Flint, MI.
Attention attentive parties!
Gothic Funk Press, the only independent and experimental literary press operating out of the East Village of Flint, Michigan has officially commenced the operation henceforth to be known as “Phase 2.0.” We are happy to provide this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Gothic Funk Press, Phase 2.0 for your convenience. Behold:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
(FAQ)
ABOUT GOTHIC FUNK PRESS, PHASE 2.0
1. If this is Phase 2.0, what was Phase 1.0?
In 2010, author Connor Coyne wanted to self-publish his novel Hungry Rats and incorporated the Press to make the printing more official. He drew the name from the Gothic Funk Nation which he had cofounded in 2004. During Phase 1.0 Gothic Funk Press existed for Connor to publish his own work. Phase 2.0 represents a shift during which projects and publications will feature a number of different writers. The literary anthology Mark’s Hat represents our first step along this path.
2. Wait, if the Press is named after the Nation, then wouldn’t the Nation be Phase 1.0 and the Press would be 2.0 and the this ought to be 3.0?
No, no, no. The Gothic Funk Nation was a Chicago-based artists collective. The Gothic Funk Press is a Flint-based literary press. See, they don’t have anything in common!
3. Does the Gothic Funk Press have anything in common with the Gothic Funk Nation?
Well, now that you mention it, yes. They have a lot in common, in terms of their political and cultural mission and overall aesthetic strategies. You can read more about this here.
4. Okay, so Gothic Funk Press, Phase 2.0. Are you just publishing new work then? What are you doing?
We’re not exactly publishing new work. See publishing is much cheaper than it used to be, but it is not free, and in some ways it is less profitable. Additionally, the mission of the Press is such that our staff is determined to maintain complete creative control. This means that we have to fund projects on a case-to-case basis. So Phase 2.0 is, at its heart, a schedule and strategy for our activities in 2015, to see what sort of periodic financial support we can rustle up and how well projects are received in the community.
5. I don’t think you answered my question. What are you doing?
In 2015, we will try to do the following:
- Publish two literary anthologies, which will be launched at a summer literary festival.
- Publish work by Gothic Funk Press staff as it is ready for release.
- Publish two full-length books by non-Gothic Funk Press staff.
- Preside over four special events in Flint, to be known by their acronyms: FLOOR, FLOOD, FLASH, and FLIGHT.
- Teach a yearlong online course in “Understanding the Gothic” via our blog. (This one has already started; you can catch up here.)
- Deepen our ties to our home community of Flint, Michigan.
6. Wow, that sounds like a ton of stuff! Are you crazy?
We’re the Gothic Funk Press… of course we’re crazy! We make no pretense that all of these plans will come to fruition. Some of them seem to be a sure thing. They all, we feel, are ripe with potential. We’re mostly going to throw things at the wall and see what sticks. We hope you’ll join us in this grand experiment.
7. I have questions. How should I ask them?
Right here!
8. What is the official coney island of the Gothic Funk Press.
Flint is filled with many wonderful coney islands: the Starlite, Tom Z’s, Tom’s Coney Cafe, the Olympic, Angelo’s, Star Bros., the City Diner, the Golden Gate, the Capitol, and many more. However, Gothic Funk Press has a longstanding and loyal friendship with the Atlas on Corunna Road, just west of Ballenger Highway. We hope you’ll go there for all of your 3 A.M. coney, coffee, and gravy fries needs. We even featured them in this neat promotional video.