I've been reading Monkeybicycle Issue 6 and enjoying it tremendously. How does this issue differ from previous print issues? How does the print journal differ from the webzine in terms of content/selection?

Monkeybicycle6 is a bit of a return to our first few issues. Four and Five kind of went down specific paths—at least to some extent—and this new one is more of a mish-mash of good writing, sometimes funny and sometimes serious.

The web site tends to take on a more humorous bent—especially since our recently replaced Web Editor, Eric Spitznagel, is a funny, funny man and tended to look in that direction. But recently, since I've been running the site, it's evolving a bit into something more like the print edition; it's all over the place. I don't really have a specific vision for where it's headed (though it seems like it's moving toward being a shorter version of the print edition), but I do know that I want to incorporate more multimedia aspects. We're posting podcasts and videos now, and I'm working on putting together an iPhone app as well. That seems to be the future when it comes to lit journals and just about everything else in the world.

Can you talk about Monkeybicycle's affiliation with Dzanc? How did the affiliation come about, originally? What makes for good partnerships in the current indie publishing climate? How is this time in publishing unique in terms of stresses/benefits?

Monkeybicycle is an imprint of Dzanc Books. That means, in a nutshell, that they cover the cost of printing the books. This is a real blessing for us because before the relationship began, there were huge lags in between issues. I'd only put them out whenever I had the time to raise the funds,which usually came out of my own pocket. And I'm poor.

So now, the books are covered and I feel especially lucky to have that happen, so I bust my hump as much as one person can do, and I try hard to at least break even on each book. Ideally, when there is a bit more of a readership and some more time, I'd like to expand out into chapbooks and various other things. But that's a long way off because there are so many fantastic projects going on at Dzanc and its imprints, that I don't have anything close to the time it would take to move Monkeybicycle to the next level. But for now, I'm incredibly happy with where it is.

What role do you have in Dzanc's Creative Writing Sessions Program? How do the writers typically find out about the program?

Like most of Dzanc's projects, I did the design work for this program. I came up with the logo, maintain the web page for it, contribute to the online promotion, and Steve and Dan handle the meat of it. It's been pretty incredible to see how this thing has taken off. A lot of people are blogging about it, and there have been write-ups in a lot of other places, too. People hear about it, sign up, and always have a fantastic experience. We've received so much wonderful feedback about this, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. This program is just one of several that Dzanc has in place to help writers. It's really fun to be a part of it.

What moves you toward a writer's work. What is it that wins you. What makes writing fresh and tasty to you?

I try to accept a wide range of writing styles. My personal preferences lean toward very experimental and very funny things, but the whole idea behind Monkeybicycle is to make it as accessible as possible, and keeping things eclectic helps to make that happen. Ultimately, we just want good writers, whether they have name recognition or not, and we'll do our best to make sure as many people as possible see it.

I think what makes writing fresh and tasty to me is bravery. I like things that aren't afraid to put it all out there and try something new. There are so many amazing writers coming up right now, and it's very exciting to see the risks they're taking. I believe this current generation that is publishing in places like Monkeybicycle and all the others is just an incredible breath of fresh air and I can't wait to see them move up the ladder.

What brought you to publishing? How did Monkeybicycle start?

I'I tried my hand at writing for a while—even took a class on creative writing at Temple and got into some writing groups—but my background has always been in visual art. I felt I was better at that than putting pen to paper (though, I have had a few things published here and there, and still try to do it as much as I can). But I loved reading, loved talking to writers and the whole literary world, really, so I thought I might be better suited to make books somehow. Then I started poking around the Seattle literary scene when I was living there and it was great. From there, Monkeybicycle came together pretty quickly. I was introduced to Shya Scanlon and he really helped me to get it off the ground. We put together a monthly reading series that gained a lot of momentum, and before we knew it, we were getting tons of submissions and printing books.

That was around 2003-2004. Then I moved to New York and put the books on hold for a little while. The Web site was a constant, but the money issue was more of a burden than ever, so I considered killing that arm of Monkeybicycle. Luckily, my girlfriend convinced me otherwise and I've tried to go full-bore with it ever since. Getting on board with Dzanc allowed me to focus more on the editorial aspect and not so much the fundraising, so now I feel like I've finally gotten the whole thing—Web and print&mdashto where I'd always hoped it would be.

Monkeybicycle has a loyal following that gets stronger every year. What makes for devoted readership?

Seattle really embraced Monkeybicycle when we were doing the readings there. I think the literary community was relatively small, but everyone in it always came out and always brought a friend. We managed to get a sponsorship through one of the local papers there and that helped to broaden our audience, too. Once I moved to New York, though, I think things kind of plateaued and maybe even died down a bit. But when Eric came on board for the Web site, he was very excited about the possibilities and really helped to rekindle things. While the print edition was on hold, we were doing great things with the site and that caught on. Once I started doing the print issues again, it felt like a lot of people who had come along through the site were willing to buy the books, so they helped to keep things moving along. It kind of kept growing since then, and now we have a very devoted group of readers. The site is getting a consistent amount of hits everyday, the books are selling, and it's pretty exciting. And we try to cater to our devoted readers. We know that it's because of them that we can do the things we're doing right now. So there are special offers, lots of new and different things on the Web site, to keep things new and exciting for them. I'm hoping that will keep them coming back for a long time.

What are your current interests you outside of publishing?

I don't have a lot of time outside of work—between Dzanc and its imprints (OV Books, Black Lawrence Press, and of course, Monkeybicycle), I usually work about 10-15 hours per day. My official title is Art Director, so I design all of the books and whatever else needs made. I love graphic design, so when I have free time I do as much as I can to continue educating myself in the field to be the best I can be at it. I'm also a huge film buff and am fleshing out an idea for a coffee table-type of book about the history of theaters in America. That's something I don't know if I'll ever find the time to focus on, but I still try to put a little bit of it together here and there when I can. Also, thought I'm not much of a short-story writer, I'm getting bold enough to try my hand at screenwriting. So, I've been working on outlining a movie that I'd love to write. Like the theater book though, I'll never find the time to finish it, I'm guessing.

Feel free to talk about anything at the end here: music, film, family.... You pick!

Another thing that I'm happy to be a part of, which is publishing-related, is Forecast 42, helmed by former Monkeybicycle editor, Shya Scanlon. He's publishing his novel Forecast in 42 installments on various online lit journals and blogs. It's innovative, and I think it's going to not only change how people look at publishing their long form work, but it's also going to really bring the lit journal community together. It's very exciting.