Today we talk with Amanda Raczkowski and Joseph Reed of Caketrain about the pricing of books, the importance of design, and what surprises they have forthcoming.

BG: Tell us about the beginnings of Caketrain. When did you start and why?

AR: Joe and I attended the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. While we were there, Joe served as the editor of Pendulum, the campus literary journal, and I worked on the two issues that were released our final year of undergraduate work. There was a strong desire in us to be able to remain a part of the literary community after graduation and having the experience from Pendulum we thought what a better way to participate in the literary community than to become an avenue to highlight and champion artists. Caketrain’s first issue was released in early 2004.

JR: I can never overemphasize how thankful I am to have edited Pendulum for two years. It allowed me the opportunity to perform a lot of quiet trial-and-error and go through the general process of collection, curation, layout, design and printing in a way that made me feel like I was entering Caketrain with something of a veteran outlook — though of course after almost eight years of Caketrain I find I’m still learning new things every year. But on some level — and I think Amanda probably feels the same way, as I know she’s been exposed to editing and publishing since at least high school — Caketrain came as a culmination of an obsession with the collecting and packaging and refinement of artistic work.

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Today we talk with Corinna Barsan, senior editor at Other Press, about the ways a book should challenge readers, what titles they have forthcoming, and how working with Random House publishing services has affected their business.

Tell us a little about Other Press. Do you have a guiding philosophy for the books you publish?

I once heard a bookseller describe our books as eclectic gems and I think that hits the mark. Other Press publishes a wide variety of titles from around the world — works in translation, American fiction, nonfiction that ranges from current events to pop art to biographies and memoir. The common denominator is that we look for books that challenge readers to think about their lives differently or to see the world in a new light. Ideally, a transformation will take place in the reader between the first and last pages. Roger Rosenblatt told writers that “what you write must be useful to the world.” We apply that same methodology to the books we publish.

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Have you ever been kissed when you weren’t expecting it? That’s the sort of feeling one gets when reading the work of Ken Clark. He’s a quiet, powerful poet whose language seems so at ease and at the same time crackling with energy. I talked with him about observation as philosophy, how writing poetry is more an unwrapping than a creation, and the importance of silence. Ken’s newest book, Eggs of American Songbirds, is highly recommended and can be purchased through Fried Chicken and Coffee.

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Today we talk with Adam Robinson of Publishing Genius about adjusting the kerning, hoping for the unexpected, and how good art can make us less self-absorbed.

BG: Tell us a bit about yourself. Where do you live? What do you hate? Love? Ignore?

AR: I live in Baltimore. I’m house sitting for a friend this year, so I’ve got a big three-bedroom place near a great big park. I grew up in central NY and lived in Chicago for 5 years and Milwaukee for 5 years. I’ve been in Baltimore for about 5 years. What do I hate is a funny question; nothing jumps out at me though I know it when I see it. Oh, I know — I don’t like nasty commenters on the Internet. They almost always seem counterproductive to me. One thing I love is being surprised by art. Another thing I love is being surprised by people. I’m sure I ignore lots of things, but that falls into the Rumsfeldian idea of, well, I don’t pay attention to what I don’t pay attention to.

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Today we talk with Matthew Simmons about repetition, Drone music, and how to distract or engage the Great Ruminator.

Dark Sky Magazine: Tell us a bit about yourself. Where do you live? What makes you slump with boredom and what makes you girlishly excited?

Matthew Simmons: I live in Seattle, Washington, and have for the last decade or so. Before that, I lived all over the Midwest — Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin.

I think maybe I’ve gotten to the age where I don’t really register boredom anymore. Or maybe it’s just the fact that I own a smartphone now. When boredom begins to creep in, I can always check my email or Twitter. Also, I really enjoy napping, so boredom seems more like an opportunity to me.

It’s also easier than ever to get me excited about something. Meeting someone’s dog makes me excited. Going to bed early makes me excited. Non-junk mail makes me excited.

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