Living the Dream

One of the sessions directed to Literary Journals was "Living the Dream" It was led by one of the co-founders of Red Morning Press, a poetry publishing press. The leader was a graduate of Poetry, having received his M.F.A. He said how afterwards he and two other friends were tired of writing, but they wanted to stay involved in the literary world. So, they began a press of their own and began attending AWP conferences and the like. He made the process sound easy, but the money very bad. (In the literary world, that's normal) He was very excited and informative. He broke down details of budget and all the legal standards that have to be met. He offered a very different possibility, and even a future, for literary magazine editors and I found the session one of the most helpful and exciting for me.

-- Andi

Designing a literary magazine on slightly less than a dime

This seminar was led by a co-worker of the lovely Molly Sides who spoke only one day earlier on another literary journal session. Scott Fustin of Rock Valley College led the session about ways to budget the money of a literary magazine to create a good product.

Mostly, the class replicated the one the day before. There was talk of printing costs. Talk of printers. The passing of magazines. The same people. It was a shorter session because half-way through we had run through the maze of possible literary magazine problems and were done.

Perhaps this is why they have so few literary journal sessions.

--Andi

Establishing Press Freedom

This session focused on the Hosty vs. Carter case presented to the Supreme Court. It was a response to an older case at Hazelwood high school where a newspaper was censored for writing about pregnancy and contraceptives.

The case went to the Supreme Court in 1988 where the court ruled that the newspaper by practice or policy was a public forum. Public forums may be funded by government, but are not supported by it, therefore they have the freedom to say what they want.

Years later, a student in Illinois (Margaret Hosty) was censored in the college newspaper for her articles about a certain member of the faculty. She went to court pledging "public forum" and now a precedent has been set where colleges and universities are signing a document proclaiming that the media on campus is of the forum type. Therefore, they do not limit the speech of the students. Also, the school is not held liable for any libel printed or broadcast in the school media.

This session was interesting as far as law interest goes. But, it was not the most exciting event I have attended. By far.

--Andi

Is Your News Too Pale and Gender Friendly

This was focused on faith-based schools and their approach to diversity
within their media. However, there were many different types of colleges
present at the session. One of the speakers, Karen Sorensen of Azusa
Pacific University, was very bright and seemed very well-rounded. She
discussed issues of diversity that she had seen and encouraged "being
intentional" in discovering the stories on diversity.

The speakers encouraged taking diversity from a burden to the thrill
of discovery. They told us to go out into the community, without cameras
or notepads, and just surround ourselves with different cultures. This will
not only make us more passionate about diversity writing, but more respected
among the people whom we would interview.

--Andi

The Cop and the Metro Stop

For benefits of having actually come to D.C., I found it necessary to see something that is memorably and undeniably D.C., the monuments.

A large group of us set out from Chinatown and muddled our way around until we at least saw the tops of the monuments. We walked near the capitol and then turned around and began to walk back towards the Washington Monument. The National Mall (the area that stretches from the Lincoln Memorial to Capitol Hill) appears thumbsize on a map. On your feet, it feels like four hundred miles. At the Washington Monument we parted from our group, leaving only Leigh, Kera and I to traverse the remaining space to the Lincoln Memorial. The rain had finally stopped, but we all had enough water in our shoes to keep our feet well occupied. As we slugged along, many happy Washington D.C. joggers bounced along past us.

I remarked that unless the Vietnam Memorial was ten feet away from the Lincoln Memorial, I was not going. At the bottom of the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, we asked an old man in a booth the whereabouts of the Vietnam Memorial. It turns out, in our favor, it was about ten feet away. So we got the pleasure of seeing the frighteningly large hands and feet of Abe Lincoln and the bronze sculptures and wall of the Vietnam Memorial.

Afterwards we began what we expected would be a short walk to the Metro. One of the joggers stopped as the three of us huddled over a Metro map and gave us directions. We were to pass the White House, go up a street, then...

We could not find the White House. We walked in two wrong directions, came back to the start, found the White House. Near the White House we asked a security guard where the metro was. He said three blocks down, on the right. We all gurgled some raspy man groan of happiness (our feet were very cold and tired), and a cop on a bike laughed at us mockingly saying "Are we a little excited, girls?" We were.

That was until we walked three blocks, and there was no sign of a metro stop. We ducked into a set of huddled buildings and knocked on a glass door. The security guards at the front told us to turn right past a hotel (all within this complex of buildings) then left. Or something like that. Whatever it was, we ended up lost and on another street. We asked some kind musicians. We got lost. We asked some foreigners who grabbed a chef who finally offered valid directions (people in D.C. are not as willing to draw maps as the people in the South are). We found the metro and made it home.

--Andi

Unity and You I and II

This was one of the most, or rather, two of the most interesting sessions I attended. The basis was a journalist group called UNITY. UNITY is composed of the various sects of diverse national associations of journalists, the association of black journalists, Asian journalists, Hispanic journalists, Native American journalists, and gay and lesbian journalists.

The first session was dedicated to these group members identifying themselves, describing what they do and why they do it, and mentioning future plans.

The second session was the break-out session. In this session we could confront each member individually and ask them questions. I did not get a chance to speak with all the representatives, but the few I got the chance to speak to were very enlightening.

Ivan Roman of the Association of Hispanic Journalists said something very profound. He was speaking on the immigration issue and said how a journalist will get the two extreme opinions and say that they have covered both sides, but they ignore all of the opinions of the moderate people in between extremes. I thought that it was very true (extremism makes better headlines) and very in need of being changed.

Suzan Harjo of the Native American Association of Journalists was also an interesting person to talk to. I first was interested in speaking to her, honestly, because she shared the last name of one of my favorite Native American poets, Joy Harjo. However, growing up in the West (and having a bit of native blood in me myself) I wanted to hear what she had to say.

Harjo explained that the problem was not that Native Americans were being mis-represented in the media, but they were not represented at all. Thinking back, I agree. I always see some kind of news, even if negative, on African-Americans, Hispanic people, and even the gay and lesbian groups. But never do I hear of the Native Americans. (Except on old Western movies, the last knowledge any of us seem to have on what the Native Americans do).

Harjo also made the comment that when and if the media represents Native Americans, it lumps them all together making no room for the many, vast cultural differences that are in place from tribe to tribe.

The last person I was able to speak to was Charles Robinson. He was the representative for the National Association of Black Journalists (who gave me LOTS of free stuff). He was an intelligent and admitted arrogant man. He had a great presence, booming voice, though he almost lost me at the beginning when he said he may be speaking on the Jena (he said Jenna) six in Mississippi. For sake of Louisiana, I suppose its better for us to have blame placed elsewhere. Poor Mississippi.

Charles Robinson said a great thing to everyone. He said "Working hard is not working fast, it's working smart."

--Andi

Changing Freelance Markets

This session was led by Michael Ray Taylor who, like me, also attended Whither Magazines and Breaking into Magazines. He had a very knowledgeable and amiable way of speaking and was, next to Keith Bellows, the speaker I enjoyed best.

Mostly I was overwhelmed by Taylor's accomplishments. He could teach by example, perhaps, with his many adventures and mistrials in the pursuit of magazines. He was a freelance writer for five years of his life and traveled to many, many places in the meantime. He said "It's not a good living, but it is a living." (by which he followed up with, saying that it is more exciting than managing a restaurant, though)

He gave us five points in which to base our pursuits on. Our pursuits, of course, being the "dream magazine." His advice was as follows:

1. Start by sending articles to local magazines, then lead to enthusiast magazines with a small niche and/or trade magazines.

2. Specialize. Use what you know and recycle. Pick something not already crowded with writers.

3. Cultivate a web presence.

4. Cultivate sources and markets. Or, as he put it, become "a professional schmoozer."

5. Grow the break out pieces. Begin writing your break out piece to a small market, revise, send it to a larger, revise, recycycle, and then send it to the "dream magazine."

--Andi

Breaking into Magazines

Breaking into magazines, presented by David Levy of Wright College, had one focus and one focus alone: The query letter.

We were given a hand-out with step-by-step instructions on the query letter as well as when to send it, who to send it to, how to promote our story, etc. This was useful for me because if creative writing does not work out I wanted to try a career in magazines and had, sadly, no knowledge of the query letter.

David Levy offered lots of useful information and repeated two phrases I have heard again and again at this conference "KNOW the magazine inside and out before you send an article" and "Buy The Writer's Market."

He gently reassured us that we would be making zero to negative amounts of money, but that the goal was to be published. Another remark I have heard quite a bit of this week.

--Andi

Boast and Whine-Literary Journal Editors Roundtable

This event was one of the few sessions that focused solely on literary magazines.
It was very casual and was led by Molly Sides, of Rock Valley College,
who was playful, smart, and had the most excellent Chicago influenced accent.
In the session the few literary journal editors at the conference passed out our
magazines, discussed printing, submissions, etc. As we discussed submissions
Molly Sides listed the types of poetry submissions in four categories: God poems,
goat poems (very pastoral), kitten-in-a-basket poems, and my life is a swirling
abyss poems. She, of course, was correct and all the editors got to share a good
laugh together. Mostly, this session allowed me to see the different programs
going on at schools and what they can do with their varying budgets to produce
a worthwhile magazine.

--Andi

Whither Magazines

The first session I attended on Thursday was "Whither Magazines? A Look at the Future." The speaker for the session was Keith Bellows, the editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler. This was one of my favorite sessions I have attended so far. Keith Bellows had a authoritative yet relaxed style so that his discussion did not drag on, even at the end.

Of course, he was misguided and arrived a few minutes late. Mr. Bellows discussed, generally, the query letter and what an intern or writer must do to be considered (be smart, willing to do anything, get involved and be nosy, tell your editors what you want to do).

However, he really lit up when he discussed the new movement he was taking with his own magazine. At the beginning of the session he provided a slide show of old magazine covers. He commented on the National Lampoon's cover of a dog with a gun at its head reading, "Read this issue or we will kill this dog," saying it was the best magazine cover and conveyed the desperate nature of trying to get your magazine read.

His idea, however, is to return National Geographic Traveler to the passion of the older magazines. He wanted to keep the stories, of which he wanted more narrative stories, and the photographs in the magazine and save an on-line Web site for the less passionate aspects of a magazine. He was pumped.

Mr. Bellows has had a long history in the magazine business, working for over, I believe he said, seventy magazines. He edited for Readers' Digest, as well. To me, he looked and sounded like an older version of the actor in Almost Famous, so I imagined that movie to be a true story, and he to have written for the Rolling Stone. This is not the only reason I enjoyed his session, but I think it had something to do with it.

--Andi