Starting a Literary/Cultural/Arts Journal

I'm thinking about starting one in Lexington (welcoming contributions from people from everywhere)... we have a lot of amazing people here in this community and I think we could make some noise/create some beauty.

I'm thinking about a combination of literature, art/photographs, film/book/music reviews, attending/photographing alternative events, cultural/societal critiques and interviewing people...

Although, I'm still figuring this out as I develop it, I do have experience and the will to carry it out... these kind of ventures usually require equal parts vision (goal-directed and future-thinking), stupidity (I like to think of this as being a dreamer, square society likes to call it stupidity, maybe we are both right in that it involves being oblivious of the fact that you probably can't do that), passion (a pure love for what you are doing that will help you tackle the impossible) and luck (I've been building up good Karma for awhile and I am ready unleash it).

I have been the managing editor for four academic print journals, edited and designed books for The Unit for Contemporary Literature and Fiction Collective Two and was a founding member of two long-running zines (one in St Louis and one in Normal, IL). I was a long-time music reviewer for zines on the West Coast and I'm currently a review editor for the cultural studies journal Reconstruction (and have edited and recruited the essays for two complete issues in the last two years: "Rhetorics of Place" and "Theories/Practices of Blogging")

I'm thinking of putting it online because it is relatively free, or for a nominal fee for web space, which I can cover, and we could remain independent for as long as we want free of the taint of corporate influences (except for any free music they might want to send our way)--at least until someone offered us a ridiculous amount to sell our souls.

So why am I interested?

1) I'm tired of wasting my energy on other people's projects/publications

2) I'm most happy when I am creative... this is something that I could really get into...

3) I think Lexington really needs something like this... I mean really the Ace is not much of an Alternative source when they have the society events on page three???

What do I want to know from anyone that might be interested?

My question is would anyone be interested in participating in this project if i get it going and if so what would be your interest? Creative... organizational... cheerleading (publicizing)...

anyone know a good web designer who might be interested in taking part (for the glory... thinking independent here...)

can you spread the word and ask creatives if they would be interested... i learned publicity from underground music clubs in san diego and word-of-mouth is amazing (my last journal issue I actually recruited written work from people from 22 countries simply through word of mouth publicity)

I know a lot of you are busy b/c of work, school, social lives and other things--people would contribute what suits them, just carve out their space in the journal/zine...

I really work best bouncing ideas off of people... its stimulating--so feedback is appreciated...

I leave with a poem by Marge Piercy, political in tone, but her message is about the power of people coming together to effect change on many levels, and for me creative expressions is transformative and liberating, helping us imagine possibilities for liberating our minds from the comformitive shackles that are used to reign in our explorative jouissance:

What can they do
to you? Whatever they want.
They can set you up, they can
bust you, they can break
your fingers, they can
burn your brain with electricity,
blur you with drugs till you
can t walk, can’t remember, they can
take your child, wall up
your lover. They can do anything
you can’t blame them
from doing. How can you stop
them? Alone, you can fight,
you can refuse, you can
take what revenge you can
but they roll over you.

But two people fighting
back to back can cut through
a mob, a snake-dancing file
can break a cordon, an army
can meet an army.

Two people can keep each other
sane, can give support, conviction,
love, massage, hope, sex.
Three people are a delegation,
a committee, a wedge. With four
you can play bridge and start
an organization. With six
you can rent a whole house,
eat pie for dinner with no
seconds, and hold a fundraising party.
A dozen make a demonstration.
A hundred fill a hall.
A thousand have solidarity and your own newsletter;
ten thousand, power and your own paper;
a hundred thousand, your own media;
ten million, your own country.

It goes on one at a time,
it starts when you care
to act, it starts when you do
it again after they said no,
it starts when you say We
and know who you mean, and each
day you mean one more.