy it. Does that mean that if you’re not doing it yourself then you’re just giving a portion of profits to a publisher to use their name because you have to know what your book needs and what you should do because no ones going to work harder for your books than you. Besides a large advance, why should it be anyone’s’ goal to sign a contract with a “conglomerate” publisher? Creativity and capitalism don’t float in the same bowl if you know what I’m saying.

It’s like he said, but not limited to the two decades following World War II, it’s more a matter of the absence of “the magic that fiction writers exerted upon the public” after that point, that is condemning his dream of literary take over. There just aren’t as many or as prolific writers roaming the roads in droves like there were then. People either don’t take the time to create anything individual or they see art (literature) as a diary entry they can write on the weekend. A lot of people actually believe that everything has already been thought or done before, so why try. Sometimes I feel that the truly intelligible age of creativity passed with the boomers and its just neo faux now with people who think just reading a lot makes them artist. No honey you have to think a lot too. If I have to hear another drug or blow job story…

RUBs Magazine - Mission

The pendulum of the mainstream, or rather what is outside of it, has swung so far that even badboy bikers (yawn) have come to be trite.  The biker of the past could tattoo, drink, and pillage his way into the lifestyle, but what does that mean?  Is it so necessary to be so unlike everybody else that one must (!) run out and get the leather jacket and remove the mirrors from his handlebars to show the world how dangerous he is?  We don’t think so.  We created RUBs for those of us that love the feeling of the open road, but still need to be at work on Monday.  Or report to investors, patients, clients, or she who was once called “my old lady” (but is now called “Poopums”).

Specifically, a RUB is a Rich Urban Biker.  This has been a name, not so affectionately, attributed to those of us that do not fit  the Biker stereotypes by those that have managed to tattoo their way into what they think a biker is.  A RUB is anybody that rides on the weekends, but does not adhere to any of the biker anthems.  We rather enjoy piece, sobriety, a game of softball, and a shirt that does not smell like Lucky Strikes.  We have taken the name RUBs and held it close to our heart, our little way of flashing a little middle finger to “the man.”  So take that Bear, Tiny, Stinky and Doc.  That which we love cannot hurt us.  RUBs Magazine represents a biker lifestyle that is so against the norms, that I’ll have a light beer and maybe a rice cake.  Or maybe I won’t – but I could if I wanted to.

Kaleidoscopic Resonance's Mission

At Kaleidoscopic Resonance, we strive to publish work from writers of all experience levels that focus on the sensory experience. Here you might find audio clips, artwork, and recipes, but you will definitely find short stories that put the reader in the scene through the use of sensory details, making the reader really feel, taste, smell, hear, or see the scene at hand to an extent that typical stories don't reach. Each issue will focus on one particular sense, be it hearing, sight, taste, touch, smell, or even Extra Sensory Perception. We like to think of our writers as Super Humans with one heightened sense.

Mission Statement

Project X is a literary magazine whose goal is to provide a comfortable home for urban contemporary writing. The idea is to provide a place where stories can mix the urban with the cultural aspects of city living all across the U.S as well as the world. Nothing is too shocking or strange for this place, give me the nitty gritty, the funny, the obscure, as well as the heartwarming as long as it provides a distinct sense of place in urban society. Send me stories about being Cuban, Italian, Irish, Chinese, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Greek; well you get the picture, anything that has a cultural flare. That’s what this place is about, a home for urban reality as well as cultural. Flash fiction, fiction and nonfiction are all welcome.

Ascender

This is a single woman, single issue zine of what I hold dear. Like an ice cube against my chest this zine will chill and terrify. So, if you like heart warming stories of love and cupcakes don't turn the page, just set it back down and walk away without looking back. But, if you prefer stories of frantic women trying to escape a disastrous enviroment, by all means keep reading.

This zine will self-implode five seconds after reading.

God por'n Mission Design

Zine Mission Statement: God Por’n

It has come to my attention that a reader has been allowed the ability to come to what ever conclusion they choose to in the interaction or viewing of works or art. Artists like Andy Worhol may be my arch enemy: is saying art should be explained if it can be. God Por’n will be a lite magazine that deals with different mediums of art, though predominantly poetry, with the intention to allow the reader into the artist’s mind.

This will be achieved by allowing each writer or artist who is chosen towards a certain issue to respond in a sort of blog form on each piece for that article. With the author’s explanation last the reader can see how different, close or similar the perspective they had against the perspective of all the other writers who made it in for that issue and the original author as well for every piece selected.

The meaning of God Por’n:

What if God had pornography? What would that be like. It wouldn’t be of naked woman or gay men being together. The porn of God is art itself. This Lite mag are issues of the pornography of God pouring off of the page and into your minds for the betterment of the critiquing population. Each issue will be genre specific and have it’s own style complimenting the information provided. The function as stated above will be to create a telescopic lens that multiplies the definition of what a single piece of work is before and after it leaves the artists mind and is shared with any one else. A reader will be allowed to conclude on what the work is and then experience personal essays that expound further on the technical nuances they may or may not have been able to perceive.

The essays should be just as creative as the pieces selected and any person submitting a piece will be required to respond to all other submissions in a timely manner, with little to no interacting with other writers about the works, with the intent to provide positive feedback that allows each piece to ultimately become more in meaning and weight than it would have had otherwise.