
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!!!
Latest posts by Jackson Nieuwland (see all)
- Pip Adam: Hairdressing as Metaphor for Narrative Form - June 29, 2017
- Josh Spilker: Content Manager or Taco Jehovah? - June 15, 2017
- Stacey Teague: Nanny Extraordinaire! - June 1, 2017