Pittsburgh Quarterly Interview
Surviving and Excelling – The TPQ Story
by Stephanie Henck
An Interview with Bruce Hoffman of “Pittsburgh Quarterly Online”
Bruce Hoffman Over the years Bruce Hoffman has written for and/or edited a variety of labor and literary publications in the Pittsburgh area. He has an MFA in nonfiction from the University of Pittsburgh, a home, a family (including dog), a halfway decent record collection, an I-Book, and a memoir in progress. His work is his life.
A Review of THE PITTSBURGH QUARTERLY
SH: First of all, thank you for agreeing to do this interview. My first question has to do with TPQ OnLine and it’s connection to the print edition of The Pittsburgh Quarterly. How did TPQ OnLine get started and what is the relationship between TPQ OnLine and The Pittsburgh Quarterly in terms of governance, target audience, and content?
BH: Frank Correnti, editor of The Pittsburgh Quarterly , came to me in 1997 and asked me to put together an online version of the magazine. His idea was for the online magazine to share an association with the print version but at the same time maintain an identity of its own. From the beginning, I have had almost total autonomy and control over content. It was also Frank’s idea for the online magazine to be continuous rather than periodic. That is, instead of doing separate issues, we add and subtract material a little at a time. Unfortunately, the print version of The Pittsburgh Quarterly has been out of publication for a few years and is not likely to return any time soon. My goal as online editor is to continue the tradition that the print issue began. I consider the magazine as much a community service as a literary endeavor, serving not only the Pittsburgh regional community, but the larger literary community as well. We want to provide an outlet for writers who might otherwise have difficulty finding one and at the same time put up a solid mix of diverse, finely-crafted work for readers everywhere. Our target audience is anyone who likes to read
SH: You mention that you envision TPQ as an endeavor that serves Pittsburgh as well as the larger literary community. I noticed that there are some Pennsylvania authors, among the many that get posted, and even some pieces about Pittsburgh. How much does Pittsburgh as a city or as a cultural center (or Pennsylvania for that matter) factor into the content that goes into TPQ OnLine? Are there any criteria for what gets posted on TPQ OnLine?
BH: We don’t have any specific criteria, but we do go out of our way to make sure we have a few pieces with local interest posted on the magazine at all times. The Pittsburgh area is very much a part of who we are and whom we serve. As fore Pennsylvania authors, I think the reason we have so many is that people with Pittsburgh connections are more likely to read and contribute to a magazine named The Pittsburgh Quarterly . We get some submissions from people who used to live in Pittsburgh but have moved away, and a lot of times the material they send us deal with Pittsburgh or Western Pennsylvania themes or locales. I think that’s really cool. I suppose a lot of what we are trying to do is establish Pittsburgh’s place in relation to the rest of the world. As much as I like material with a regional interest, I like diversity more. We have published works from writers all over the United States as well as India, Israel, the Bahamas, etc. That too is part of our identity
SH: I did notice that there were some authors who used to live in Pittsburgh or Western Pennsylvania and that gives the site an almost nostalgic feel in some cases. I also noticed that TPQ has a number of pieces by recurring authors like Michael Simms. What do you think these ‘regulars’ contribute to the overall aesthetic of the site? Also, TPQ OnLine seems to have more fictions and poetry than essays, memoirs, or reviews. Is there a method behind that decision or is it a result of what your writers submit.
BH: We have kind of an unusual relationship with Michael Simms. He is the Executive Director and Editor of Autumn House Press, a Pittsburgh-based publisher of poetry books. Shortly after TPQ OnLine got started, he came up with the idea of a semi-autonomous poetry series in which he selects and assembles the material and writes a brief introduction and we provide the space. It has worked out well for both of us. He has provided us with some high quality poetry, including some from established writers who might not otherwise submit to a seat-of-the-pants publications like ours. We’ve even been able to put up a couple e-chapbooks.
The only other recurring feature we’ve run is Lou Horvath’s novel The Vulture and the Mother, which we’ve been serializing one chapter at a time for a much longer time than I ever imagined. We’re only five chapters away from publishing a complete novel online.
A couple other poets, such as Janet Buck and Joan Pond, have submitted work to us repeatedly, but not on any kind of regular basis. I like their work a lot and I am always glad to get it, but I don’t think it has been regular or frequent enough to significantly impact the overall aesthetic of the site.
The only other writer I can think of we have published frequently is me. I generally shy away from publishing my own work. When I put up one of my own reviews or essays, it’s usually because I am trying to stimulate a response from our readers and/or to encourage other writers to submit their own nonfiction material. It hasn’t really worked. I would love to have more essays, memoirs, reviews, etc. but we just don’t get them. I don’t know why.
SH: You mention that you do not get as much nonfiction material and would like that to change. I noticed that the essays, memoirs, and reviews were somewhat hidden among the archives in the spring issue. In an ideal world, what kind of combination of genres would you have on TPQ OnLine? For instance, since the serialized novel has proven so successful, would you try to focus more on fiction, or, would you like to have more variety on the site like you have in the archives?
BH: Ideally, I would like to see the magazine contain 1-2 reviews, 1-2 essays/memoirs, 12-15 poems, 2-3 fictional stories, and 1 special feature (a chapbook, a photo or art spread, etc.) at all times. I like variety.
SH: What do you see for TPQ OnLine in the future? Is the online project a priority now compared to the print journal, which you mentioned will be out of print for a few years? In what ways would you like to see TPQ OnLine grow either as an independent online journal or as part of the greater Pittsburgh literary community?
BH: What I would like to see in the future is for TPQ OnLine to continue to do what it does, only better. I would like to see a quicker response time for the writers and a more fluid, constantly changing presentation of new material, so that you never quite know what you’re going to get when you go to the site. But like everybody else, we suffer from the limitations of time and gravity. So I guess the best I can say is that the future will show us continuing to do the best we can with what we’ve got. One of the great things about independent, online publishing is that growth is not all that important. It is only important to be what you are. In our case that is just a simple, diverse, slightly quirky magazine that provides opportunities for writers to test the reaches of their creativity and shows the world that there is more to Pittsburgh than ashes, smoke and rust.
SH: You are both writer and editor for the site. Do you find that those roles ever conflict with each other or do you feel that as an occasional contributor you are better able to fulfill the roles of editor and manager?
BH: When we first launched TPQ OnLine, we borrowed a few pieces from the concurrent print issue of The Pittsburgh Quarterly , including an essay of mine. So I guess my dual roles of editor and writer were established from the beginning. Since then, the pieces that I’ve contributed, mostly reviews and an occasional “editorial,” have been written specifically for the online magazine.
As long as it is not overdone, and I don’t think it has been, I don’t see any reason that my writing for the magazine should cause a conflict. As an “occasional contributor,” I’ve got a vested interest in the quality and timeliness of the magazine. And though my writer’s and editor’s voices are different, writing an occasional short piece gives me a chance to bring the two together for a minute and may serve to sharpen my focus as editor. Still, I am well aware of the need to be careful not to overdo it. TPQ OnLine is not my personal sounding board.
SH: Have you lived in Pittsburgh or Pennsylvania for long? What are your personal plans and goals for the future?
BH: Except for a few brief excursions into the outside world, I have lived in the Pittsburgh area all my life. Right now my plan is to retire from my day job after the first of the year and devote more time to writing, editing and taking the dog to the park.
SH: Since you’ve been working with TPQ OnLine, what changes have you seen in the content of what gets submitted to the site and in the writing community in Pittsburgh as a whole? As a writer, have you seen any changes in your own work since TPQ OnLine began?
BH: Back in the 80s, at a time when the steel mills of Pittsburgh were shutting down one after another, Frank Correnti and I both did some work for an organization/magazine called the “Mill Hunk Herald” that actively encouraged working people to write, and we carried the same the sense of community organization and working class ethos into “The Pittsburgh Quarterly ” and “TPQ OnLine.” But times have changed. The mills, for the most part, are gone and Pittsburgh, no longer the industrial center it once was, is struggling to forge a new identity. Changes in culture are always reflected in the art the culture produces, and the Pittsburgh writing community in general and “TPQ OnLine” in particular reflect those changes as much as anyone else. The working class worldview that we originally brought to the magazine does not permeate our pages as much as it used to. It’s still there, but it is gradually being changed and modified by other voices, other cultures and other views of the world. That’s a good thing.
As far as my own writing goes, I have found that when I write for “TPQ OnLine” I deliberately try to keep it short. Although we run some lengthy pieces, in general I think shorter stuff works better in an online format. So, I suppose, though you probably can’t tell from this answer, that “TPQ OnLine” has taught me something about the economy of words. It has also given me an opportunity to try my hand at reviews, which I never really did before and have found that I really enjoy writing.
SH: Do you have any advice for young writers or people who are interested in publishing at TPQ OnLine?
BH: My favorite advice to writers is Lillian Hellman’s admonition, “Don’t listen to writers talking about writing.” The only thing I would add to that is to suggest that you use the time you save not listening to me to write. Write every day, every chance you get. It doesn’t matter what you write or if it gets published or if anybody even reads it. What does matter is that everything you write, whether it be a novel or a grocery list, be as fresh, honest and fun as you can make it. Like anything else, writing improves with practice.
Anyone who wants to submit something to “TPQ Online” should take a look at our “About TPQ OnLine” page for guidelines, such as they are. Then, send it to us (if you want to make life easy for me, send it as a Word attachment to email). I can’t guarantee that we’ll use it, but I do guarantee that we’ll read it. Audiences grow one reader at a time.
About the Interviewer:
Stephanie Henck is a native of the Washington, DC area. She received her BA in English and International Studies from Boston College. She has worked at the St. Albans School for Boys in Washington, DC as Program Manager for the St. Albans School of Public Service for the past two years and will attend Carnegie Mellon University in the Spring of 2006 to begin her graduate studies in English. You can contact her at shmellor@aol.com.
