A lot of things factored into the genesis of Zygote in my Coffee. But most importantly, I was extremely disgusted by the meagre selection of lifeless lit mags available at the local bookstores. The shelves were constantly stocked with agonizingly dull, academic journals that did nothing but perpetuate the reading-public’s misconception that poetry & literature was an antiquated yawn-fest. Desperate to find an alternative, I eventually turned to the internet. At first, I was disappointed to find that the bulk of online lit-zines were nothing more than poorly assembled, HTML havens for really shitty, angst-riddled poetry. But then I stumbled upon a webzine called BABEL MAGAZINE, which was edited by Victor Thorn. BABEL MAGAZINE was probably the ballsiest & most entertaining zine I had ever read. There was nothing else like it on the net or in print. It was like the 21st century version of the Evergreen Review. Seriously, it was THAT GOOD! So I was devastated when Victor pulled the plug on BABEL so he could focus his efforts on other creative endeavours.

BABEL’s absence left a HUGE void, a void I felt compelled to fill. Motivated by my desire to provide an edgy, progressive medium/forum for independent poets/writers/artists to express themselves, I engaged in some major brainstorming. And POOF! Zygote in my Coffee was born.

What is your background? Have you always been involved in writing/publishing?

No, I haven’t always been involved in writing & publishing. I have a B.A. in creative writing & I went to film school for 2 years. After college, I spent over 5 years working as a freelance camera-man. During that time, I shot a little bit of everything ranging from NHL Hockey to a documentary television series for the Disney Channel called ‘Totally Hoops’. My camera-work has also graced the airwaves of ESPN, Fox Sports &Telemundo Television. Being a camera-man paid well, but it was very physically demanding & grew tedious. Matter of fact, it started to feel like factory work. I know that sounds absurd, but once you’ve covered over a hundred college basketball games, or some other sport, you find yourself shooting the exact same shots from the exact same angles OVER & OVER again. It gets boring & tedious. I quickly realised that this WAS NOT what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. So I gave it all up & reconnected with my literary & cartooning roots.

Aside from yourself and the columnists etc, who runs/designs the site?

Believe it or not, I am the sole editor/designer of Zygote. I do everything from reading submissions to creating graphics. I can do it all. And that includes the layout & design of the PRINT EDITION.

How do you fund the site?

For the most part, the site is funded straight from my own pocket. However, we’ve recently begun to receive a large quantity of subscriptions to the Zygote in my Coffee Print Edition, & that has really helped to keep the publication going both online & in print.

Where is Zygote HQ based?

Zygote in my coffee is currently based out of Kettering, Ohio, your average middle-class suburban utopia with just a slight touch of white trash sprinkled in for good measure. However, Zygote was originally born in San Jose, California back in December 2003, then migrated to San Francisco for a spell before it settled permanently in good old O-H-I-O! So it could definitely be categorized as a West Coast publication with a Midwestern temperament — whatever the hell that means.

What’s the strangest submission you’ve ever received?

We’ve received tons of wild & bogus submissions. But one of the craziest we’ve recently received has to be the generic, black-&-white scan of a hairy asshole accompanied by the caption: “ART IS HOLY”.

Have you met many of your regular contributors?

Sadly enough, I have not yet met a single contributor to Zygote in my Coffee in person. But that’s bound to change real soon, especially since we plan to attend shitloads of underground press & comic book conventions to promote our upcoming publications.

Who would your dream submission be from?

Either William Shatner or Leonard Nimoy. It’s a toss-up.

What percentage of submissions do you accept/reject?

Great question. I’d have to say that we reject at least 7-10 poems/stories for every piece we accept.

How long have you been designing comic strips?

I have been a drunken cartoonist since February 2004.

As far as your own writing is concerned, what are you working on at the moment?

I am actually working on a collection of my comic strips that have appeared in Zygote. The working title for that is ‘Zygote in my Comics’. I’m also putting together my very 1st poetry chapbook , ‘Doomsday Cults & Skinny Caramel Lattes’. Keep an eye out for them! They’re both set to debut in 2007.

What are you reading at the moment? Any new writers you’d recommend?

I am currently reading ‘The God of Hell’, a play by Sam Shepard. I’d highly recommend you check it out. Sam has a unique way of blending humour & terror with just a dash of the absurd; it really makes for a good read.

What question would you most like to be asked in an interview?

What is the size of your cock? And how does its girth influence your prowess as a small press editor/publisher?

Sum up Brian Fugett in a haiku…

Creepy editor
Who drowns himself in vodka
While reading your poems

Laura Hird (1966) was born and lives in Edinburgh. She is the author of “Nail and Other Stories” (Canongate 1997), the novel “Born Free”, and “Hope and Other Urban Tales” (Canongate 2006). A non-fiction book based around her mother’s letters, “Dear Laura” will be published by Canongate in 2007. Her short stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies internationally and has been shortlisted for several awards (the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Whitbread First Novel Award, amongst others). She runs and edits her own loosely arts-related website on which she seeks out and publishes new poetry, short stories, reviews, interviews etc.

© 2006 Laura Hird All rights reserved.