Filed under: events | Tags: elimae, events, Gigantic, James Yeh, Justin Taylor, Lincoln Michel, readings, Rozalia Jovanovic, tao lin, Todd Zuniga
elimae: a reading @ kgb bar in nyc
Totally last minute, but if you’re in the NYC area, come check out elimae: a reading tonight at KGB Bar, featuring 6+ Gigantic coeditors and contributors. A “marathon” of “three minute or less readings” from a roster of fine writers including, but not limited to:
Shya Scanlon, Lincoln Michel*, Rozalia Jovanovic*, Kimberly King Parsons, James Yeh*, Justin Taylor*, Nicolle Elizabeth, Tao Lin*, Nick Antosca, Todd Zuniga*, Dennis DiClaudio, John Madera, Timmy Waldron, Forrest Roth, Terese Svoboda, Barry Graham, Dawn Raffel, Sasha Graybosch, Eric Nusbaum and more.
(* denotes Gigantic coeditor or contributor)
Hosted by Shya Scanlon. Admission is free.
Tuesday, May 26th @ KGB Bar, 85 East 4th Street, NYC 7pm
Filed under: events, sundries | Tags: James J. WIlilams III, Launch, Mark Hewko, Raffle, Todd Zuniga
GIGANTIC ANNOUNCES RAFFLE WINNERS FROM ITS 2009 LAUNCH
Todd Zuniga, editor of Opium Magazine, presenting his hilarious and satirical graphic art panels at the Gigantic launch.
WHO WON
1) Mark Doten
2) Laura Renga
3) J. Lathigra
WHAT THEY WON (Respectively)
1) Four Graphic Art Panels by Todd Zuniga
2) Three photographs by Mark Hewko
3) Altered Cover and Platonic Love Notes by James J.Williams III
HOW THE RAFFLE WAS CONDUCTED
We had two separate “HATS,” the ART HAT and the PLAYER HAT. The first included the three prizes, and the other included the raffle stubs of all the players. For each piece selected from ART HAT, we selected a corresponding winner from the PLAYER HAT. All art was graciously donated by artists Todd, Mark and James, whose work was represented in the first issue of Gigantic.
THANK YOU!!!
We’d like to thank the artists for their generous contributions and thank all of those who entered the raffle for your gigantic support.
a,r,l,y
Filed under: events, issue #1, press | Tags: Adam Wilson, Ann DeWitt, events, Gigantic, James Yeh, Justin Taylor, Kenny Aquiles, Kristen O'Toole, Lauren Spohrer, Lincoln Michel, Rozalia Jovanovic, Todd Zuniga
Gigantic Issue 1 Launch Party and Benefit, Starr Space, Brooklyn, NY, April 25th, 2009
For a Full Slideshow of the Evenings Delights, Please See:
http://s573.photobucket.com/albums/ss174/Giganticmagazine/Issue 1 Launch Party/?albumview=slideshow
Filed under: events | Tags: Ann DeWitt, James Yeh, John Wray, Justin Taylor, Lee Bob Black, Lincoln Michel, Rozalia Jovanovic, Stephen Elliott, Todd Zuniga
The RETURNS and The SIZZLES
What Exactly Do We Aim to Get Out of All of This?
photo by Lee Bob Black
On April 7, 2009, Todd Zuniga (top left) interviewed Gigantic (from left: Lincoln, James, Rozalia, Ann) for Opium Live, a fledgling arm of Todd’s Opium empire, which took place at Happy Ending in New York.
During the interview, Todd asked many thoughtful, humorous and eloquent questions. One was: “Four writers running a literary magazine. This is going to cost you either seven short stories or one novel each, at least. What were you thinking, and who’s to blame for not warning you away from such a misadventure?”
Later, he clarified (via blog comment) “Point being: is the trade-off worth it? What you’ll give up, do you expect it to be worth what you get in return.” He also mentioned that while the initial “sizzle” falls away, it does at times come “screaming back.”
The question, what do you get “in return” for starting a literary magazine is a very good and apt one because the RETURN is intangible and many people do ask, Why are you doing this? and, What on earth do you hope to get out of it?
The RETURN is not, obviously, monetary remuneration, because, well, that should be obvious to pretty much anyone. But SIZZLE cannot be the RETURN either, because that seems beside the point. Or, can it?
The RETURN, for Gigantic at least, has something to do with the appreciation of short prose and art that is inaccessible to more people than not because it is unmarketable, uncategorizable and odd and/or risky, and therefore shunned by venues that thrive on marketability and pleasingness of content. But our content is remarkable nonetheless and should not be passed over, but be accessible and enjoyed.
For the reasons stated above, there must exist alternative venues for the presentation of this work, such as the publisher Printed Matter was for artists/writers such as Kathy Acker, Sol LeWitt and Laurie Anderson in the seventies. And SIZZLE, while it is fun and exciting, also leads to awareness and thus the accomplishment of one of our, Gigantic’s, stated purposes. So SIZZLE may be extremely important after all.
And there are alternative venues we love out there already, such as Opium, Conjunctions, NOON, and elimae, which begs the question: How Is Gigantic Different from Those Other Journals? Todd did ask us a question to that effect during the interview, but the response deserves its own post…to follow.
In the meantime, while we don’t look forward to the demise of the SIZZLE (and humbly acknowledge that FULL SIZZLE has yet to be realized), we look forward to the return of the SCREAMING SIZZLES and plan to make the most of them on their brief appearances.
We’d also like to thank Todd for hosting this series, which enables a live dialogue between identities otherwise virtual, and are thrilled to be in the company of notable former interviewees such as John Wray, Stephen Elliott and Justin Taylor.
-The Editors
Filed under: events | Tags: Adam Wilson, Anya Yurchyshyn, Cormac McBootay, debut issue, DJ HemingYeh, events, Justin Taylor, Kenny Aquiles, Kristen O'Toole, Lauren Spohrer, Todd Zuniga
Filed under: events | Tags: Ann DeWitt, Appearances, Gigantic, Interviews, James Yeh, Lincoln Michel, Rozalia Jovanovic, Todd Zuniga
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Rozalia Jovanovic, James Yeh, Ann DeWitt and Lincoln Michel. (aka The Four Gigantics) will be interviewed tomorrow for Opium Live. Also featured will be playwright Terry Selucky and novelist John Wray.
Drop by if you can.
When: April 7, 7:55 p.m. (doors at 7)
Where: Happy Ending (302 Broome Street @ Forsyth), NYC
Cost: Free!
Filed under: events | Tags: Andrew Bulger, Ben Blum, Deb Olin Unferth, events, Gigantic, Gigantic magazine, Justin Taylor, readings, tao lin, Todd Zuniga
“Shopping cart” by Andrew Bulger
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Busy week for Gigantic contributors and friends (contributors in bold):
Tue 3.3.09 Tao Lin and Justin Taylor interviewed by Todd Zuniga for Opium Magazine Live. 8pm, free, Happy Ending, literary DJ party thing afterward
Wed 3.4.09 Ben Blum and Justin Taylor at Writers & Teachers. 7pm, free, Center for Imaginative Writing
Fri 3.6.09 James Yeh at the 5th annual Howl Festival hosted by Columbia University. 8pm, $10 (?), reading from On the Road by Jack Kerouac, accompanied by former Beat collaborator David Amram
Mon 3.9.09 Tao Lin, Deb Olin Unferth, and Christine Schutt at the International Center Literary Mixer. 7 pm, free, wine & “quiche”
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Filed under: events | Tags: Adam Wilson, Ed Park, Gigantic, Gigantic magazine, Justin Taylor, Kristen O'Toole, sam lipsyte, tao lin, Todd Zuniga
Just a quick little news post here.
Gigantic #1 preview posts are up if you missed them: Gigantic art preview and fiction preview. Interview preview to come.
We have also been taking pre-orders, which have been rolling in from as far away as Norway. Seriously.
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In Gigantic friends news:
Todd Zuniga will be interveiwing Gigantic contributors Tao Lin and Justin Taylor for Opium Live on March 3rd. He is also seeking submissions for great writing advice you’ve been told.
Ed Park will be talking about literary magazines on March 10th. He also read with Deb Olin Unferth last night.
Sam Lipsyte has been reading from his new novel, The Ask, at Russian Samovar. Scope a YouTube here.
Adam Wilson has started a regular column on Friday Night Lights for Flavor Wire.
Kristen O’Toole blogs there as well.