We are excited to announce Mike Young's series of featured authors! Mike was an obvious choice for curator because he seems to have traveled to every corner of the contemporary literary world. As author, publisher, and performer, he sees firsthand the work from some of the best emerging writers.
While his participation in the literary community began online through venues like the Zoetrope Virtual Studio, he also has physical roots in some of the most vibrant swamps for good words: Western Massachusetts, Baltimore, and now Portland, Oregon.
In 2005, he co-founded the literary magazine NOÖ Journal, which has in its ten year run published 600+ authors and artists. It's distributed online and in print (for free!) all over the country. In 2007, he started Magic Helicopter Press, which puts out chapbooks and full length books of genre-scuttling poetry, prose, and interactive art. Work published by Magic Helicopter has received acclaim from Nylon, The Rumpus, American Book Review, The Poetry Foundation, Best American Poetry, VICE, BOMB, and more.
Along with his editorial work, Mike is the author of three books: Sprezzatura (2014, poems), Look! Look! Feathers (2010, stories), and We Are All Good If They Try Hard Enough (2010, poems). As a performer, he's shared many a stage with other authors promoting their work, in spots like the Cantab Lounge, Brown University, the Center for Fiction in NYC, and elsewhere. He also contributes to the literary blog Real Pants, writing about both literary magazines and readings. Mike lives online at http://mikeayoung.tumblr.com and offline in Portland, OR, unless he is out on the road reading his heart out.
See his thoughts on his author choices, the list of authors, and their schedules here.