Checking In With Midwestern Gothic

Midwest represent!

Q (Nicolle Elizabeth): Hi Robert James Russell. You have started a group here at Fictionaut for Midwestern Gothic. How is it going and what is the group all about? Tell us everything.

A (Robert James Russell): It’s going well so far. Midwestern Gothic is a new quarterly literary journal I’m starting whose aim is to feature Midwestern writers, and/or pieces featuring the Midwest. It may be a lofty goal, but my partners and I are really trying to make this THE compendium of Midwestern fiction. We’re also going to be accepting (year-round) photos that best represent the essence and flavor of the Midwest.

Q: So like, if Southern Gothic is O’Connor, who again, in greater depth, would be like some examples of Midwestern Gothic or something for example?

A: It’s funny, because that’s exactly my train of thought. During my Master’s work I studied Regionalism, especially Southern Gothic, and, being from the Midwest, I realized there never was a movement like that.

Q: Do we have to wear black if we join the group?

A. Ha, no. As I mentioned previously, “Gothic” to us means “real” — we want real life, good, bad, or ugly — so, again, we can catalog this often-overlooked region chalked full of unique mythologies and stories.

Q: Please tell us more about you, your projects and anything else you would like to share. I hear lake snow effect is intense woah I typed lake as kale at first.

A. Ha. Well, where I’m from in Michigan originally (the west side), lake effect is nasty, nasty stuff. It doesn’t affect me too much these days, though, luckily.

About what I’m up to: I have a collection of short stories coming out in April via eight cuts gallery press called The Mating Habits of College Girls, and this past September I put together an anthology called Sex Scene: An Anthology which was an exercise in getting different writers with different styles to all write a sex scene. It’s available as a free download.

I also ask that anyone from the Midwest or interested in what we’re doing join our group here, or check out our full site here: www.MidwestGothic.com (we’ll start accepting submissions soon!) Our official Twitter feed is @MWGothic, and I tweet at @robhollywood.

Nicolle Elizabeth checks in with Fictionaut Groups every Friday.