Over the course of the weekend I have been working on the wicked alice redesign, which I intend to have finished and up hell or highwater on July 1st. It feels right to be starting a new chapter with our 11th year online, a new format, new and varied sorts of content. I was laughing at some of my design choices via the way back machine last night, all sorts of horribleness through 2005 when I decided simple white was a much better option. (I also realize that quarterly issues, even though they were kinda small, was a bit ambitious in the beginning.) Of course, since the press didn't happen til 2004, there was much more time to devote to it in those days when life was a little less frenzied and complicated. I remember going on the P&W boards begging people to submit to the first issue. I basically taught myself html from scratch by manipulating angelfire templates. Looking at the internet archive, it's almost like looking at baby pics.
I've been thinking a lot about online content and the limits of self-contained issues. I feel like whenever we release a new issue, there is alot of initial traffic that then slows to a trickle. Since we've now been doing bi-annual issues, there's alot of in-between time where not much is happening. I want to make it relevant, new, fresh, everytime someone visits. I want people to be able to subscribe to content (via following, via RSS, whatever.) I guess I wanted it to be more blog-like and much less static website like, thus I've been playing with various formats.
I'm also exited about new variations in content. I'm hoping in addition to lots of poetry, just like the old format, to include more reviews and interviews, features, essay, even fiction. Also, features on artists, film, music. I plan to add people to the staff eventually. (anyone who knows me knows that my inner control freak is very uncomfortable with this) but the rest of me is excited. I've been lining up a couple weeks worth of content meanwhile and reading through submissions from May. You're going to love it, I promise.
