Short fiction publisher Empire & Great Jones has grown
into a three-tentacled monster with their newest line Zetetic: A Record of Unusual Inquiry. Zetetic is a word with Greek roots and means really awesome publication . . . er, something. This line of short fiction,
like E&GJ’s other lines, is semi-pro ($.02/word, or higher, depending on
how their Patreon campaign goes) and is generally open to submissions.
Unlike sister journals Spark and Ember, Zetetic publishes their stories online,
where all can bask in their glorious glory! And I’m not just saying that. With
stories from Stone Showers, Dino Laserbeam, and Clive Tern, it really is pretty
glorious. The fiction is short, the fiction is odd, the fiction is memorable.
Check out their June issue here.
With us today is George Wells, managing editor of Zetetic: A
Record of Unusual Inquiry. He’s here to tell us about the journal, what they
look for in submissions, and the best book to hold close as the apocalypse of
the written word approaches.
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Zetetic’s homepage
states that We want to create a space
where readers can find unique writing that they can connect to, that will make
them say, “This was quite unusual, but I loved it.” Can you offer a
specific example of a writer or work (outside Zetetic) that fits the bill? What, to you, is something that is
weird and wonderful?
Kurt
Vonnegut is an early example. My senior
English teacher in high-school had a book rack of stuff that he liked but
wasn’t part of the curriculum and we were allowed to borrow those from
him. I read Slaughterhouse Five overnight and came back the next day a bit
irritated with Mr. Veatch for not including that on the curriculum instead of When the Legends Die, the book we were
working through at the time. He listened
to my rant, expressed his delight at my appreciation of the book, but informed
me that the school board would never let him do that.
Despite
the fact that Vonnegut is still such a popular author, there’s something so odd
about the way he wrote that I find his popularity a bit surprising—but
encouraging.
I also
read In Watermelon Sugar by Richard
Brautigan, and remember being entranced by this world that didn’t make any
sense but somehow did.
Life after God by Douglas Coupland is another
example. It’s a novel told in short
stories and vignettes and accompanied by simple drawings. I’ll admit that I even tried to write in that
style, failed miserably, but ended up with something completely different and
unusual for me, so maybe I got the headspace right, at least.
And I
did enjoy When the Legends Die, too,
by the way.
