Publishing Houses (Online): Boost House

Hi everyone. I’ve been cleaning out my drafts and trying to prep some more information about Space In Your Head, as well as online publishing, and mental health. One of my ideas was this: Publishing Houses Online. A segment where I can talk about different publishing opportunities if you don’t think Space In Your Head is right for you. Obviously our target is any art or writing, from people who suffer from mental illnesses. We are less aesthetic based, whereas if you’re a minimalist or new sincerity writer, for example, you might be suited to different publications. Even if you aren’t a writer and are just someone who likes looking at words and cool arty things, you might like to check these out and give them a follow. I’ll be looking at Illuminati Girl Gang, EmpathLit, Electric Cereal and Faces Of Mental Health too, in upcoming versions of these. I might even put them all up tonight and share them at different times, for anyone who is nosey and can’t wait (totally fine, btw.)

In this first edition, we’ll be talking about Boost House. Founded by Steve Roggenbuck, Boost House a publishing group based around making videos and printing books from contributors, as well as making t-shirts and a heap of other thing. They’re also living in a residency style, which is pretty awesome, as it allows all of these differing creative forces to work together and maximise their conceptualisation strategies. They recently released a book ‘I’M ALIVE/ IT HURTS/ I LOVE IT’ and a video for Joshua Jennifer Espinoza, and have in the past printed one of Steve Roggenbuck’s poem books ‘Crunk Juice’, as well as the lit journal ‘Boost House’, PLUS, a Walt Whitman anthology.

What I love about Boost House (aside from the output) is the way they are ambitious, despite having people coming and going. There’s a huge drive to produce original content for everyone, such as their idea to put up a free online school to talk about current issues facing millennials, which I find super important. Boost House have been doing this since 2013, and I’m so proud of their work so far. I know that they’ve got it in them to make something amazing, that will help legitimise what the online lit scene is and encapsulates. And I guess that’s why they’re succeeding as well – they’re all from the internet, essentially. They’ve seen what this scene is twist and turn for years, and now they’ve tried to make a home for it. Not just an online hub, but a physical home, making physical things. That’s why Boost House are killing it, and I wish them all the best.

Boost House have an online store you can find on their website, http://www.boost-house.com. But you should follow them on twitter, @boosthouse and find them on Facebook. They’re always posting really interesting content, and they’re such approachable, and really hardworking, fantastic people.

RIP HTML Giant

Around a week ago today, HTML Giant ceased operations. HTML Giant were one of the places I was first exposed to online writing, and they’ve been doing good things for the duration of their operation. Space In Your Head has been started because of groups such as this, and with alt lit ‘dying’, we’ve started to find our place more and more important. Maybe not being defined by alt lit, but moving to be defined by something different. HTML Giant proved that getting in the middle of a circle of writers was the best way to find new talent. And for me, it showed that you really don’t need to wait for anyone to write a book, or get published, to notice talent. There’s writing everywhere, and it’s up to a good group to help tap into that.

I find Space In Your Head in a strange situation right now. With this exodus of alt lit writers and writing circles, what does that mean for contemporary publishing? For years before this, I thought that publishing online was the way forward, but how do you avoid creating any problems? Within any circle, there’s going to be influential people, and there’s going to be abusive people. We’ve been lucky or under the radar enough to avoid having anything like that come up, and I’d like to hope we’ve had a good mix of submissions, and as proper representation as possible. We love art, and we use what gets sent our way.

Seeing HTML Giant be affected by this is sobering. But as I mentioned in a previous blog post is that this isn’t a bad thing. This is only going to motivate me to promote a safe space for everyone, and a place where art and writing can get shared no matter what, where no weeds can thrive.

I want to be the gardener of this online community. I want to pay close attention to any beautiful seeds I am fortunate enough to come in contact with, and I want to make this into something big. I want more and more people from all over the world sharing their experiences through art. Because with mental health, sharing experience is so important. But of course, you need the right conditions. If I could control the weather, I’d want to make this as bright and sunny as possible.

We’ve had a fortunate first two months. Here’s to many more, of the same feeling, to come.

What makes a Love Letter a Love Letter?

There’s not much time to submit for this months theme. Our philosophy is any art is good art. Some people find solace in making art, and others fine it hard to get their art out there. This month’s theme is ‘Love Letters’, and we hope people haven’t been dissuaded, and we hope you haven’t been thinking ‘I need to pen a love letter.’ Because that’s not the case.

Love Letters aren’t easy. But, they don’t have to be some 19th century ode to someone you find gorgeous (but of course, it can be.) What I love about the internet is the translation of things that appear seemingly one dimensional (just like love letters) into something more accessible. I mean, when the first person wrote a love letter on a typewriter, I’m sure there was some backlash along the lines of ‘But you didn’t put pen to paper! That’s so insincere!’. So of course, you can get typing, you can get penning, you can get your typewriter out, but why keep it limited to words?

Take a selfie. It’s a love letter to yourself. Your best angle, in the best lighting. Or your most artistic take on your face. I find it hard to see this as something non-romantic. Or maybe have someone in the shot, make it about someone else. It’s up to you. Decorate it, put some text, some stickers over it. Make it about love.

Find a picture at home, snap it. Share it, it can be a love letter to that one time you printed film photos, or the park you took this picture.

Paint something, or someone. It can be your love letter to them, or to painting.

Love letters are hardly one dimensional. We’ve had some amazing poems and short pieces come in, but why keep it limited? Express yourself, express your love in a way that you want to. Make it artistic, make it fucking brilliant (because of course you can).

Share your art. Share your love letters. Tweet us, mention us, tag #spaceinyourhead, email us. And most importantly, do your thing!

Are writers just like superheroes?

Over this several carefully paragraphed blog post, I’m going to talk about people like us – superheroes.

Up into the late ours of the night, looking for ‘something’

Anonymous (or ‘masked’, at the very least)

Experts

Outsiders (in the best sense of the word)

Misunderstood

Full of secret weapons

Highly trained

Kick-ass

I mean, this pretty much sums up what a superhero is. And I bet if you’re a writer, there’s a small part of you thinking ‘hey, thats me!’

While our words may not stop crime, words can save lives. Kind words, smart words, insightful words, big words, small words. We’re working to help people, and sometimes, not always, but sometimes, change the world. Our efforts as masked vigilantes, acting alone or in a group, can help people get by that extra day.

Superhero movies always stress an aspect of ‘anyone can be a hero’. I think in the writing world that goes without saying. Any writer can produce something that someone else loves, and sometimes, this turns the writer into a figurehead, or a metaphor, for anyone young or old. Not only someone to look up to, but someone who is pioneering, fighting for a particular ideal. We could talk a lot about what’s more important: a superhero’s actual contributions (eg fighting crime, locking lots of baddies up) or their position as a beacon of hope, that metaphor for something. And while the market for posters in K-Mart with depictions of Chekhov and Vonnegut haven’t quite picked up yet, the names on a bookshelf remain as these go to places for inspiration in a time of desperation.

So how does a writer go from hero, which is a given, to a ‘superhero’?

The words written on a page, or on a screen, have a strange tendency to fight the fears and reservations in our hearts and minds. Whether it’s the fear of an impending assignment, a hard day at work, a relationship, or just a general off feeling, there’s a way that words can fight back for us. Writers create these things, they work hard, tirelessly, and with a vision, so we can pick them up and enjoy them. And that’s the fighting. It’s not vigilantism, it’s not illegal (although it can be), and it’s not a legal grey area – it’s hard work, it’s adored, and it’s effective.

Sure, it’s not fighting crime, but it’s fighting something.