disenthused

(“Solid Comfort,” by Sarah Bloom; cover photo from FLASHDRIVE)

________________________________________________________________

At the urging of Carrie Clevenger, I recently posted the material I’d requested last year for a project called FLASHDRIVE. There were a few, well, speedbumps (sorry) that hindered its being published–none of which bear relating. The important thing is, Carrie pushed me to bring FLASHDRIVE to light, when I wasn’t sure I would do anything further with disenthralled.

The idea was simple: put together a small collection of flash stories and images about cars/driving/the road. I asked Sarah Bloom, at the last minute, to provide photos–as always, she came through. If you’re unfamiliar with Sarah’s work, go through the back issues of disenthralled here or check out her website, which is linked at the bottom of the page.

FLASHDRIVE was by invitation. This ezine was begun the same way: I asked people whose work I admired to email something, even if–especially if–they’d never been published before. The most rewarding aspect of editing disenthralled has been publishing first-timers. I remember what that was like. It’s exhilarating. Inspiring. As unfair as it may be, it also gets you published more (having a list of credits shouldn’t influence whether or not a piece is accepted, but it too often does).

Anyhow, I collected the material before I knew what I would do with it. To the dismay of everyone else involved, I usually edit like I’m kicking off a jam session in somebody’s gararge. “Hey. I like that. Put some drums behind it and let’s see what happens.” Over the past six months or so, I took a few chances with disenthralled and was left hanging. The entire zine went on hold. I was going to quit editing altogether–in favor of drawing, playing music and whipping swords around in my backyard–when Carrie asked me what was going on.

So here it is.

The writing is varied and top-notch, exactly what I’d been looking for. Sarah’s photos, as well. My brain damage, the result of a botched alien implant operation, is evident in the Foreward (sp), but the contents are what matter. (One of the things I love about early Van Halen records is how the band left the tape rolling when they fucked up, because they rocked so hard that nobody cared.)

More on what led to this project can be found in the beginning of FLASHDRIVE #1, which is linked below.

I think, for now, I’m going to do a series of these. FLASHDRIVE’s. At issuu, not here. It’s so much easier to lay out a publication and post it with a single click than wrestle with it at WP for hours or days at a stretch. Paul Dutra, who was my Left Brain when it came to editing disenthralled, can attest to that. I’ll post further links and keep you updated on this blog.

Go read it, already….

FLASHDRIVE

_____

I’d like to add that Sarah Bloom has a Kickstarter campaign, “Totally Exposed,” you should check out. If you like the work she has contributed to disenthralled and my other projects, please consider supporting her:

TOTALLY EXPOSED

Thanks,

Walter Conley

Advertisement