Things are really starting to roll on the next issue. We’ve looked over the submissions we’ve received in the year since our last issue and made our selections about which pieces will work best as a collection. We’ve begun copy-editing and refining the rough layout; we know which stories are in, but we’re going to tweak and fiddle for a while before settling on final story order. Though we’re dealing with short fiction, as in a mixtape, playlist order is all-important…

We’ve also identified illustrations we’d like to include, though we haven’t settled on how to proceed with generating / gathering / soliciting them.  Johnny America cover-creator Patrick Giroux is a professional illustrator and I’m not too shabby with pen and ink myself, but in the spirit of the Rocket Grants we want to do more to engage KC, Lawrence, and Topeka-based artists beyond our own small circle. Perhaps a post on craigslist offering $25 for two hours of illustration? Maybe hitting the e-mail network hard, or flyering compatible saloons, galleries, and coffee shops? It’s not rocket science – we’ll hatch a plan shortly – but we’d appreciate the feedback if you’d care to share any thoughts.

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