“Jobs” you get “paid” for

It strikes me as funny that some commenters responded to my post below – letting people know about an opportunity to edit for the Volta – by questioning what a “job” is.

It strikes me as funny because most of call ourselves “writers”, but we’re not paid for it.

Many of us call ourselves “editors”, but we’re not paid for that either.

For the past few years, I’ve served as an associate editor for Starcherone Books, editor for Tarpaulin Sky, and prose editor for Puerto del Sol. I’m currently guest editing Fairy Tale Review. Blake and I co-edited an anthology. I’m editing an anthology right now with Joshua Marie Wilkenson.

All of it: unpaid.

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Random / 63 Comments
July 8th, 2012 / 9:57 am

Need a fucking job? Well, here’s one for you.

[Note: this is from Joshua Marie Wilkinson, so insert his name in instances of first person.]

***The Volta Seeks a Managing Editor***

Dear friends, poets, editors:

I started The Volta in January 2012 with poet Sara Renee Marshall to feature poetics essays, book reviews and author questionnaires, videos and poemfilms, interviews, audio conversations, and even poems.

Three of our columns are updated weekly, on fridays (Friday Feature, Medium, & Arroyo Chico), and the others have new content on the first of each month.

So far we’ve featured works by known and emerging writers (e.g., C.D. Wright, Rae Armantrout, Harmony Holiday, Joshua Clover, Farid Matuk, Juliana Spahr, Renee Gladman, and literally dozens of others: complete list is here).

We have new work coming out from Bernadette Mayer, Maggie Nelson & Brian Blanchfield, Douglas Kearney, Amy King, Rob Halpern, Lisa Robertson, Ammiel Alcalay, Tyrone Williams, Kate Bernheimer, Zach Schomburg, & dozens of others.

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Presses / 15 Comments
July 6th, 2012 / 3:09 pm

Events & Reviews

Q.E.D. – Part 3: An evening of Authentic Objects

The MAK Center Schindler House, Los Angeles
13 June 2012

Context Note: In April, May, and June of this year, Les Figues Press hosted a short series of long conversations on queer art and literature. Titled Q.E.D., in honor of Gertrude Stein’s novel by the same name (and one of the earliest coming-out stories), each Q.E.D. event explored the constructions of speech, art, literature, materiality, and sex.  The conversations were  moderated by Vanessa Place at the historic MAK-Schindler House, L.A.’s original nod to green architecture.

Q.E.D. Part Three  featured Dodie Bellamy, Julie Bamber, and Terry Castle.

***

An evening of Authentic Objects: Julie Bamber, Dodie Bellamy and Terry Castle in conversation.

In the third installment of Les Figues Press’ Q.E.D. Series, moderated by Vanessa Place, the initial questions were, “Does an object need a form?  Does an objection? Does anything speak for itself?” Artist Julie Bamber, writer Dodie Bellamy and critic (and writer and artist) Terry Castle assembled in the MAK Schindler House in West Hollywood to discuss questions of object-hood before an excited audience.

Patrons gathered, drank Pellegrino and looked at programs. Grapes and cookies sat on a table on the lawn. The copper of the fireplace was bright, next to the concrete walls of the house, with low beams suspended with small lights. A sliding door opened the wall. Afternoon light slanted across the concrete floor, grey.

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1 Comment
July 6th, 2012 / 12:00 pm

“What does “Sincerely” mean, I wonder? Can a Conceptual Author be sincere?”

Fascinating, puzzling, provocative exchange between Kent Johnson and Craig Dworkin in the newest issue of Claudius App adds a very interesting spin to the current conversation surrounding sincerity. Here is the encounter between them (maybe? or maybe it’s all just a hoax?).

After considering the Johnson/Dworkin letters, be sure to check out the whole issue, it’s got a bunch of killer stuff in it by Joyelle McSweeney, Ariana Reines, Brandon Downing & Daniel Tiffany, and loads more.

Random / 11 Comments
July 6th, 2012 / 11:52 am

Live-tweeting “2001: A Space Odyssey”

This Sunday evening, I’ll be live-tweeting while watching 2001: A Space Odyssey with Elisa Gabbert, Sommer Browning, Dan Boehl, and Dan Magers. The details:

For reasons I find difficult to articulate, even to myself, Sommer Browning (fellow Denverite, Birds LLC poet, and comrade in comedy) and I are planning to “live-tweet” Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey this Sunday night at 7 p.m. Mountain Time (9 p.m. Eastern). It’s not going to be on TV or anything; we’re just going to rent it and watch it and tweet about it. (It’s no coincidence that “MST” stands for both Mountain Standard Time and Mystery Science Theater! Unfortunately, we’re currently on Daylight Saving Time.) If you have this movie in your arsenal or can get access to it, you should join us! We’ll be using the hashtag #2001 #2k1. My Twitter handle is @egabbert and Sommer’s is (wait for it) @vagtalk. Also joining us will be Dan Boehl, Dan Magers and ________?

My Twitter handle is @adjameson. I’ll also be happy to chat about the film (and movies in general) on Facebook then. Hope you can join us!

Film / 13 Comments
July 6th, 2012 / 8:01 am
—

What size shoe do you think Walter Benjamin wore?

I have small feet. I usually buy in kids, cheaper and cuter, though a little heavy on the glitter for my taste. It’s a problem.

11
—

Does someone you know “get a boner” when they write?

If so, which “boner”?

And if so does that someone feel they need a “meat log” to write?

23

the audience laughs the entire reading and ruins the fucking poem

Author Spotlight / 9 Comments
July 5th, 2012 / 10:58 am
—

Does someone you know “use substances” when they write?

If so, which “substances”?

And if so does that someone feel they need “substances” to write?

16

Help Save Mud Luscious Press!!!

Do you remember when Mud Luscious Press announced the chapbook Y2K by Ken Baumann? What about Rat Beast by Nick Antosca, or They by Brian Evenson?
Do you remember when they announced We Take Me Apart by Molly Gaudry?
Do you remember when they announced books by Ben Brooks, Sasha Fletcher, Norman Lock, Michael Stewart, Mathis Stewart, Gregory Sherl, or Matt Bell?
Do you remember when they birthed a NEPHEW? With titles by Andrew Borgstrom, Robert Kloss, Darby Larson and forthcoming Brandi Wells.

[…]

Now they need our help. It’s best summed up straight from the horse’s mouth: “We need to raise roughly $2000 to continue our release schedule of the next 2 novel(la)s and the next 2 Nephew titles. Seriously, or Mud Luscious Press may tank. For real.”

So how can you help?

[Basically, buy a book!]

via Ben Spivey (click his name for more options)

Presses / 3 Comments
July 4th, 2012 / 11:13 pm