Checking in with Word Riot

I really like it when Fictionaut comes alive in person. Tonight Fictionauters Elizabeth Ellen, Kim Chinquee, Peter Schwartz, Christopher Kennedy, Robert Lopez, Barry Graham, Karen Baddely, Steve Rosenstein, Marie Barrientos, G.D. Peters, Paul Hylan Segar, Ken Sparling, Geoffrey Nutter, Jen Michalski, Mark Mirsky, and Shya Scanlon will read the KGB Bar in New York City for Dogzpot and Sententia Magazines. Fictionauter Timmy Waldron will be reading Saturday night. These people, among others, are the future of publishing and American Literature and I thought I’d ask Fictionauter Jackie Corley to talk about where short fiction in independent literature has been and where it’s going. She is the editor of Word Riot and Word Riot Press as well as many other projects and her own work, The Suburban Swindle.

Nicolle Elizabeth: Hey Ms. Corley. I’d love to talk about Word Riot here at Fictionaut. You are a journal and a press, with a long and present history. Can you give us some insight into Word Riot?

Jackie Corley: My goal with Word Riot has always been to not overextend myself or my editors. I’ve seen too many online mags come in guns blazing and then they’re gone just as quickly. I feel that publishing monthly and putting out 2-4 books a year is something i’ll be able to continue doing for many years to come.

What authors does Word Riot have chaps/books going for currently and forthcoming?

Later this year we have short story collections coming out from Paula Bomer and Mike Young. We recently released an anthology called What’s Your Exit? A Literary Detour Through New Jersey. The breadth and depth of this collection — 49 writers and poets are included — presented a challenge for me as a publisher that I was eager to meet and the book has been incredibly successful for us right out the gate.

I think of you as a staple in the short fiction community. How do you feel about where we’re at currently and can you offer any insight into where we’re going?

I’m pretty excited for where the indie lit community is at right now. I think blogs & sites like HTMLGiant, Big Other, the Millions, the Rumpus & The Nervous Breakdown have united the community in a way that didn’t exist before. Smaller presses continue to thrive and bigger publisher are taking notice of writers coming out of this indie lit scene. I’d like to see more bigger publisher start to pluck from this stable. Thus far it’s only been Harper Perennial that’s been looking to the indie lit scene for the next generation of writers. I’m also pretty eager to see online mags get the attention and respect they deserve. We’re coming on 10 years for some of the older mags and we’re just starting to see the mainstream literary community acknowledge this growth.

Nicolle Elizabeth checks in with Fictionaut Groups every Friday.