Comments on: Small Press Month, oh the controversy

By: mike

mike — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:44:47 +0000

Chicago historically stands on the shoulders of literary giants and wonderfully cohesive literary organizations; however, in order to further Chicago literary tradition and create new ones, we do need to attract the likes of literary businesses – agents, other presses, media etc as well as attract and support writers. Small Press Month may assist in doing some of that.
As far as “cry babies”"stuck up” and “selling your soul” it seems that Laity may not be concerned with working with new lit. organizations, nor should he be. His input and assistance, it seems, would only further damage a strong continuing tradition of Chicago literature.

Also, as far as “screw New York” it is ridiculous to state that cities shouldn’t assist each other in resources or in growing true independent presses. This is not Bosnia or France cerca 1800’s. Chicago has historically built upon New York’s achievements and, at our best, its mistakes (architecture, city planning, cultural institutions, business etc) and there is not reason why we couldn’t in the publishing industry.
It is unfortunate that Laity views this is such black and white term.

By: CJ Laity

CJ Laity — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:45:17 +0000

Kris,

your comment reminds me of something I would expect from a neo con loon posting at ABC News. Now I’m awful for promoting EVERYONE instead of editing it down to the five people that I like? I see that Literago isn’t worth my time. Throw your insults all you like, I’m out of here.

By: Kris

Kris — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:37:43 +0000

By “the rest of us,” I assume Mr. Laity means himself and the voices in his head? Emphasizing select events isn’t stuck up; it’s editing, something CJ could clearly stand to learn something about.

By: CJ Laity

CJ Laity — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:40:33 +0000

Wow, I knew you folks at Literago were stuck up (only promoting the select few literary events that YOU deem worthy), but this takes the cake. We have had a “cohesive” lit scene in Chicago for over twenty years (that I’ve been in) and of course even before that before I made the scene. I can’t tell you how tiresome it is for newcomer cry babies like you to pop in the scene all the time without a clue to the history of it and then act like you’ve invented it or your way of thinking is its savior. Sell your soul to the big publishing industry if you like; the rest of us see the hypocrisy of this so-called National Small Press Month.–CJ Laity

By: Eugenia

Eugenia — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:01:11 +0000

Not only is this sort of rhetoric polarizing, it’s vulgar. It’s like watching a starving dog trying to wrest the tiniest scrap of meat from another starving dog.