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SHALLA CHATS with Bill Brocato
“Editing for The Houston Literary Review”
by Shalla DeGuzman
First
of all, who’s
Bill?
Bill Brocato is founder and publisher of The Houston Literary Review.
Before launching his webzine in late 2005, Bill wrote and edited
for a variety of newspapers, wire services, magazines, and business
intelligence
publications.
Bill has had a life-long love affair with poetry, short stories,
novels, and visual art and launched his literary-zine to offer artists
in Southeast
Texas and beyond an opportunity to test their creative voices as
well as offer readers a glimpse of accomplished works.
His professional journalism experiences have taken him to Zambia,
India, Indonesia, Japan, China, Thailand, Eastern and Western Europe.
For the past 10 years, Bill has written investigative stories covering
the energy commodities
markets and investigated the financial standing of oil and gas
companies.
Bill was a member of the Foreign Correspondents’’ Club of Japan,
and served a term as editor where he saw the redesign and launch of the press
club’s publications.
After returning to his home in Houston, Texas in 2005, Bill enrolled
in an MBA program in Global Management at the University of Phoenix’s
main campus in Houston. He will complete his graduate studies by summer’s
end.
Shalla: Welcome to SHALLA CHATS, Bill, thanks for joining us.
Bill: Thanks for having me, Shalla.
Shalla: Please tell us about your wonderful literary review.
How did it all get started?
Bill: To be honest, my friend, Vince Canizaro, an accomplished
poet, and I have often complained that there wasn’t a literary review open
to Southeast Texas artists, especially in the Houston Metroplex. I
also found that many literary publications today were too specific
in their content
and style and I felt this was contrary to the notion of small literary
and artistic magazines.
So, I decided to try to develop a format that promoted
all art forms. Having little knowledge of web publishing,
I turned to
Microsoft Office Live for help in setting up my operation.
From there, we
have grown
steadily and
are publishing more frequently than when we started.
Shalla: What types of fiction do you like publishing? Short-short?
Flash fiction? Do you have any word limits?
Bill: Anything and everything as long as it stimulates
thought. I am especially interested in the neo-narrative
style as
created by Stanley Berne
and Arlene Zekowski. I prefer short-shorts for two reasons:
one, it allows for better editing and for more authors
to be published in a
single issue.
Secondly, I believe short-shorts teach writers efficiency
and discipline. The last thing any of us wants as readers
is to have a
pedantic
writer of fiction.
Shalla: What types of poetry do you like publishing?
Bill: Mostly free verse. I suppose if there is a form I
am not interested in, would be rhyme.
Shalla: What makes you reject a story? How about poetry?
Any big no-no’s
writers should stay away from?
Bill: Of course, I do not believe in gratuitous sex
or violence. I don’t care for extremely dark pieces either, as I am looking for work
that lifts us from our present conditions and offers us a respite from
our daily lives.
Again, I believe today’s world is video oriented and our art should
reflect that same speed when readers attempt to follow an artist’s
illusion. And, I am not into academic publishing per se. I don’t want
to sit and ponder for an hour something I have just read. When I read
or look at a piece of art, I want something to click right away with
me.
Shalla: The Houston Literary Review offers an
editor’s choice award
for the best poetry published in any given quarter, how about for the
best fiction? Does the review offer an award for fiction?
Bill: Yes. However, because I have assumed
all financial responsibility for the Review,
I am not offering an award until the 2008 publication
year. What we are planning is a special New
Year’s issue that highlights
the best two artists from each of our departments.
I am looking to other financial alternatives,
advertising and grants so the Review can
offer stipends to
each artist as well as a $100
honorarium in each publication quarter.
Shalla: Do you nominate your stories for
the Pushcart Prize (or other literary
awards)? Why/why not?
Bill: I haven’t
as yet. To be honest, until I finish my MBA, reviewing, editing,
and laying out of the Review as well as working two part-time jobs
has taken all of my time.
Shalla: Do you have any writing tips and/or editing
tips for writers? Books and reading materials you’d recommend? Conferences? Workshops?
Bill: A solid writing tip I was taught a long
time ago is simply get out of the way and let the
words flow on their own. Once you’ve written
all you feel is necessary, set your work aside for at least a day or two
and then go back and rewrite with your audience in mind. Stay away from pedantic
styles. And please, remember editors’ have their own voices and will
always edited accordingly.
There are hosts of good books out there. But
I believe if you are serious about poetry or fiction,
read the Diaries of Anais Nin.
Learn to keep a journal
and be honest but creative and write in it every day. Stay away
from Blogs as these are too journalistic and pedantic by nature.
Shalla: Finally, any encouraging words to writers
out there?
Bill: I was never formally trained as a journalist.
I simply deiced that if I wanted to become
a successful journalist, I should
approach
it as any undergraduate experience. Buy the books and do
the home work, and be ready to give away your first
year’s of work in order to have editor’s
help teach you your craft and of course, see your work published.
Shalla: Thank you Bill, very helpful answers!
For more on Bill Brocato and The Houston Literary
Review: http://thehoustonliteraryreview.com
Shalla DeGuzman's short stories have appeared in Poetic Diversity, the Mosaic Literary Journal, the Mad Hatters Review; her articles in The Scriptorium and L.A. Freepress; her skits at the Stella Adler Theatre.
Shalla, a former writer and producer of a health and fitness cable show, is currently writing a new novel. She is President of The ShallaDeGuzman Writers Group; the Senior Editor of SHALLA Magazine where she interviews literary agents, publishers, editors, and authors; and the Publisher for SHALLA Publishing.
News!
Shalla has
been nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize.
SHALLA
Magazine,
which features short stories and excerpts from top, award-winning writers,
now sold at www.amazon.com!
For more on Shalla: www.shalladeguzman.com
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