Interrobang Magazine: Interview & Giveaway

I came across Interrobang, a bi-monthly zine created by Sarah Marshall and Lou Horvath, about a month ago while browsing through Etsy. When I read that they were taking poetry and short story submissions, I decided to give a shot. After exchanging a few emails with Sarah, it was decided that one of my short stories, Porcelain Girl, would be featured in issue five!
To learn more about Interrobang's creators and the zine itself, read the interview below.

What is Interrobang Magazine?
Interrobang is a self-published, bi-monthly online and print magazine that features poetry, short stories, art, and music.

Lou: In the title page for each zine, it says that Interrobang is a magazine established by Lou and Sarah. Sarah's choice of "established" is apt. One of its meanings is: "to introduce and cause to grow and multiply." That seems like a way forward.

When did Interrobang Magazine begin?
We began to work on the first issue in the summer of 2009.

What is some background information of the zine's creators?
Sarah: I am currently a senior in high school and will be moving to New York City in the fall to attend Parsons the New School for Design. At the time that Interrobang was established, I was primarily interested in fine art photography, which I had been doing for about three years. The zine has since piqued my interest in experimenting with other forms of art, including collage, mixed media work, and drawing.

Lou: Bachelor's degree in History, Master's in Counseling Psychology, recently retired after 15 years evaluating the work potential of people with disabilities. Lived, wrote, did odd jobs in Pittsburgh, California, the New York North Country, DelMarVa peninsula, Manhattan (1971-1989). Currently residing in hometown with 14 year-old son, Dante.

Published poems, prose, some collages and criticism in magazines such as: The Paris Review (first poem, 1972), Sun and Moon (Sun and Moon also published a chapbook of poems, VU), Telephone, Benzene, Smegma, Nice, La Bas, Truce, Ararat, Arete, Konglomerati, The Pittsburgh Quarterly (Print, and On-line, which serialized my novel, The Vulture and the Mother).

Why did you choose the name "Interrobang?"
Many different names were considered, but "Interrobang" seemed to work best. An interrobang is a punctuation mark that combines an exclamation point with a question mark. This symbol is used on the first page and back cover of every issue.

What is the process of developing and publishing a zine?
Sarah: We work on our projects individually and then decide what we feel should be included in the issue. When our ideas are in place, I begin to design the page layouts. We e-mail the spreads back and forth, offering feedback to one another, until the pages are complete. The issue is printed in relatively small quantities, and then bound, using either a sewing machine or binding it by hand. The zine is then listed on etsy and copies are distributed to a local bookstore. Recently we have created an online edition of Interrobang, so the final process of publishing an issue is uploading it to issuu.com and posting it to our blog.

Lou: Sarah is the driving force of Interrobang. Since she is the visual artist, she is the eye of the zine and gives it its look. She came up with the current format and she even has sewn the pages of the zine together with thread provided by her grandmother. With the introduction of the music playlists in issue two, she has provided our readers with a unique and interesting feature.

Where or from what do you gather inspiration for each issue?
Sarah: I generally don't obtain direct inspiration from anything in particular. Usually the inspiration stems from the medium itself when I'm creating work for the zine. Most of the processes (collage and mixed media) are new to me, so I really just experimenting most of the time.

Do you have any long term goals for Interrobang Magazine?
Lou: We haven't talked at all, about a "philosophy" of the zine. It's always been about the mutual admiration of each other’s work. We use what each of us comes up with, if we agree on it (including poems by Betsy Sherrier in issues one and two). I have had the opportunity of contributing poems, prose, translations from the Russian language, a chronology of my novel, The Vulture and the Mother. Currently working on a short story, Peck Slip Blues, which will be serialized beginning in I5. In future issues I’d like to turn a critical eye toward literature for which I have a high regard. With issue five, we will welcome two new writers (new for us) to the zine. I look forward to reading many more submissions as we continue.

Sarah: Interrobang has been a very interesting, rewarding project that I truly enjoy. I hope to continue to publish the zine for quite some time. It would be really great to continue to feature contributions from talented writers and artists and increase our readership with every issue as well.

The two lovely creators of Interrobang magazine are giving a free copy of issue five to one lucky reader.

How can you win?
Simply leave a comment below. If you don't have a blog then please leave an email address so you can be contacted if you are the winner. This giveaway is open to international readers.
To gain an extra entry, blog/tweet about this giveaway. Leave a link in a comment.
The giveaway will run for two weeks and a winner will be chosen randomly March 13th.

And remember to visit Interrobang's blog and Etsy shop to show your support for independent artists.

P.S. I also encourage you to visit Sarah's photostream. Aside from being a huge driving force behind the zine, she is also a very talented photographer.

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Halloween Treats!

The agenda for today was off and spiraling quicker then I could say abra kadabra! I woke up and went straight to the making, baking and decorating of chocolate cupcakes. After I got ready, I took a trip with a friend to a forested area and we had a magical photo shoot. The rest of the day was spent with plenty of tricks, treats, and sugar.
I'll be sharing the photographs from the shoot later but for now here is a little preview of the set I took of Ellie:

And as promised I'm going to announce the lucky winner of the giveaway that I randomly drew today.

Sher of Beneath The Crystal Stars is the lucky winner!

Hoping everybody had a spooky Halloween!

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Interview & Giveaway: Jennifer Korff

Ever since I caught a glimpse of the work from the talented Jennifer Korff I knew she possessed something special. Her photography created stories in the most beautiful poetic voices. Being an amateur photographer myself, I dazzled at her work and her ability to capture a moment in the most serene way.
Thus I was honored when she accepted to be interviewed by me. Her answers are rich in inspiration, especially to those who aspire to live their life (partially or fully) behind the lens of a camera.
To learn more about Jennifer and to follow her work, visit her blog, her Flickr, and her website.

1. Hello Jennifer. First of all, thank you so much for participating in this interview. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Well, hello! I am quite honored, thank you. A bit about myself, well, I am an artist living and working in Chicago, Illinois with my partner and our two monstrous kitties.

2. When did your love for photography begin?

I would say my love of photography began when I was quite young. My father has always had an affinity for the medium as well as an addiction to collecting and tinkering, so I would say it began when I was a little girl acting as model to my father's hobby and following him about with his equipment. My personal relationship with photography truly began when I entered college as an undergraduate. You can read a bit more about that here.

3. What subjects are your favorite to photograph. Why?
I love to capture people and am constantly chasing light. Though I suppose with a few more recent personal projects I have been engaged in lately, I have been drawn to capturing what is on my plate and soon to be in my belly.

4. Where do you find inspiration?
My partner is an incredible source of inspiration to me. Encouraging and challenging me all the same to think beyond the common aesthetic and conventional ways of thinking. I am also very drawn to books I am reading. The images they evoke in my mind... I try to make them a reality.

5. What camera(s) do you use?
I shoot with a mamiya c3, canon ae-1, yashica electro 35 gsn, polaroid sx-70, polaroid land camera and minolta xg-m.

6. The use of lighting in your photographs is magical. Is there a specific time of day you prefer to photograph in?
No specific time of day, really. I just prefer to photograph using what is naturally available to me.

7. You are soon releasing a book entitled We Never Really Knew What Time It Was. What does it include and what was your inspiration?
My book, We Never Really Knew What Time it Was, is a collection of images taken while camping on an island in Lake Michigan this past summer. I only shot two rolls of film while we were away, not quite two rolls in fact, and I was taken with how I was able to capture the island. I felt the images told a beautiful story and captured everything I personally love about a sojourn to the woods. I have been drawn to the idea of making books for quite some time and with the cohesiveness of these photographs, I thought it was an opportune time to give it a go.

8. Thank you so much for your time Jennifer. Do you have any advice for any aspiring photographers that might be reading this?
Persistence is the way to the heart of all aspirations and always come prepared. My favorite quote by Louis Pasteur, "Chance favors the prepared mind".

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The Giveaway:

The winner will have a choice of selecting any one of the beautiful prints featured here:

one | two | three

Plus, they will receive a set of beautiful postcards!

Now for your chance to win:

Simply leave a comment below telling me why you would like to win.
If you are a follower you will receive two entries, just leave a separate comment stating "I am a follower".

I will randomly select a winner October 31st, Halloween.
Good luck!

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Tagged & The Winner Of The Giveaway!

Today is an incredibly busy day for me. I have cupcakes in the oven, I'm photographing my friend for her Senior portraits in about an hour and a half, and I still have to come home and get all dolled for a birthday party I'm going to at around three. But I'm squeezing in a little bit of blogging time to share with you a recent tag by the lovely Jayne of The Little Passenger.



Number 1:
I was on July 20, 1991 as a premature four pound baby. I had difficulty breathing on my own so I had to be connected to a machine that did the breathing for me.

Number 2:
I have a tendency to over analyze when I'm not supposed to and to under analyze when I should be looking deeper into a subject matter.

Number 3:
I love tea. Cold tea, hot tea and anything sweet should make me happy. Right now I'm drinking a cup of hot green tea passion fruit.

Number 4:
I'm really bad at saving money. I try to save as much as I can and when I do, I end up spending it on clothes or nights out with friends.

Number 5:
I never get enough sleep. Okay, sometimes I do over the weekend if I'm lucky. But even when I do, I never feel well rested.

Number 6:
Whenever I fill out surveys, I almost never fill them out in order. I usually skip around from question to question.

Number 7:
I used to have a crazy obsession for Britney Spears. As a child, whenever my parents or family bought me something Britney-related, I would scream.
Yes, scream.

Number 8:
Because of the obsession for Britney Spears for a good portion of my childhood and preteen life, I still know most of her songs by memory. It's quite a talent, actually ;).

Number 9:
The ideal career for me would include me owning a cozy cupcake shop filled with artwork and photography as well as tall bookshelves of books for a costumer to read, writing poetry, short stories and whatever else floats my boat on my own terms and having them published in various places up until one day when I could have an anthology of the best ones (I have a thing for anthologies), traveling the world and owning a badass collection of cameras and lenses (film & digital) to photograph the places, the people and my experiences through my eyes. Oh, and contiuning blogging of course. Oh, one more thing, I promise: being crafty and running my own Etsy shop!

Number 10:
I can sum the things I hate the most into three phrases: liars, dirty toilets and reality.



I don't have time to tag anyone, but anyone who is willing is welcome to tag themselves.

Oh, and thank you to everyone who entered the Shira Sela giveaway. This morning I randomly selected a winner through random.org. So congratulations to Gabbi from *Felinofelice!

Happy weekend to all!

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Shira Sela: Giveaway

I found the lovely Shira Sela via Etsy and was immediately drawn to her artwork. Her nostalgic sketches and use of ink, markers and digital color attracted me instantaneously. I found the brighter colors against more neutral backdrops to be very alluring. When I took a closer look at the prints, I noticed that they were not merely beautiful pieces of art but also frames that so graciously created a story through metaphorical detailing.

So I am more than pleased to partner with Shira and host my very first giveaway! Up for grabs is the beautiful print "Never Alone" featured below.

To enter simply visit Shira's shop on Etsy. Then leave a comment here mentioning which print you love the most. Just to keep comments a bit more interesting, please mention why you would like to win this print. This giveaway is open to international readers and a winner will be chosen randomly on Friday, October 9th.

To find more of Shira's work and learn more about her, visit her website.

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Today was my second day of college and I already feel the load of pressure and the free time on my schedule being condensed with each passing hour. As I've mentioned in the past two posts of Three-Six-Five, I am enjoying the new experience and highly anticipating the Fall semester. Although it is too soon to tell, I seem to have an affinity for my anthropology class. The subject just seems to interest to me. Time will tell if I will grow to love it though.
I recently made up my mind that when I reach 100 followers I will have a giveaway. I am still a ways away, but I am determined to reach the 100th follower as soon as I possibly can. Speaking of giveaways, I recently won my first giveaway thanks to Love Charles Vintage. I won a really pretty lace purse. I love lace so I was exceptionally excited to win. I'm planning on posting pictures of the purse sometime after I receive it.
I would also like to thank Evelyn & Adin_22 for awarding me with two more awards to add on to my blog. They are both very sweet girls and I recommend you to check out their blogs.

Picture credit here.

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