[caption id="attachment_9869" align="alignleft" width="234" caption="Matthew Ward"]
[/caption]Ernest Dempsey — Matthew Ward, editor of the Australian story magazine Skive, is now up for a new venture in publishing. His up and coming magazine is called No Printer Zone, or NPZ, which is dedicated to the “future of the past”. This reflects in the magazine’s name and basic guidelines: only hand-written/drawn work is invited. Launching next month, NPZ will come as a unique publication in its quest for reviving the tradition and passion of the written word involving pen and paper. Here is a brief chat with Matthew Ward about NPZ. For updates on the magazine’s publication, readers may visit the NPZ website.
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Ernest: Matt, it’s nice to be chatting with you; it’s been some time. How did the idea of starting a new magazine come about?
Matt: A few months ago, I mentioned the idea on a Facebook writers group. It was one of those 'middle-aged frustration with the world' ideas—I get several every week. I had become irritated with the decreasing sales of Skive Magazine (my printed mag, 2006-2011), and also that some writers seem to be getting published in magazines only once, to collect more publication names on their bios (they were getting published in Skive and then never sending me anything ever again). On a whim, I thought about handwritten stories and poems and a possible magazine. A few years ago, I had been published in a blog-zine called ‘Hit and Run' by Paul A. Toth. Paul's idea was to publish the first drafts of stories and poems, scanned handwritten notes, and drawings, if that was part of the process. He published the notes I had made while writing a novel that is, at the moment of this interview, unfinished. Without trying to sound vain, I liked the way my writing looked on the website, and recently, on that night on Facebook, thought a magazine with the final versions of stories/poems and also artwork might be cool.
Ernest: So obviously the big question is why a magazine of hand-written or hand-drawn items instead of the now more conventional typed or printed ones?
Matt: Covered that a bit in my answer above. To add to that, I had been doing a lot of editing of stories for other people—editing and layout repair and wanted something that was all ready to go. I use the phrase 'embracing the future of the past' to reflect this retro craze where everything old is new again—from clothing, to old fashioned film cameras, and writing as well.
Ernest: Do you believe many people will welcome this publication in an age possessed by fingertip technology?
Matt: That's the question, isn't it? They seem to be curious about it. I have been involved in the production of 3 magazines over the last 14 years—Heist! (printed, 1998-2001), insOmaniac (online, 1999), Skive (online 2003-2006; printed 2006-2011)—and all of them took half a year at least to take off. There is still a fascination with the handwritten word, and also I encourage writers to be artistic—putting objects on the scanner with the writing for effect (coins, hair, marbles; one writer burned holes in a poem and lay rose petals on the page before scanning it; another took a real postcard from WWI and scanned the French original and translated it into English). They are involved in the design process—something that doesn't happen (mostly) in regular word-processed magazines. In mid 2010, I abandoned the printed issue with an all-electronic magazine called Skive Future. Just an ebook and Kindle. It couldn't be printed on paper. It was cheap. I spent a lot of time on layout and it looked fantastic. But no-one bought it; so I went back to print again.
Ernest: I think one issue with publishing hand-written items will be possible difficulty in reading various handwritings. But that variety may also be the beauty of the magazine, right?
Matt: That is a big problem, and not with the submissions I receive—I am sure (through feedback, and instinct) that writers hate the way their own writing looks on paper, and school students now use computers when they go to high school, not like when I was in high school, where we wrote by hand every day. I am sure they cannot spell without spellcheck. So, I don't receive the stories as much as I'd like to.
Ernest: What genres do you currently need most submissions in?
Matt: I have more than enough poetry. I want a lot more short stories—flash stories are fine, just a few hundred words. Non-fiction and artwork too. Ernest: Will NPZ be in print only or online, or both? And how are you promoting this magazine?
Matt: Both printed (black & white) and as e-books (color). I have been using Facebook and Twitter, and also Duotrope for promo. I'll write a press release when it goes on sale. Ernest: Are you accepting submissions via regular/postal mail also? Matt: Maybe in the future. I realized that some of the people who can write by hand are also old fashioned in not being able to use scanners or digital cameras. I will see if there is a lack of submissions for issue 2.
Ernest: Thanks Matt! I look forward to reading NPZ’s premier issue when it comes out.
Matt: Thanks for your interest.
