A semi-chronological timeline of the making of LEFT

• I got an assignment for a class I was taking: “Select a project and write a Creative Project Plan for taking it to the marketplace.”
• I selected LEFT.
• What is LEFT?
• Carolyn DeCarlo was part of a project called DOWN.
• Caro and I co-edited an online journal called UP.
• UP never officially ended but we haven’t published an issue since 2013.
• LEFT is a direction.
• LEFT is a political position.
• I am LEFT handed.

first draft of cover by Nils Davey

• I thought for a long time about what I wanted LEFT to be.
• I studied other publications that had qualities I wanted to emulate.
• I interviewed the people who ran the publications I wanted to emulate.
• I made a tumblr and a gmail.
• I blogged about what I wanted LEFT to be.
• I made lists of the people I wanted to be in LEFT.
• I emailed the people I wanted to be in LEFT, asking them to submit.
• I made a call for open submissions.
• I read submissions.
• I was amazed by some of the people who responded to me.

email from Lydia Davis!!!

• I responded to emails.
• I asked people to send more stuff.
• I felt bad about rejecting people whose work I’m a big fan of.
• I felt awful about rejecting people I love.
• People said I sent the nicest rejection letters they’d ever received.
• I pestered people to submit.
• I made Lish-like edits to some pieces and left others untouched.
• I blogged about the process, trying to be as transparent as possible.
• I like the idea of going LEFT/coming out of LEFT field.

second draft of cover by Nils Davey

• I wrote a book of short stories.
• I visited America.
• I got into a Masters program.
• I got a promotion at my job.
• I didn’t do anything for a long time.
• I avoided checking my emails.
• I spent savings meant for printing on rent.
• People asked me how LEFT was going.
• I apologised for the process taking so long.
• LEFT for dead.

third draft of cover by Nils Davey

• I put all the pieces in order.
• I changed the order.
• I blogged about the process, trying to be as transparent as possible.
• I struggled to find a designer who could make the book look how I wanted it to.
• LEFT comes from the Old English lyft, meaning “weak.”
• I asked people for favors.
• People said they would design the book and then didn’t.
• I signed a contract for tNY Creative to design the book.
• I told them what I wanted it to look like.
• They made it look like that.
• I paid them.
• I blogged about the process, trying to be as transparent as possible.
• It’s easy to publish a book but it takes a lot of work.

Michael O’Hara spread

• I made corrections to the layout.
• I apologised for the process taking so long.
• I made corrections to the layout.
• I made corrections to the layout.
• I blogged about the process, trying to be as transparent as possible.
• I apologised for the process taking so long.
• I copyedited.
• I made corrections to the layout.
• I lost the energy to blog about the process.

Paul Cunningham spread

• I made a Big Cartel store.
• I opened for preorders.
• I sent out digital review copies.
• I interviewed some of the contributors.
• Caro organised a week of promotions leading up to the release date.

Alisha Tyson spread

• I got eight printing quotes.
• I decided to go with Wakefields Digital.
• I sent them files.
• I sent them updated files.
• Caro helped me pay for printing.
• We picked up the books from the Wakefields.
• Our house was full of boxes of LEFT.
• We mailed out contributor copies.
• We mailed out preorders.
• We mailed a box of copies to Adam Robinson to send to people in the States.
• I went into bookstores, asking if they would carry LEFT, and they told me to email them.

final cover spread by Nils Davey

• Matt Bialostocki suggested we have the launch at PotockiPatterson Gallery.
• I visited the gallery and met the owner.
• I thought it was a great space and the people were very nice.
• We organised the launch party.
• Lots of my friends came.
• My parents provided an unclassy amount of snacks.
• People read.
• I gave a speech while shaking from anxiety.
• People bought copies.
• There are still copies LEFT.

me with a copy of LEFT!!!