Hi, all.
I really liked seeing your projects. You can officially go scrump it up. I know you've been waiting.
The site will probably keep changing over the next couple weeks, but it's up. Feel free to comment on foods you're embarrassed to like. I'd love to know.
HAGS! Never change! Etc.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
my website to go with my zine
just so you know... the latest video might be my favorite.
awkzine.wordpress.com
awkzine.wordpress.com
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
the sum of our parts
http://thesumofourparts.wordpress.com/
everyone did such a wonderful job on their projects. go us!
everyone did such a wonderful job on their projects. go us!
Knee-Jerk Magazine
Hey everyone. This is the prototype layout for the first issue of Knee-Jerk. There'll be a few things added for the website launch on June 1st.
Check it out at kneejerkmag.com
And add us on facebook for future updates if you want at http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=175170460173
Check it out at kneejerkmag.com
And add us on facebook for future updates if you want at http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=175170460173
Monday, April 6, 2009
The Lost Magic of Books
This blog entry is about to take a sudden and immediate digression, a sharp turn somewhat jarring to the innocent bystander, so I feel as though I should preface it with the fact that I was reading Kelly Link's book Stranger Things Happen, and I was finding myself tremendously entertained and delighted by the writing, when suddenly I found myself unavoidably distracted by the cover, which reminded me of one of my old Nancy Drew novels as a kid, and so I started flipping around from the front to the back, reading about the author, checking out the information about the publisher, then looking online to learn more about Small Beer Press, which eventually, in turn, led me to write the following entry:
I can honestly say that I never used to judge a book by its cover. I never used to look at the reviews or the blurbs or the writer's bio. I didn't pay too much attention to size or font or page layout. I never even used to look at the publisher's information at the front of the book. Sure, maybe I noticed one or two of these things accidentally here and there, but that was all it ever was: an accident. I would pick up a book, usually at random, by an author I may or may not have recognized, and I would immediately flip to that very first chapter or story, often skipping right on by any extensive introductions or author's notes, and I would read the first few pages like the greedy, selfish reader that I was, simply hungry for words and wherever it was those words might lead me.
What can I say? All I really wanted to do was to read because reading made me a better writer. That I knew for sure. And I thought that reading and writing was enough. But, alas, I realize now, at long last, that I am, in fact, an idiot. Reading is just one piece of the puzzle. I understand that now. I have come to realize that there are many various parts necessary to becoming a good writer, or not just a good writer, but rather a professional writer.
So lately, more and more, I can't help but to look at every single detail that goes into the making of a book. For example, take some of the novels from writers right here in Chicago (all of which you're probably familiar with or at least should be). Like Zach Dodson's book (or I should say Zach Plague's book) Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring, which doesn't really even deserve the one boring in the title, let alone the seven. I have never seen a book like this before. It's more like a piece of art than anything else. Or Jonathan Messinger’s book Hiding Out, which pairs his "decoys" with the perfect amount of illustrations and design. Or even Joe Meno’s book Demons in the Spring, which is exactly how I remember books being as a kid. You would open up this thick cloth cover and the words would instantly come to life with colorful illustrations. Reading these books, or even just flipping through them when I was still too young to read, was always, well, kind of magical. And it wasn't just the writing that was inside. It was everything. It was the whole package. Books were an experience, or an adventure, maybe.
But somewhere along the way, from being a kid and reading books for the very first time to reading them now as an adult, something changed for me. Or maybe it wasn't just me, but with books in general. I reached a point where I found myself suddenly surrounded by shelves and shelves of like-sized paperbacks and hardcover books, which all at once looked exactly the same. And it was then that I realized the importance of the details, of finding the right publisher for your book, and of taking the time to research and study what it is that is going on in the publishing industry and with books as a whole.
Recently, in the books that I mentioned earlier and a handful of others, I'm noticing a shift in the way books are being constructed, especially by independent publishers looking to stand out from the crowd, paying special attention to detail and design. It makes me excited to think about all of the new possibilities that are out there now for writers. And so, no, I'm not necessarily worried about things like Kindles and other digital book readers ever being able to fully replace books, especially when I see an increasing amount of independent publishers reinvigorating the idea of books as pieces of art, as something to collect and to cherish and to display on a bookshelf with pride. And maybe, one day, little by little, they will even be able to restore that same magical feeling that I remember experiencing as a kid sitting on the library floor with a really good book and thinking: I wish they would let me keep it.
I can honestly say that I never used to judge a book by its cover. I never used to look at the reviews or the blurbs or the writer's bio. I didn't pay too much attention to size or font or page layout. I never even used to look at the publisher's information at the front of the book. Sure, maybe I noticed one or two of these things accidentally here and there, but that was all it ever was: an accident. I would pick up a book, usually at random, by an author I may or may not have recognized, and I would immediately flip to that very first chapter or story, often skipping right on by any extensive introductions or author's notes, and I would read the first few pages like the greedy, selfish reader that I was, simply hungry for words and wherever it was those words might lead me.
What can I say? All I really wanted to do was to read because reading made me a better writer. That I knew for sure. And I thought that reading and writing was enough. But, alas, I realize now, at long last, that I am, in fact, an idiot. Reading is just one piece of the puzzle. I understand that now. I have come to realize that there are many various parts necessary to becoming a good writer, or not just a good writer, but rather a professional writer.
So lately, more and more, I can't help but to look at every single detail that goes into the making of a book. For example, take some of the novels from writers right here in Chicago (all of which you're probably familiar with or at least should be). Like Zach Dodson's book (or I should say Zach Plague's book) Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring, which doesn't really even deserve the one boring in the title, let alone the seven. I have never seen a book like this before. It's more like a piece of art than anything else. Or Jonathan Messinger’s book Hiding Out, which pairs his "decoys" with the perfect amount of illustrations and design. Or even Joe Meno’s book Demons in the Spring, which is exactly how I remember books being as a kid. You would open up this thick cloth cover and the words would instantly come to life with colorful illustrations. Reading these books, or even just flipping through them when I was still too young to read, was always, well, kind of magical. And it wasn't just the writing that was inside. It was everything. It was the whole package. Books were an experience, or an adventure, maybe.
But somewhere along the way, from being a kid and reading books for the very first time to reading them now as an adult, something changed for me. Or maybe it wasn't just me, but with books in general. I reached a point where I found myself suddenly surrounded by shelves and shelves of like-sized paperbacks and hardcover books, which all at once looked exactly the same. And it was then that I realized the importance of the details, of finding the right publisher for your book, and of taking the time to research and study what it is that is going on in the publishing industry and with books as a whole.
Recently, in the books that I mentioned earlier and a handful of others, I'm noticing a shift in the way books are being constructed, especially by independent publishers looking to stand out from the crowd, paying special attention to detail and design. It makes me excited to think about all of the new possibilities that are out there now for writers. And so, no, I'm not necessarily worried about things like Kindles and other digital book readers ever being able to fully replace books, especially when I see an increasing amount of independent publishers reinvigorating the idea of books as pieces of art, as something to collect and to cherish and to display on a bookshelf with pride. And maybe, one day, little by little, they will even be able to restore that same magical feeling that I remember experiencing as a kid sitting on the library floor with a really good book and thinking: I wish they would let me keep it.
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