Indy Writes Books: A Book Lover’s Anthology is a new collection of multiple genres written by talented and generous authors who have ties to Indianapolis’ Indy Reads Books bookstore. Among its impressive list of contributors are Butler MFA professors Michael Dahlie, Susan Neville, and Ben H. Winters. It is edited by Butler MFA alumnus, Zachary Roth.
Zach Roth earned an MFA from Butler in 2014. He is Lumberjack Ben Affleck, copywriter, book maker, storywriter, music blogger, and swell fella. He is editor-in-chief at Axolotl magazine, copywriter and social media marketing manager at Brybelly Holdings. Although is dance card is completely filled, he graciously discussed the Indy Writes Books project with me. He can be found on twitter at @compactdiscs.
How did you get involved in the Indy Writes Books Project?
I got involved with Indy Reads through my work designing books for Pressgang [the small press associated with Butler’s MFA program]. There’s a greater vision for our Pub Lab slash Bryan [Furuness] and Rob’s [Stapleton] office space slash Pressgang HQ, one that involves connecting MFA students learning the particulars of book design with community members with good causes who need a little help designing books. Bryan hooked Andrea Boucher up with Scholastic, which she did a crazy good job with, and I was hooked up with Travis DiNicola and Indy Reads.
What is your role?
I am co-editor and interior designer for Indy Writes Books, so I basically was responsible for everything between the covers. I line-edited work, did more copyediting than I ever wish to again, I arranged all the pieces with a very imprecise alchemy in a way that I think flows nicely. I also made all the decisions on how the words themselves would look on the page, which ranged from fun activities like font and layout research, to the endless minutiae of individually adjusting the tracking between single words of paragraphs so there wouldn’t be an orphan line 4 pages later. I have so much more appreciation for a sexy book interior now (see: Booth).
Was there any anxiety about editing the work of some big names in writing?
Not really. I’ve had a good deal of interaction with other authors through Booth and Pressgang (and my lit mag, Axolotl, plug), and I felt anonymous enough that if I messed anything up, nobody would know how or where to find me. I do distinctly remember having to make a significant cut to Ben Winters’ story. It was a loose thread, but one that pervaded the first 8 pages. I was shaking in my boots, but he never commented on it when he returned his final version. Conversely, due to a copy/paste that didn’t capture line breaks, I actually messed up Mike Dahlie’s story, which he did notice, and I was thoroughly embarrassed.
What are you most proud of in the book?
Anti-climax: The table of contents. I saved that thing until last, because it was going to be disgusting. Not only did I have like six genres, I had dozens of authors, some who had several pieces that appeared peppered in throughout the text. How would I organize that in way that made sense to more people than me? How would I format and execute the design? Early renditions were super ugly, or cluttered, or long. I leaned on Booth and a copy of Unstuck that I stole from the Pub Lab lending library and have yet to return, but the rest was just two evenings spent obsessing and tinkering until my Eureka! moment. It’s a silly thing to be proud of for sure, but the ToC comes early enough in the book to leave a bad impression upon a browsing reader if it looks like hot garbage.
How were the authors selected?
Travis, with his myriad connections through Indy, did most of the author selection. I don’t know his exact plan, but his first choices were authors who appeared at Indy Reads or supported it in some measure. The book is as much a celebration of Hoosier authors as it is a tiny portion of the bookstore’s history. He also really wanted to feature every genre he could. There’s capital-L literature, meta-fiction, mystery, young adult, poetry that celebrates language, narrative, and history. There’s such great nonfiction. There’s a play. There’re puzzles. There’s an illustration and translations from Spanish. The only thing I can take a little bit of credit for is demanding Susan Neville contribute during my thesis defense. Her essay “The Dead” is incredible and I’m stoked she shared it with us.
What do you think this book says about the Indy writing scene?
That it’s not just living and breathing but thriving. If you want to come here and take part, there will be a place for you and there will be support, regardless of your mode.
What are your favorite pieces from the anthology?
The anthology introduced me to a lot of great pieces, but what I really appreciate in retrospect was that it stretched me, forced me to work intensely close with stuff way out of my aesthetic. It’s easy to form your own little echo chamber when you choose what you read.
I think everything Liza Hyatt did kicks ass. Her 4 poems are all so different in style, too. I lead off the anthology with “Household Gods” not just because it was about books, but because it was strong and (in keeping with the theme of the anthology) transformed books into timeless objects of worship. That last stanza, man. “If they survive fire and flood, they will be destroyed/ by time’s slow acid. I keep them immortal/ by spending time at their hearth, learning by heart,/ giving them to students and children,/ everyone in pain, in wonder.”
I adored the simple conceit of Ben’s “Between the Lines,” and the very dark twist it takes. It’s a fast, breezy read, and so charmingly disarming up until that point. And then his main character (and us as readers) comes to understand what Hyatt means with that last line, “everyone in pain, in wonder.”
Having had my middle school mind blown by Watchmen, I have a soft spot for superheroes, so John David Anderson’s “El Estocada” really resonated with me. It’s maybe not the most developed narrative, but the characterization is so human, for superhumans.
I love Frank Bill’s stories. They’re dark and gritty and violent and idiosyncratic with this voice that’s very clipped and fragmented in a lovely way. Dahlie’s “The Pharmacist from Jena” echoes the violence, but the effluent narrator couldn’t be more different. I think I have an unfair bias toward that story, though, because I was able to read it wholly in Mike’s voice, which makes it so much better.
I’m not much of a nonfiction guy, but as I said before, Susan Neville’s essay “The Dead” is so desperately good. Achingly good. I also found myself really appreciating Darolyn Jones’ “Sitting at the Feet of My Flanner House Elders.” It definitely draws inspiration and clarity from places you wouldn’t expect.
Did you discover a new favorite author from reading the book?
LIZA HYATT. I probably have to read more John David Anderson and Frank Bill, too.
Are you still involved in other areas of Indy Reads?
Nope. I was just the book guy. I’d definitely be open to helping them out in the future though. It’s a great cause, and Travis was so easy to work with. Very passionate. Fingers crossed that when the book sells out I’ll get tapped to do the sequel.
Has this interview with Zach made you realize you must own this book? You can pick up a copy of the anthology at Indy Reads Books at 911 Mass Ave or order a copy of the book here. All proceeds from Indy Writes Books support Indy Reads’ adult literacy programs in Central Indiana.