The Blowout is Live
Read our debut issue, "Heat"
You’ve heard me talk about creating a magazine because we can just do things. Well, here it is:
Right before moving to New York, I was sitting down with my wife and a buddy of mine, imagining cool stuff we should do for our return to the city. We lived it up as early 20 somethings, but coming back, we knew things would be different. Our old friends had spread out, our old haunts had shut down, and we wanted to embrace the city for its potential, not its nostalgia.
Out of that conversation, we came up with the idea for a salon, which turned into The Blowout. So many of our friends are not only working professionals, but are also passionate creatives. How could we offer an opportunity for people like that to share what they work on so diligently in their apartments alone? We showcase their work in one place.
Beyond the art and writing, my friend Taru Marcellus had recently published his second book of poetry. So, I thought, this would be an excellent chance to interview him about his life, poetry, and the process. I had never done it before, but it turns out I could teach my self how to produce a podcast episode! Our full 90min conversation is uploaded to YouTube and linked in the issue.
After soliciting a few friends for contributions, and seeing what they had entrusted us with, I realized we had to make sure the curation of the magazine matched the caliber of the work. I think we did a good job.
Also, I wanted to write a short story for the debut issue, but after seeing what we were dealing with, I had to do a healthy bit of reading and rewrites to push past my own creative limits.
I hope you take your time going through the issue. It was made with a lot of love. Once you’ve viewed, read, and watched everything else, I hope you take your time at the end of the issue with my latest short story, “Dead Presidents Rise Again.” It helps to brush up on some American history with it.
Enjoy the debut issue of The Blowout.
Very curious