An Awful Interview with Vouched ATL
“Print Not Dead!” At least not to some of us. With e-book readers on the rise and bookstores going out of style like guilty verdicts, it makes you wonder if a hardback will soon be a thing of the past. Thankfully, with the gaining popularity of chap book and small literary presses with the focus being on quality over quantity– we have a “New Hope”.
Like a good friend who constantly recommends their favorite books to you, Vouched ATL is at the forefront of promoting the small press movement, not just by promoting the titles, but by actually reading every book that they sell.
Conceived in the Midwest, specifically the Hoosier state, Vouched has recently expanded their paperback empire to Atlanta, Georgia. Laura Straub has taken it up on herself to verse us with what’s going on in the literary community by setting up a Vouched table at Atlanta-based events, interviewing authors and even hosting readings. To get things started Young Blood Gallery & Boutique is hosting Vouched ATL’s Official Launch Reading this Sunday, July 24th at 6:30pm.
Known for the off-beat “Awful Interviews” that Vouched subjects authors and their readership to, Purge ATL decided to welcome Laura to Atlanta by giving her a dose of her own medicine.
Purge: Who is your daddy and what does he do? You can tell us about yourself too if you want.
Laura: Wait, what? Are you trying to intimidate me? This isn’t Kindergarten Cop. In any case, my Dad is named Owen, he is cooler than anyone and looks a lot like Stone Cold Steve Austin. A lot like him. So watch out.
Purge: They should have cast Stone Cold as the bad guy in Kindergarten Cop. I kind of look like Steve Austin’s brother, but in the same way that Danny Devito looks likes Schwarzenegger’s brother in Twins.
Laura: I saw a guy who kind of looked like Danny Devito this weekend. It was pretty stupendous.
Purge: Did he look like Danny Devito from Twins or Batman Returns?
Laura: Twins, thank goodness. Although he had a Batman Returns-esque waddle.
Purge: The idea of Vouched is that you sell books that you’ve read and vouch for. Have you thought about starting a sister company that would promote burning books that you wouldn’t vouch for to keep the homeless warm in the winter months?
Laura: That sounds like a nightmare I had once. I’m not sure burning books would be a solution to anything. I would have no problem with giving the homeless people all of the yellow pages ever created to burn and keep warm with. Who uses the yellow pages anymore?
Purge: The only two groups that I’ve ever known to burn books were Nazis and Christians. I don’t think they were doing it to warm up the homeless though. Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
Laura: It’s hard to say. He only calls on holidays.
Purge: Speaking of Jesus, Vouched was started in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jimmy Chitwood was the star player in the 1986 basketball drama Hoosiers that was about Indiana basketball. Jimmy has been called the “Basketball Jesus”, especially with the initials JC. Have you ever had a crush on the basketball Jesus, Jimmy Chitwood? Of lesser importance, why was Atlanta chosen as the first expansion to the Vouched empire?
Laura: I think Jimmy Chitwood might be a little tall for me, personally. Plus, I’ve never seen Hoosiers. First and foremost, I’d like to get really great literature into the hands of Atlantans. Vouched Books is launching its first colony in Atlanta simply because I love small press books and happen to live in Atlanta. Also, Vouched Books’ founder, Christopher Newgent, happens to be my best friend. Also, also, it gives me a really great excuse to become more involved with Atlanta’s literary scene.
Purge: You’re from Indiana and you’ve never seen Hoosiers? That’s like saying you’re from East Atlanta and haven’t been mugged. Next you’re going to tell me that you’ve never read Slaughterhouse-Five.
Laura: On the contrary, I’ve done my Vonnegut homework, “but you’re not going to write it that way, are you?” I saw Vonnegut’s archives once, at the Indiana University Library. He wrote all of his books on scrolls of typewriter paper, which they had rolled up into a neat little pyramid in a glass case. They also had a lot of his sketches, which I liked. ‘They’=IU Hoosiers who work at the library. See how nicely that all came together? Like an episode of Seinfeld.
Purge: It’s funny that you mention Seinfeld. George Costanza once said “If it wasn’t for the toilet, there would be no books.” Do you feel like this statement is more true to men or can women also relate?
Laura: I agree with a lot of things that George Costanza says, but that may not be one of them. So maybe it’s a man thing. It might also be a woman thing, maybe I’m just the odd woman out.
Purge: Vouched is doing their first Atlanta reading at Young Blood on July 24th. Can you give me three reasons why I should go that don’t involve shoplifting?
Laura: Absolutely. I can give you six: Heather Christle, Bruce Covey, Amy McDaniel, Ben Spivey, James Tadd Adcox, and plenty of peer pressure.
Purge: Beer?
Laura: Yes, that too. And wine.
Purge: Bad decisions?
Laura: The initial decision of attending the reading is probably a good one. I’m not responsible for any decisions made beyond that point aside from my own.
Join us for the Vouched ATL Launch Reading Sunday, July 24th at 6:30pm at Young Blood Gallery and Boutique for beer, wine and books.
Photo Credit: Tim Song