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Emailing with...Michael Bryson, editor of The Danforth Review

Since September 1999 he has been the publisher of The Danforth Review, an online literary magazine with international contributors currently housed on his web site (http://www.michaelbryson.com/danforth). He is currently working on a novel about space aliens and the death of the family.

ANOTHER TORONTO QUARTERLY: Why did you create the Danforth Review?

MICHAEL BRYSON: I wanted to stake out a small piece of cyberspace for literature. I wanted to experiment with integrating old-style literary values (focusing simply on good writing, period) and digital technology. I wanted to create a place to give some sorely needed attention to the margins of the Canadian literary scene. The vast majority of literary activity in Canada is ignored by the major media players, and I wanted to create a space where new voices could be heard. I also wanted to practice my HTML! ;)

ATQ: What do you say to people who would tell you that the Internet is a lesser venue for publishing than the traditional printed page?

MB: I think only one person has said that to me. I asked a friend to submit a story, and he declined, saying for him print on paper was still *the* thing. Every medium has advantages and disadvantages. A printed magazine is obviously easier to crawl in bed with. But the Internet is the world’s greatest distribution channel for information, and it needs to be used for more than marketing stock tips and selling pornography.

ATQ: How do you see the Internet evolving in relation to the publishing industry?

MB: To me, the Internet is the means of distribution. I’m not sure the Internet can evolve any more in that direction. Web sites like www.britannica.com are leading-edge warehouses of high-quality information.

It’s more efficient to deliver reference materials and catalogues in digital format, and more of that will happen. There are already hundreds of sites for swapping fiction and other writing — from Stephen King’s downloadable novel to the various other vanity sites. Otherwise, I don’t think it’s been proven yet that the e-commerce model works for books, particularly literary books. The people who read literary books aren’t the ones leading the e-commerce revolution, and it’s uncertain to me whether they will ever get on board in large enough numbers. But then, literary books never kept the old-style publishing business in business, either.

ATQ: Do you think the Internet's changing our way of relating as writers?

MB: Yes and no. I’ve had more contact with fellow writers by email than by any other means. I think email communication is truly revolutionary in that it allows communities to share information at rapid, rapid speeds. I don’t know how writers did it in the past. Canada Post just seems so incredibly slow now — and expensive. So, the question for me becomes: has increased communication between writers changed the way we relate as writers? No, I don’t think so. It has made it easier to relate as writers, but I don’t think it’s changed the way writers relate.

ATQ: In the editorial that accompanies your third issue of The Danforth Review, [note: I will hyperlink this so people can read the editorial] you speak of re-educating readers the way I.T. professionals must re-educate their clients. Do you think that literary sites on the Internet are also involved in reeducating their readers in a similar way?

MB: That’s a very interesting question. I read something in the newspaper recently that said only a small percentage of people learn by being told something. Most people learn by either doing or witnessing. To re-educate readers, you first need to engage them. Are readers being engaged by literary web-sites? I’m not sure that they are; though the potential is there. I think www.webdelsol.com does a super job of creating a literary bonanza on the web, and I’d like to see something similar in Canada. Ultimately, I think readers will only learn to be literary readers if they want to do the difficult work of getting a literary education, reading difficult texts, and finding at least one good mentor. I would hope that literary web-sites would offer encouragement along those lines — and not just try to sell books like too many television books shows.

ATQ: As you like to end your interviews on the Danforth Review, so I too will ask: What's next for Michael Bryson? What's next for the Danforth Review?

MB: I’m publishing my second book of short stories, Only A Lower Paradise, this fall with Boheme Press (www.bohemeonline.com). The title story is a wild novella I wrote 8 years ago, which includes cameo appearances by Lucifer, Jesus, and Richard Nixon. I’m also working on my first novel, though that’s only in the early stages. The Danforth Review is going to go through at least one more design evolution, and should be moving to its own URL. I’m involving more people in editorial roles, and recruiting more reviewers, so the workload can be shared. My first commitment is to keep the enterprise *as small as possible*, because at the beginning and end of every day I’m a writer first — and an e-editor second.