Checking In with Gigantic

Gigantic is a newer journal and one of our newest groups, and I thought I’d ask James Yeh and all four editors to chime in about who they are and what they’re up to this time. It’s a small world, so small that it turned out Andrew Bulger and I were headed to the same bar to play video games four days after Gigantic sent back the answers to these interview questions. Andrew Bulger is Gigantic’s in-house artist and he is a very good one, I cannot remember which video game machine he went toward but he has a very good handshake. He doesn’t have a Fictionaut profile but his work can be seen in Gigantic or at http://andrewbulger.com.

Q (Nicolle Elizabeth): Hey Gigantic I see you have a Fictionaut group going here on Fictionaut. How’s that going? People talking? Workshopping? Anything-ing?

A (Gigantic): Hi Nicolle. Our Fictionaut group is going well, thank you for asking.

Q: Who are you people again?

A: Gigantic is a magazine of short prose, interviews and art, propelled by the efforts, talents, and failings of eight legs, four hearts, a hundred twelve feet of intestine, six gallons of blood, some boobs, some dicks and an enormous collective brain.

Q: How many of you are there — I heard there’s like ten of you or something?

A: There are four editors (Ann Dewitt, James Yeh, Lincoln Michel and Rozalia Jovanovic) who run the magazine, plus some very nice and talented people who help out, including but not limited to: our layout editor Erin Grey West, our website designer Joanna Neborsky, our Seizure State editor Joe Wenderoth, our in-house illustrator Andrew Bulger, our editorial assistant Skyler Balbus and our interns Calina Madden and Mariela Quintana, submissions handlers, the list goes on. Is that ten? I just counted, it’s eleven.

Q: Do you prefer my hair up or down?

A: Up. To wear one’s hair up is a sign of both self-assurance and co-dependence, that, to me, is quite appealing.

Q: Who came up with the design, btw, its lovely.

A: Thanks! I’m glad you like it. Our layout editor Erin Grey West and editor Rozalia Jovanovic came up with the print layout primarily, but we all had a hand and input in it. What we wanted to do was something that was both affordable, attractive and interestingly laid out. We hope we were able to meet those goals. As far as online goes, the wonderful blame for that goes to Joanna Neborsky and editor Lincoln Michel, although like the print issue we also all gave input. We should also mention Andrew Bulger, our in-house illustrator, who worked on the interview drawings.

Q: Does Gigantic watch football?

A: Yes
A: No
A: Rarely
A: No

Q: Does Gigantic like in print or the Internet better and why? (Some people have a preference)

A: Choosing between print and web is like asking a mother to pick her favorite child or a coach to pick his favorite player. Producing the physical magazine is exciting in that we aim to create an artifact that will endure, and that people will hopefully want to keep and collect. There’s a thrill to holding an object and a kind of care in producing it that translates and alters the way a work is received by the reader. Though this takes more time and requires more funding, ultimately, it’s rewarding both for us and for the reader. Creating an online magazine has certain limitations but also certain advantages over print. We’re excited to have recently launched our website. We’re trying to take advantage of the form and work with artists to explore the possibilities of animation, video, hypertext and even gaming.

Q: Whats forthcoming for Gigantic?

A: Issue two is coming out this winter. The issue is being loosely organized under the theme “Americanist,” which is to say something along the lines of blue jeans, booze and bombshells (both kinds). Just a few of the awesome people whose work we will be featuring include Robert Coover, Deb Olin Unferth, Clancy Martin, Leni Zumas, Thomas Doyle and Ken Sparling. Also we’re interviewing Adrian Tomine, Sam Lipsyte and Lydia Millet. Online, we’re currently working on a video art series that will feature new work by up-and-coming video artists, and on a web-issue devoted to artful gaming.

Nicolle Elizabeth checks in with Fictionaut Groups every Friday.