Just so this is clear (I just figured out how to fix it) the posts made under Art Is Words have been from me.
Now onto the reading.
After reading both articles about the collapse of the independent publishing world , I'm sort of freaked out. It's amazing how easy it is in this industry to lose money. Bankruptcy is a scary thing, and this article just proved how much it can affect things. I mean, all those books and publishers that were affected, that's crazy! Lucky for them they are hopefully going to be bailed out. I wonder what would happen if they weren't. This all just reminds me of how much small press publishing relies on other companies, like their distributors to make them money which they need not only to run their press but pay there authors. It seems like there are a lot of middle men involved. Myself, personally, I've never really been interested in publishing with a small press, and after reading this, it's sort of solidified my original opinion. It's scary. You never know whether you'll make it or not, or if you'll get the money you've earned or if the company with fall through. It's weird. The new system of them collecting weekly instead of every 90 days seems like a good plan. I can't imagine having to wait 90 days for something that important, but then again, if you get published in a big press, you're waiting even longer for royalties! the more and more and I think about it, publishing scares me. But its still what I want to do. It's what I've always wanted to do and the only thing I really want to do.
It's just so awful thinking of how many publications are going under and all because of money. Money controls everything in the world and I really hate that fact. It's ridiculous to think that a green piece of paper can have such an impact on everything that goes on. It's really unfortunate to me honest.
This all just reminds me of how you really have to want to be published to deal with all you have to to get where you want to be. It really is a gamble and nothing is certain, ever. It takes a certain type of person to be willing to put themselves through something like that. And I just happen to be one of those people.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Week5 Readings
What struck me was the constant pattern of greed, grant it, money makes the world go round but how to people have yet to understand the reprocussions of greed? im probably going to go on a rant as i am listening to britney spears right now and that girl's got me dancing out to circus but thats besides the point.
the san francisco chronicle article just reminds me of how people are too concerned with personal gain that they completely disregard how much they are affecting others, not only the publishers, the employees, the writers, the readers, etc. domino effect people. money does not just disappear, some one takes a little here, someone takes a little there and before you know it you are being offered money to stay afloat, though youre probably the reason youre on a sinking ship to begin with. I picture a warehouse full of books unable to be distributed because of mismanagement and too much self interest.
Reading the ChiReader article made me think how in love you have to be with wanting to publish or be published. It just seems you have to be aware of the obstacles and have the determination to follow through regardless of the dire economic situation and depressingly low success rate. you really need to want to do it to pursue something so difficult. you should have a plan, funds or source of funds, connections, and balls of steel to withstand those groin kicks.
But its good to hear that even with all that people continue to publish and be published, through the self, indie, corporate publishers, etc. The more people do not let this deter them, the more society as a whole seems to gain from the hard work, the art, the examples set before them. is it too cliche to compare it to the glass ceiling? wow, i really need to stop listening to womanizer. but it is the preceeding that makes it a little easier for those who follow, because they get to see what worked, what didnt, and how to improve on the ideas. maybe i will never get published, maybe i dont want to get published but im at least trying to grow an invisible set of steel balls.
the san francisco chronicle article just reminds me of how people are too concerned with personal gain that they completely disregard how much they are affecting others, not only the publishers, the employees, the writers, the readers, etc. domino effect people. money does not just disappear, some one takes a little here, someone takes a little there and before you know it you are being offered money to stay afloat, though youre probably the reason youre on a sinking ship to begin with. I picture a warehouse full of books unable to be distributed because of mismanagement and too much self interest.
Reading the ChiReader article made me think how in love you have to be with wanting to publish or be published. It just seems you have to be aware of the obstacles and have the determination to follow through regardless of the dire economic situation and depressingly low success rate. you really need to want to do it to pursue something so difficult. you should have a plan, funds or source of funds, connections, and balls of steel to withstand those groin kicks.
But its good to hear that even with all that people continue to publish and be published, through the self, indie, corporate publishers, etc. The more people do not let this deter them, the more society as a whole seems to gain from the hard work, the art, the examples set before them. is it too cliche to compare it to the glass ceiling? wow, i really need to stop listening to womanizer. but it is the preceeding that makes it a little easier for those who follow, because they get to see what worked, what didnt, and how to improve on the ideas. maybe i will never get published, maybe i dont want to get published but im at least trying to grow an invisible set of steel balls.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Week3 Readings
I've never hear or read these magazines or zines in particular Riot Grrrl. After reading this article "Be a Zinester" I googled it and i thought the concept was great! exactly what i felt was lacking in mainstream. I love pink and I will be burried wearing high heels and a dress but it doesnt mean i dont want to beat down that cunt (she knows who she is) for disrespecting her mom, or i wont write about some fat ass dick in a petite slut's pussy, or a freckle faced man jagging off at himself in the mirror. so the idea that that kind of magazine, and the preceeding zines thereafter, dared to go there and break those stereotypical "woman" roles was so awesome to me. not every girl is prissy and dainty, or hard and crude. it's called being human. of course, i hadnt heard of them cuz i live in a bubble of myself. so, im a little slow on the scene. plus im not down with the scene altogether so that statement doesnt make much sense.
anyways, there is so much crap published out and there is so much awesome shit that just gets completely ignored and that is unfortunate. Zines are that voice when corpo-shit's wont publish you because for whatever reason. Or its the words you cant get yourself to say. its true that everyone has a story but not everyone is willing to share it and when they go through the trouble of creating, writing, submiting their zines it shows it was important to you.
Not every zine is just a folded up piece of paper, a lot of thought goes into making them and it's very idiotic to think that all zines are brain farts. I'm not saying there arent any that someone just thinks, 'zines are hip, i'll do one to fit it.' and thats just crap. nothing should be done because its trendy or the in-thing and if it is, you would hope people learn something from the process. i personally dont enjoy zines but thats only cuz i have limited time to read and process information, my brain rebells against knowledge but if i had a full day to wander the isles of quimbys you bet i would flip through every zine and take it all in.
basically, i really enjoyed this article because it gave me stuff to research and learn more about. yay.
anyways, there is so much crap published out and there is so much awesome shit that just gets completely ignored and that is unfortunate. Zines are that voice when corpo-shit's wont publish you because for whatever reason. Or its the words you cant get yourself to say. its true that everyone has a story but not everyone is willing to share it and when they go through the trouble of creating, writing, submiting their zines it shows it was important to you.
Not every zine is just a folded up piece of paper, a lot of thought goes into making them and it's very idiotic to think that all zines are brain farts. I'm not saying there arent any that someone just thinks, 'zines are hip, i'll do one to fit it.' and thats just crap. nothing should be done because its trendy or the in-thing and if it is, you would hope people learn something from the process. i personally dont enjoy zines but thats only cuz i have limited time to read and process information, my brain rebells against knowledge but if i had a full day to wander the isles of quimbys you bet i would flip through every zine and take it all in.
basically, i really enjoyed this article because it gave me stuff to research and learn more about. yay.
Reading for next week
Here is the story I want you to critique for your writer.
And just in case: I didn't write. And actually, it was a long discussion about accepting it to featherproof, one that never really had an end to it.
Michael Miner distro story. And another, to catch you up to speed.
This is all of the reading for this week. Have fun!
And just in case: I didn't write. And actually, it was a long discussion about accepting it to featherproof, one that never really had an end to it.
Michael Miner distro story. And another, to catch you up to speed.
This is all of the reading for this week. Have fun!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
reading response: bookmark now.
I'm glad that Bookmark Now lives up to its inviting, in-the-know cover graphics. Or at least it does so far-- having only read the introduction and the contributor bios, I can't say for sure that each essay will be as enjoyable to read. Smockler does do a great job setting the tone in the intro though, talking about literacy and the future of books in a way that really isn't dull. There's a lot out there on the subject that claims not to be dull, but actually is, because talking about books and marketing and dying artforms is pretty dull, in general, and usually people who aren't total squares already know about the existence of blogs and hip-hop. (I find that a lot of "new" and "refreshing" points of view on the book industry spend a great deal of time explaining what blogs are and then I think that the person writing it is not selling any books because they are really old and clueless and have never heard of blogs and are probably writing young characters into their novels that are clearly written by old, clueless people who have never heard of blogs, or hip-hop.)
Anyway, all of that to say that I think Smockler is actually pretty interesting to read and I like his style. I was particularly impressed that he managed to bring up hip-hop in a way I hadn't really thought about before, making a claim for the somewhat accidental increasing literacy of young Americans, who are living lives that revolve around language just by listening to hip-hop music. This is by far the most positive voice on the topic I've heard, and one that I think is not just wishful thinking, but actually kind of true.
In contrast, I'd argue that just because millions of American teenagers are reading and writing blogs and Facebook messages all the time does not make them any more literate (another of Smockler's points.) If anything, I think it's often making them less literate, because sometimes the language of blogs and Facebook messages is such a far cry from actual language or, often, even vaguely coherent communication of any kind that it's not exactly enriching the reading and writing of young people.
But hip-hop, that's different. That's actual craft, an art. And if you've ever read or listened to some of the poetry that is in the best of those songs, you'd realize that it's really not at all ridiculous to say that its listeners are getting a lyrical, literate education, even if they don't know it. Some verses in some hip-hop songs, even single lines, are so exact, so clever and often beautiful, I've been jealous of them, knowing I've written pages and pages of "literary fiction" without being even a little bit close to a line like that. There's a lot of shit out there too, of course, but there's a lot of shit novels out there also, which doesn't make East of Eden any less awesome and necessary.
And so I found that inspiring, as a book lover. As a reader who hopes that our last hope is not blogging and Facebook messages, that some of us are still writers-- and it reminded me that, to quote Smockler, us writers are still telling stories, which is worthwhile, even as "humble and plain our creations may seem in comparison" [to hip-hop], i.e. maybe what we're doing is still relevant and not useless.
(All of that was great and encouraging, but can I also say that one of the contributor bios noted that the writer, having been published in The New York Times, still works at Foot Locker on the weekends. So, you know, let's not get carried away.)
Anyway, all of that to say that I think Smockler is actually pretty interesting to read and I like his style. I was particularly impressed that he managed to bring up hip-hop in a way I hadn't really thought about before, making a claim for the somewhat accidental increasing literacy of young Americans, who are living lives that revolve around language just by listening to hip-hop music. This is by far the most positive voice on the topic I've heard, and one that I think is not just wishful thinking, but actually kind of true.
In contrast, I'd argue that just because millions of American teenagers are reading and writing blogs and Facebook messages all the time does not make them any more literate (another of Smockler's points.) If anything, I think it's often making them less literate, because sometimes the language of blogs and Facebook messages is such a far cry from actual language or, often, even vaguely coherent communication of any kind that it's not exactly enriching the reading and writing of young people.
But hip-hop, that's different. That's actual craft, an art. And if you've ever read or listened to some of the poetry that is in the best of those songs, you'd realize that it's really not at all ridiculous to say that its listeners are getting a lyrical, literate education, even if they don't know it. Some verses in some hip-hop songs, even single lines, are so exact, so clever and often beautiful, I've been jealous of them, knowing I've written pages and pages of "literary fiction" without being even a little bit close to a line like that. There's a lot of shit out there too, of course, but there's a lot of shit novels out there also, which doesn't make East of Eden any less awesome and necessary.
And so I found that inspiring, as a book lover. As a reader who hopes that our last hope is not blogging and Facebook messages, that some of us are still writers-- and it reminded me that, to quote Smockler, us writers are still telling stories, which is worthwhile, even as "humble and plain our creations may seem in comparison" [to hip-hop], i.e. maybe what we're doing is still relevant and not useless.
(All of that was great and encouraging, but can I also say that one of the contributor bios noted that the writer, having been published in The New York Times, still works at Foot Locker on the weekends. So, you know, let's not get carried away.)
Zinester
First off, sorry this is just getting up today. For some reason my computer just did not want to open blogger (it said it wasn't safe, but we're all friends here, I trust you all, and now apparently so does my computer once again).
Secondly, I love reading articles like this because they just get you pumped to go out and do something. Noelle was touching on this in her post, but I'll say it again, the ending of Moore's piece just gives such a great sort of indirect explanation for why zines are important. And, I have to admit, after searching through Quimby's stacks and stacks of zines the other week, I was thinking to myself, "God, why do they carry all this thrown together in 2 minutes photocopied junk." But after reading Moore, now I'm feeling, man, that's really the point, isn't it?
It's getting everybody's stuff out there. EVERYBODY's. Even the people that can't really draw or can't really write. Because somewhere in at least one of the worst, most half-assed zines, there's some nugget, some piece of awesomeness. And it's really great that someone's going to read that or see that and appreciate it, get into that author's or artist's head just a little bit. And that might spark something new creatively for that person who picked up that zine. Or just encourage them to do their own thing, be it a zine or whatever, but to feel that their voice is worth getting out to the public. This sounds kinda flowery I guess or overly cosmic, new-agey--everyone's unique voice is important, your thoughts can cause a chain reaction of other people bringing their thoughts to the people. But I don't really care. I like this idea. The more history, however minute a moment or scene, the more individual perspectives we have archieved and available, the more we can learn. And you can always skip over the stuff that doesn't resonate with you.
Secondly, I love reading articles like this because they just get you pumped to go out and do something. Noelle was touching on this in her post, but I'll say it again, the ending of Moore's piece just gives such a great sort of indirect explanation for why zines are important. And, I have to admit, after searching through Quimby's stacks and stacks of zines the other week, I was thinking to myself, "God, why do they carry all this thrown together in 2 minutes photocopied junk." But after reading Moore, now I'm feeling, man, that's really the point, isn't it?
It's getting everybody's stuff out there. EVERYBODY's. Even the people that can't really draw or can't really write. Because somewhere in at least one of the worst, most half-assed zines, there's some nugget, some piece of awesomeness. And it's really great that someone's going to read that or see that and appreciate it, get into that author's or artist's head just a little bit. And that might spark something new creatively for that person who picked up that zine. Or just encourage them to do their own thing, be it a zine or whatever, but to feel that their voice is worth getting out to the public. This sounds kinda flowery I guess or overly cosmic, new-agey--everyone's unique voice is important, your thoughts can cause a chain reaction of other people bringing their thoughts to the people. But I don't really care. I like this idea. The more history, however minute a moment or scene, the more individual perspectives we have archieved and available, the more we can learn. And you can always skip over the stuff that doesn't resonate with you.
Monday, February 23, 2009
"Where the hell is the fun?" - Boodmark Now
It's funny, reading Kevin Smokler's Bookmark Now Introduction and his commentary on literature's reputation and public image as being CSPAN and hushed library readings, got me thinking: After seeing Columbia's AWP Literary Rock 'n Roll "Concert" I noticed how much we were a part of this literary revolution and how we're not only re-defining and re-thinking the writer's process (story workshop) but the portrayal of the writer.
There probably couldn't be better grounds to test out this new radical side of literature that Smokler discusses.
And there's this part where Smokler envisions a world where lendable books line hotel lobbies, bus stations, coffee shops, and subway platforms, that made me melt a little inside. "How soon," he writes "before readers feel the same attachment to their favorite writers and books as they do to their favorite bands?"
He's right. It's time to stop looking at the recent spike in technology- internet, videogames, television- as the death of literature. Literature, as he displayed, surely has a place in the virtual world and it's about time we start taking advantage of it. If anything, this is our avenue, our ticket to that every-writer's-dream he described. We just need to get on the bandwagon.
Andi White
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