subscribeDec 1, 2007
an online magazine that’s 100% poetry collaborations
That’s what I want to create. I’ve had the idea for months and am not quite ready to start something up, but I think an online magazine that only accepts works by two or more collaborating poets would rock.
So many people collaborate for fun and for serious, but not many print and online publications accept collaborative work. I don’t know of any journals that are exclusively dedicated to showcasing collaborative work, so I see this magazine as filling a need.
I already know what I would call this journal. I would name it in honor of the two-headed snake who died earlier this year and whose passing I mourned: We. I think the name gets at the concept of multiple authorship as well as touching on the heart of collaboration — two or more living beings working independently and in unison, often struggling as they work together.
(I could call it Three-Legged Race, but that name doesn’t have quite the same appeal. It would be funny, though, and I am all about the funny.)
I have spent a long time thinking I wouldn’t be qualified to edit anything literary, but I suspect I’ve been selling myself short.
Of course, I would have no idea where to start or how to manage such an undertaking. For example, would there need to be an advisory committee? How would I get the word out about the journal? Would anyone want to get involved in running it and making a serious commitment to it (even if it doesn’t offer any pay)? How much time would it take up?
I’m putting this post out there as a way to commit to working on this project. My first step is to do some research. I have a lot to learn. But putting my desire in writing is a good way to move me to start a plan and stick to it.
So I am making a commitment to We. There, I’ve said it.
tremendous idea! Really great!
Terrific idea! I’ll certainly help get the word out if/when you launch it. A lot of literary magazines on the web are pretty stodgy; this sounds as if it has the potential to become a really vibrant and unique place.
FWIW, we didn’t do any research before launching qarrtsiluni – just dove right in! (And hey, if you aren’t sure whether you’re cut out for literary editing, maybe you should try a two-month guest stint with us first.)
Dave, I would love to be a guest editor for the big Q. Tell me more.
O.K. I could email you, but none of it’s secret, and our modus operandi might be of interest to your readers, too. So here’s the deal. Along with your fellow guest editor (if any), you get total freedom to pick the theme (subject only to our veto), set guidelines for the issue, and make all decisions about submissions. We offer input ONLY when asked. It can go a bit faster without a co-editor, but most people prefer having someone else to share decisions with. Beth and I handle publication, including image tweaking; help with keeping track of submissions (basically, we use a Google spreadsheet); compile bio notes; send out acknowledgement notes (as you know); and other such scut-work. You can expect probably no more than 80 submissions in a six-week period, though of course many submissions contain more than one item to make a decision about. Rob Mackenzie blogged about the experience of guest-editing our last issue here: http://robmack.blogspot.com/2007/10/editing-qarrtsiluni.html
and I can send you his co-editor’s review of the experience, too, if you’re interested.
And oh yeah, I said two months, but since the deadline is typically half-way through the second month, it’s really closer to a six-week stint. Workload averages maybe an hour a day, maybe a little more than that.
ceridwen — you’d be fabulous, i’m quite sure, at anything you want! and this is a great idea to pursue. truly.
dave — thanks for sharing that editor/process info. i love to know how things work! (and you do fine scut work, if i do say so, as i have seen you in action.)
Dave, thanks for the information.
Of course, I would love for the theme to be gender and sexuality. And I would want to work with a co-editor, although I don’t have any idea who that would be. Do you have someone you could pair me with? (Someone who’s good with prose, because I am not so hot in that area.)
Does the site have to be PG-13? I’m not saying it is right now, but I wonder about boundaries. You know I like poems that are disturbing and seductive. Those might get an R rating. Or NC-17.
Cerdiwen, I don’t think it’s that hard to set up an online journal as long as you aren’t making any money. As soon as money comes into it you open up a whole can of worms. (She says, having just come from a meeting of an “in print” journal where all sorts of administration matters have been let slide for the last ten years – I have an awkward meeting with the tax department on my “to do” list).
I think the money side of it is why a lot of “in print” journals are attached to universities.
Ceridwen, I’ll email you. As for PG-13 ratings, you might want to read this: http://qarrtsiluni.com/2007/06/20/chuck/
Catherine: bingo. And now, Lulu.com even makes it possible for small online magazines to have print editions. It would be nice to be able to pay contibutors, though.
Catherine, money does complicate everything, doesn’t it?
Dave, doesn’t No Tell Motel publish its books through Lulu? Do you all have any plans for qarrtsiluni to have a print edition as well?
Hello Ceridwen, and thanks for linking to our blog!
Let us know when you get We Magazine up and running, and we’d be more than happy to put up a link in return.
I love the idea of a poetry ezine that specializes in collaborative work. What a terrific concept!
Best Wishes,
Susan
Ceridwen: They might. And we do have such plans, yes. Our only limitations are time – which is equivalent to money, unfortunately. Beth calculates at least a couple of days to design each one (she does graphic design for a living). We’re also not sure if we can get our image contributions sharp enough for print – and of course the inclusion of color raises the price dramatically.
WE is perfect!!! Great idea! I’ve never done this before…but I can learn.
Oh, except in a novel we did when I was in a group called The Corporation. The novel was called “The Push.” It was soooooo fun!
Dave, I hope you are able to do a print version soon. I wish I could make time for you both, but I have no such powers. (I would make more for myself, too, if I could.)
Joyce, you mean you’ve never collaborated before? I keep asking you to do it with me and you keep skittering away. I promise it won’t hurt.
How can you write a novel as a group? You can totally handle writing a poem with someone else.
This sounds like a great idea. Will it include collaborative translations?
I edit Bolts of Silk on blogger, which makes it really easy (any other blog platform would work too of course) it spreads the work out, avoids the stress of deadlines. Good luck with it!
Craft Green Poet, I’d like for it to be a website, not a blog format. Just my personal preference. I have to think about how to accomplish that. I might need to take some classes. I have to think a lot of things through ~ I don’t want to rush into anything.