A MESSAGE FROM YOUR FRIEND AT GORILLA ZINE
Welcome to GorillaZine.com you curious little reader! Unlike most contemporary independent zines that cover all things related to the arts and youth lifestyles, Gorilla Zine is a free print (and soon to be online) journal that aims to appeal to the post-collegiate literary crowd. Though you might find us being read by bohemians and hipsters, we still strive to make our zine’s readership to be made up of fans of art outside of the mainstream. We hope you enjoy reading our stuff, since you’ll only find nothing but great works from great people. Don’t expect gratuitous tales and photographs of debauchery, sex, hedonism, drugs, chaos, and opinions on political or current events. Gorilla Zine was meant to entertain and inspire readers. Stay tuned and come back soon for our first free online volume. For now, check out our interviews below and feel free to explore the rest of the site.
-Harry Miller (Chief Editor)
AN INTERVIEW WITH A VINCENT VALDEZ
Vincent Valdez is an up and coming poet. His work has been featured in various journals and other independent zines. His collection of poetry is due out some time in the spring of 2008.
Gorilla Zine: First and foremost, thank you Vincent for being our first online interview for GorillaZine.com.
Vincent Valdez: I’m your first? Oh wow… That’s flattering…
Gorilla Zine: We figure we might as well start off with a bang with a local great…
Vincent Valdez: (laughs) That’s really nice of you to say, but I honestly would’ve kick started my online thing with someone else. If I were you guys… Maybe someone more… established?
Gorilla Zine: Well, we’ve been keeping up with your work for a long time now, we thought that it would probably be best to get a hold of you before you get too too big for independent zines.
Vincent Valdez: Ha! Wow, I think your guys’ expectations of me are a lot higher than what I had in mind. I don’t think a poet can ever get that big.
Gorilla Zine: Sure they can!
Vincent Valdez: Well yeah— that’s if you want a career in teaching Ivy League students… I wouldn’t exactly call that making it big.
Gorilla Zine: Then how big can a poet really get?
Vincent Valdez: That’s a really good question, and I think it goes back to the two questions that bother every poet: “Can I really do this for a living?” and “Or is this just something that I can do on the side since it’s not guaranteed that it’ll put meals on the tables?” And my answer I guess is… a poet can only get as big as he wants to.
Gorilla Zine: Elaborate.
Vincent Valdez: Well, if a poet wants to be “famous big,” he can do it in two different ways. Fill out the grants, the fellowships, the scholarships, and work on your work while teaching and learning, hoping that you’ll gain some notoriety. And as for the other way— get a job that can provide for you and your family, write poetry in your free time, and when you die, hope that you pull an Emily Dickinson and gain literary immortality after your sibling discovers your works and how much of a prolific poet you’ve been over the years.
AN INTERVIEW WITH A TURTLE LOVER
Benjamin Wey is a short fiction writer, and the newest addition to the Gorilla Zine editorial team. He will be conducting interviews and contributing some of his own works from time to time. All of his stories involve a turtle, and they can all be read here.
Gorilla Zine: Hello again.
Benjamin Wey: Hello again.
Gorilla Zine: So what’s happening these days in the world of Benjamin Wey?
Benjamin Wey: Well, my site BenjaminWeyTurtleTales.com has been running, and I’ve actually switched blogs. So you can now find me at MyBlogLog.
Gorilla Zine: Are you still writing about turtles?
Benjamin Wey: Yes. And that’s all I’ll probably keep writing about.
Gorilla Zine: I’ve read a couple of your short fiction, and in our previous interview (which can be read in your site), I could’ve sworn you meant to have your stories be children’s stories. But upon reading them, they seem to be very mature in terms of theme and conduct. At times, it can get pretty dark and violent. Do you still feel like you’re writing for the children?
Benjamin Wey: Funny that you mentioned that. I was actually just talking to my partner, Cooper about my writing. He thought that they were too violent and a bit too cryptic for children. But I thought that they were perfectly suitable for children.
Gorilla Zine: How’s that?
Benjamin Wey: Have you ever seen a child plays with his action figures? Have you seen the shows and movies that kids these days watch? There’s always someone getting hurt, and they’re either cheering or laughing about it. And in terms of cryptic… well, in a way I guess that’s me attempting to make my stories immortal. Growing up, I would realize that there were darker and more “mature” versions of the stories I read or was exposed to as a kid. Like Little Red Riding Hood and Alice in Wonderland— two stories that at first appear to be something for kids, but later you realize they weren’t exactly.
Gorilla Zine: That’s true. I don’t how many times I’ve heard of people going back to stories from their childhood after discovering the dark and sexual undertones behind them.
Benjamin Wey: Exactly…
Gorilla Zine: So are there any plans in the future yet, for you as a writer?
Benjamin Wey: Well, my partner, Cooper and I have been trying to work on our own painted graphic novel. But that’s all way still in the early stages. My script is still incomplete, and Cooper doesn’t exactly all of his supplies. So he’s still working out the sketches. But it’s still a collaborative creative endeavor.
Gorilla Zine: Wow, a graphic novel! That’s amazing! We can’t wait to see that. The last time we spoke to you, you seemed more caught up in Graduate School more than your budding writing career…
Benjamin Wey: Yeah, I’m still going to Graduate School here in Southern California. It’s still my main priority. But lately, with my writing garner some attention, it wouldn’t surprise me if there will be a time when I’m going to have to make a decision and re-evaluate my priorities.
Gorilla Zine: Let’s hope you join us in the dark side. How can you not turn to the world of literary arts?
Benjamin Wey: Well, I think writing is a very selfish and self-centered activity. You’re constantly alone— having to isolate yourself from people in order to get stuff done, you have to be wary with every single thing thought, and you need to decide how what you write caters to you and your audience. Otherwise, why put it out if you’re the only one that’s going to want to read it? And don’t get me wrong, I do believe that writing has the power to spark change or encourage thought; but for me it’s not as direct as being physically active in helping or changing the world. Writing inspires. Being active in a field that’s dedicated to helping others is direct.
IN THE UPCOMING ONLINE ISSUE OF GORILLA ZINE
* 12 Poems from a cowboy now living in a city.
* Office Haikus
* New Fiction By Benjamin Wey
* 5 poems from Vincent Valdez
* Gender Identity Prose by Nam Tuan
* Benjamin Wey interviews Harry Miller
* Photography by Morgan Nico