This is the final day of our 'The Road Less Traveled' series. All week we have been talking with people who have, or at one time had, non-traditional, interesting, or just plain unusual professions. Some by choice, some by necessity- all of them have taken somewhat unusual roads in life. You won't find any teachers, plumbers, or auto mechanics here. Not that we don't love and value the fabulous teachers, plumbers, and mechanics in our lives... but that is a post for another time. If you need to get caught up, you can start with our introduction to this week's interviews. You can catch it here before you go any further.
YOU HAVE SOMETHING OF A NON-TRADITIONAL JOB. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU DO?
"I work by day at a small company in their accounting department, but my true job is poetry. I write and I also run a small press called Be About It. We've been making zines since 2010 and just recently I've been putting together short writing collections by various indie authors."
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THAT?
"I think I've always been a writer, but I only really realized that this is what I was called to do a few years ago. I guess I had an epiphany when I was unemployed. I had a lot of free time so I started blogging a lot. Eventually I found a community with writers and cool internet people just by reading their blogs and using social media. Making a zine became regularly publishing, became putting on events and poetry readings.
DO YOU ENJOY IT?
"I love it. If I could do it all the time I would."
DID YOU HAVE ANY TYPE OF TRAINING OR SCHOOL FOR THIS OR DID YOU GO FOR SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT (OR NOT AT ALL)?
"I studied English Literature in college and I guess that helped with just being interested in reading and writing. But putting together a zine is pretty punk rock, you learn as you go along. I have learned so much since putting out my first issue of Be About It 4 years ago. I look at some of the old issues and I'm proud of them but it's interesting to see how far along my little magazine has come."
WHAT KIND OF REACTION DO YOU GET WHEN YOU TELL PEOPLE THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU DO? (THAT YOU ARE A POET, OR A INDEPENDENT ZINE PUBLISHER)?
"I don't know. I don't think people are particularly impressed. They might say something like 'oh that's cool' or 'oh that's nice', but my friends are into it and my family is supportive so that's really all that matters to me.
SO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS SUPPORT THIS AS YOUR CAREER?
"Yeah I think my parents are proud of me and they want me to continue and get better at what I am doing. I think my dad in particular is expecting me to get famous and is constantly encouraging me to work harder."
IF YOU WEREN'T DOING THIS WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUD BE DOING?
"I'm not sure. Before I moved to the Bay Area I was working at an insurance company and didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life. I think if I wasn't writing, if I wasn't making things that I think are beautiful and things that I think are worth sharing and if I wasn't pushing myself, I think I would be pretty bored. I'm not sure what exactly I would be doing but I'm sure I wouldn't be satisfied with it -whatever it is."
WHAT IS THE STRANGEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU IN THIS LNE OF WORK?
"People come up to me and I don't know them but they've seen me perform or they've seen me host a reading or seen me at a zine convention and it's kooky to me. But not in a bad way. It's just funny."
YOU HAVE SOMETHING OF A NON-TRADITIONAL JOB. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU DO?
"I work by day at a small company in their accounting department, but my true job is poetry. I write and I also run a small press called Be About It. We've been making zines since 2010 and just recently I've been putting together short writing collections by various indie authors."
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THAT?
"I think I've always been a writer, but I only really realized that this is what I was called to do a few years ago. I guess I had an epiphany when I was unemployed. I had a lot of free time so I started blogging a lot. Eventually I found a community with writers and cool internet people just by reading their blogs and using social media. Making a zine became regularly publishing, became putting on events and poetry readings.
DO YOU ENJOY IT?
"I love it. If I could do it all the time I would."
DID YOU HAVE ANY TYPE OF TRAINING OR SCHOOL FOR THIS OR DID YOU GO FOR SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT (OR NOT AT ALL)?
"I studied English Literature in college and I guess that helped with just being interested in reading and writing. But putting together a zine is pretty punk rock, you learn as you go along. I have learned so much since putting out my first issue of Be About It 4 years ago. I look at some of the old issues and I'm proud of them but it's interesting to see how far along my little magazine has come."
WHAT KIND OF REACTION DO YOU GET WHEN YOU TELL PEOPLE THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU DO? (THAT YOU ARE A POET, OR A INDEPENDENT ZINE PUBLISHER)?
"I don't know. I don't think people are particularly impressed. They might say something like 'oh that's cool' or 'oh that's nice', but my friends are into it and my family is supportive so that's really all that matters to me.
SO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS SUPPORT THIS AS YOUR CAREER?
"Yeah I think my parents are proud of me and they want me to continue and get better at what I am doing. I think my dad in particular is expecting me to get famous and is constantly encouraging me to work harder."
IF YOU WEREN'T DOING THIS WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUD BE DOING?
"I'm not sure. Before I moved to the Bay Area I was working at an insurance company and didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life. I think if I wasn't writing, if I wasn't making things that I think are beautiful and things that I think are worth sharing and if I wasn't pushing myself, I think I would be pretty bored. I'm not sure what exactly I would be doing but I'm sure I wouldn't be satisfied with it -whatever it is."
WHAT IS THE STRANGEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU IN THIS LNE OF WORK?
"People come up to me and I don't know them but they've seen me perform or they've seen me host a reading or seen me at a zine convention and it's kooky to me. But not in a bad way. It's just funny."
Alexandra Naughton is the founder and editor of Be About It zine/press, host of That Lit Podcast (http://thatlitpodcast.podomatic.com/), co-founder of Empath Lit (http://empathlit.tumblr.com/) and author of various short and long works online and in print. You can find some links to her work on her tumblr (http://thetsaritsa.tumblr.com/).
You can also buy her book I Will Always Be Your Whore [love songs for BIlly Corgan] here: http://www.amazon.com/Will-Always-Be-Your-Whore/dp/1940213916
You can also buy her book I Will Always Be Your Whore [love songs for BIlly Corgan] here: http://www.amazon.com/Will-Always-Be-Your-Whore/dp/1940213916