A bit about our literary zine June 23, 1985
Dear Gaye:
It was good to hear from you, and that James Irsay mentioned
our newspaper on the air. We’ve had a tentative connection with WBAI over the
last few years, especially with people like John Fisk and Bob Fass. But we don’t
depend on them.
We are a separate entity entirely struggling – as you will
see from the issue already in the mail – on a shoe string budget.
Don’t worry about sending us money. That’s not the point of
the newspaper anyway. I’d rather have you reading it, writing for it or sharing
it with the community.
We’re now into our 18th issue, which comes out roughly every
other month—using whatever facilities we can to print. We have a circulation of
two to three hundred nationwide, people who have come to care about us.
Primarily we are literary minded with Michael, our
co-editor, holding all the degrees.
Michael gets frustrated at my lack of understanding for many
of the basic areas of literature. I’m a bulldog, pushing and pulling, often
working two or three part time jobs to keep the newspaper going.
We generally don’t know when the next issue will come out.
We only know there will be one, and one after that, and even again one after
that as well.
Your interest pleases me greatly, for in spite of the sometimes-desperate
appearance of the review, we do work hard. The Bible issue to which you refer
is one a series of themed issues.
Themes crop up now and then, and in the past have incorporated
Winnie-the-Pooh, Sci-Fi, Shakespeare, Modernists and Christmas (my personal favorite.)
Peppered in between are issues with various artists though all of the issues
are open to a variety of fresh faces.
Michael is a bit hard on those who write poetry – perhaps because
he so much excels in that area himself. Years ago, we ran a workshop together.
I found myself repairing the egos broken by his heavy-handed criticism. But he
knows his poetry and has often spoken to me about mine.
Typos, you might note, fill our pages. This is partly due to
the exhausted state in which I do most of the typing, partly due to the
learning process we are still engaged in. With each issue we grow in experience
and hopefully we will improve to the point where we are nearly perfect. For me
it is a lesson in the craft of writing.
The newspaper is also a way of keeping in touch with people,
artists and non-artists, whom I have met over the years and do not want to lose.
Unfortunately, I can’t keep my politics out of these pages, but we do print
pieces with points of view I do not particularly agree with. In the issue you
will receive soon, I mention some nasty moments in WBAI history.
At your request, I am putting you on our mailing list –
which means you have been entered into the mighty Altar of my Atari computer
and you will receive issues in the future.
If you wish to contribute literature or money, both are welcome.
Please feel free to write back and comment on what you see in the paper. Criticize
freely. We love to print letters.
Many of us send work to each other to elicit comments. We
also frequently attend local literary events. This is a community as much as it
is a newspaper. We are all trying to share ideas.
Future themes coming up in the near view include Alice in
Wonderland, the Latin American issue, the Wild West issue, the spy guys issue,
an neo-neo-classical issue (a review of Roman and Greek literature and thought)
as well as issues with no theme at all. Should you want a copy of what I
consider our best issue to date, we still have copies left of our theme about
the year 1968.
Keep the faith (whatever faith that may be).
Your friend
Al Sullivan.
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