McSweeny's Quarterly Concern...

Sue Platt (a tutor at my universtiy) very kindly lent me a book. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. By Dave Eggers. I was reluctant. It is an autobiography. I rarely read biographies (Ol' Russ' was good though). I used to read rock biographies, they were all cliched, and the celebrity biography really is a turn off. I have been meaning to read James Frey's A Million Little Pieces, although I think it was revealed that that book is not entirely true and lies somewhere between biography and fiction. Anyway. A.H.W.O.S.G is really good. I recommend it to anyone. It is an inspirational story but not in the way you'd expect. It is honest. It is real. It is self aware. It is the story of someone living.
It was only half way through the book that I realised. Dave Eggers. This is someone I already admire without knowing who he is. It is Dave Eggers of McSweeny's Quarterly Concern. The literature publication that I keep meaning to submit to. The publication I always pick up because of its innovative forms. Always different, attractive, something you want to pick up regardless of the content. It is always an inspiration to hold, have and look at. McSweeny's 24 was a particular favourite. Dos-e-dos. Inspired the identity lost/found book I made before christmas.
I do not have an image of it dos-e-dosing at present...
The illustration on the cover continues through the endpapers and across to the back cover, meaning no matter which way you open it the image joins and follows through with a nice continuity.
The nicest thing about McSweeny's, other than it's many formats and the fact that it is encouraging to new and developing writers, and it's strange content, other than all that, it is how it began. Now I think that this is true, I remember reading it somewhere but cannot actually source it. I believe it was posted out to friends and family, and friends of friends, and so on. Now it is international. Now even if that is not true I am going to pretend that it is as it is truely inspirational.

I will submit to McSweeny's this year. Here is a link to my writing blog. Any suggestions on what I should submit would be appriciated...

WORDS ETC...