Reader Meet Author: Kathryn Regina

It's not easy to put yourself out there and submit your work to a lit zine or a publisher. I find myself becoming increasingly interested in what prompts a writer to submit to a specific publisher over another. I was recently talking with local writer Brandon Will, and he mentioned a list he had created of journals he is going to submit to. I had never pictured it that way, but I image more writers operate that way. So, when I find a writer like Kathryn Regina who has already been published by two of my favorite presses it makes wonder what press may be next.

Kathryn has released two chapbooks, I Am In The Air Right Now (Greying Ghost Press)and As I Said (Publishing Genus Press. Recently, she was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): I really enjoyed the video you and Greg Lytle did for I Am In The Air Right Now. How did that come about and do you feel it helped promote the chap?
Kathryn Regina (KR): Thanks for watching! That video continues to get attention, even though it came out in April of 2009. Video is probably the way to go. But we’re writers. So anyway. Yeah, it helped promote the chapbook.

I met Greg through Matthew Savoca who is my internet friend. Greg is Matthew’s real life friend. He emailed me to see if I wanted to do a collaboration. I said yes and he came up with the idea to do an animation of one of my poems. All I had to do was record myself reading the poem. Then he drew like 1200 frames. It’s all hand-drawn. I didn’t know what to expect but when I saw it, I was so happy. I love it. He’s awesome.

OA: What was your experience like with Greying Ghost Press?
KR: I thought their chapbooks were beautiful and I liked the writers they published. I had two chapbook manuscripts at the time and another internet friend, Shane Jones, read them for me and recommended I send one of them to Greying Ghost. He has a great chapbook with them. Carl responded pretty quickly and said he wanted to publish ‘i am in the air right now.’ I was thrilled. The process was easy. Carl sent me a proof, I said ok, and he made the book. He’s talented; the book is beautiful. He’s also really nice.

OA: Reading through your blog it seems like you are almost talking to two separate groups or worlds, Chicago and every one else. Do you find it challenging to balance these two audiences?
KR: I guess I don’t think about it much. But I’m not really a “serious” blogger. I like blogs that are personal. I rarely read serious blogs. I do talk about readings in Chicago that I went to or am going to be in. Sometimes I post poems. Mostly I just post videos of adorable Japanese kids playing the ukulele.

OA: Do you feel Chicago is a good place to be a writer? Do you feel location matters anymore?
KR: I think location makes a difference, but when people ask “does location matter” I feel like they’re really asking “Will you be a better writer or have a more successful career if you’re in a big city with a literary scene?” I’m not sure about that. I’m also not sure how much having a successful career matters to me. Writing does matter to me, but I don’t know if I’m a better writer because I live here. I’m definitely a different writer. My writing changed a lot when I moved here, but mostly because I went to grad school at The School of the Art Institute and was exposed to a lot of new writing. It changed again when I got involved in the online community. But yeah, Chicago is definitely an exciting place to be for a writer because there's so much going on and so many great writers here.

OA: You have also published a chap through Publishing Genius. What do you look for in a press to submit to?
KR: I look for a press that I would be proud to be a part of. I thought PG had great authors and Adam is cool. When I read what he was looking for, it sounded exactly like my chapbook, “As I Said.” So I submitted it and he said he would publish it. I was really happy. Adam is very flexible and let me have input on the design and everything. And he’s a very talented editor. He gave me a lot of suggestions that made the book better.

I also liked the PDF Chapbook series that Publishing Genius has because it’s a good compromise between online and print. I think people still consider print to be more “credible,” but as a writer I’m more interested in being read by anyone who wants to read—regardless of whether they pay money to read my book. So online is better in general to me. But what’s best is having the option to print the book out for free. That wins.

OA: What's next for Kathryn Regina?
KR: I’m working on a full-length version of “i am in the air right now” and also another project based on medical mysteries and neurological disorders. I write really slowly. I don’t know what will happen.

Bonus Questions:
OA: If you could sit down to coffee with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be?
KR: My dad.

OA: What type of music do you enjoy and who are a few of your favorites?
KR: Will Oldham and Patty Griffin are my favorites.
Now I will walk you through my life and tell you who my favorites have been in chronological order: Jem and the Holograms, Michael Jackson, the Beatles, Public Enemy, White Cross, Rich Mullins, the Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Over the Rhine, Annie Di Franco, Bruce Springsteen, Wilco, Patty Griffin, Will Oldham.
Oh man.

For more information on Kathryn Regina please visit her website.