JANUARY EDITORIAL

January 1, 2012 Editorial

 

 

 

According the Mayan Calendar, 2012 is supposed to herald the end of an age, or the end of the world, depending on how you define the contents of your glass. I prefer to lean toward the former and indeed, there is every indication that we are on the precipice of something life altering for everyone on this little blue planet. So what does this have to do with the January issue of Tuck? A great deal as it happens!

 

Just as the rest of the world is bracing for some challenging times ahead, so too are we and not just at Tuck. Along with a great many other businesses, publishing has been economically taking it on the chin for so long, there is hardly any jawbone remaining. It is natural to assume that this downturn or shift in prosperity is due to the financial difficulties in other sectors like banking and government but that would not be entirely true. Much of what we are seeing in relation to sales is more a byproduct of the advances in technology and it’s dynamic affect on the nitty gritty of writing and selling books.

It was in this spirit that I felt it important to start Tuck’s new year issue with a bang with our first interview and highlight of an indie press. This month I nabbed some yakking time with a man I respect for his courage and vision, Bryan Borland, owner and editor of Sibling Rivalry Press.  His enthusiasm for discovering and promoting new talent is unmatched in this business and certainly, he has filled a niche that was empty for far too long.  Some of his answers may surprise you and some may inspire you to believe that if you dream it, it can and will happen with the right amount of elbow grease and fiery passion.

We are also expanding into the arts a little more deeply with the addition of a section for painters, sculptors and other artists to display their talent. This month, our new art and photography editor Michael Organ introduces us to painter Lynda Bruce and photographer An Mayou, with work that is so moving and original it’s like walking into another world to view their pieces.

We are also doing book reviews now and this month the book review of Jessie Carty’s  volume of poetry Fat Girl as well as the video  The First Erasure by Oliver Bendorf is in support of Sibling Rivalry, our indie press interview for January. Enjoy the video, it has a great deal to say about tolerance and the way in which artists can change the world with words and images.

In the coming months we will continue promoting indie writers and publishers as well as the lone wolf of the pack: the author who bravely chooses to self publish.  These have been dirty words for far too long and it is the aim of this ezine to take the taint off those who are for all intents and purposes, pioneers and explorers  taking the first steps into uncharted territory and they will indeed prove that the world is still not flat and that self publishing and indie presses may very well be to the industry what the Conquistadores were to the Mayan Culture.  I for one won’t be waiting for the end on December 21 2012 but rather, I’ll be anticipating the advent of a time of change, growth and prosperity for everyone.

As always we have a fantastic group of talented poets and writers as well as two new staff members, with a third to be added in February.

Selma Sargent will be the book review editor, so check out the editorial staff page and send your submissions to her email along with a bio pic and third person fifty word bio for the contributor’s page. She loves reviewers and books but only from indie presses!

Michael Organ is, as stated above our new art and photography editor, send your art and photography submissions to him at his email on the editorial staff page, five pieces only as an attachment, a one hundred word bio, bio pic and link to your art or photography website. Michael loves art that touches the soul and his eye for originality is keen and unmatched.

Happy 2012 readers, writers and artists, lets make a noise!

 

Val. B. Russell

Managing Editor

 

 

 

2 Comments

  1. Debbie January 02, at 23:41

    Kudos to you. It's always nice to check in with the good people of Tuck, and see who you are introducing us to this month.

    Reply
    • Administrator January 03, at 00:00

      We are expanding as we speak Debbie and this is an ever evolving creation, as art is a continuum of feelings, ideas and expression so too are we. Next month is full of surprises and I do hope you continue reading! :)

      Reply

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