YOUR BODY IS NOT YOUR BODY: A NEW WEIRD ANTHOLOGY, AN INTERVIEW WITH TENEBROUS PRESS

4/4/2022

Ginger Nuts of Horror welcomes Matt Blairstone and Alex Woodroe from Tenebrous Press to Ginger Nuts of Horror to discuss their new anthology Your Body is Not Your Body: A New Weird Anthology, an anthology where all proceeds from this anthology go to Equality Texas to combat the attempts of the Texas government to criminalize trans/GNC youth and their families

Who are Matt and Alex, can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?

Matt: I’ve poked around the fringes of the indie comics and Horror scenes for a number of years as both a writer and artist, but I’ve mostly made a living as a cook and restaurant Swiss army knife. Grew up in central Illinois; lived and went to film school in Chicago in the 90s/early ‘00s; and have made Portland, Oregon my home for closing in on two decades.

I’ve played guitar and bass in bands for most of my life. These days I’m severely out of practice, but I still sing in a Ramones tribute band and I generally make every effort to steer any conversation—about any subject—back to rock music. Death metal or goth or funeral doom or obscure punk; today I’m rediscovering my love for Bullet LaVolta, a criminally underrated hardcore punk/alternative rock/whatever-they-were band from Boston; tomorrow it’ll be someone different but equally life-changing.

Any day I discover a new band to obsess over is a good day.

Alex: I’m not nearly as cool! I was born in Romania and went pretty much everywhere in the EU with my former job as a project manager. I used to be an educator in prisons, and a beermaid in an Austrian-style brewery, and an English teacher, and a bunch of other things.

I always envied people who had like, a career they loved. I started writing and editing professionally when I was living in Italy because there just were no local jobs available, and it felt like the sky opened up and contentment rained all over me, and suddenly I was those people, too. Now my entire life feels like an ode to publishing, and I love it so much, frustrations and disasters and all.

Now that I live in Romania again, in the historical region of Transilvania, I intend to bring Romania onto the horror fiction map in a big way, writing our horror folklore and nurturing and publishing our authors. Hopefully there’s going to be a speculative fiction writing class in my future here, too.

Can you give us a potted history of Tenebrous Press? Why did you set it up and what are the main goals of the press?

Matt: Our first book, GREEN INFERNO, an anthology of Eco-Horror fiction and comics, was a reaction to the COVID pandemic, the climate crisis and the horrific forest fires that swept through the Pacific Northwest in September 2020. Initially I just wanted to gather folks from disparate locations and channel their rage and fear into something productive. Beyond just seeing if I could actually crowdfund the thing and pay the writers and artists for their work, it was really a first nebulous step with a big question mark at the end.

Those questions were resolved by Alex, a contributor to GREEN INFERNO who quickly became so much more; she was such a rambunctious, enthusiastic pleasure to work with, I knew I needed her to be involved with whatever came next. That ended up being IN SOMNIO, a collection of Modern Gothic Horror by women and non-binary creators, which Alex took editorial lead on. That collaboration was so seamless (or so my selective memory says) and successful that it was just a given that I would coerce her into becoming my other half in all things Tenebrous.

As to our goals? To delve into unexplored corners of the genre that we term New Weird Horror, from voices diverse and unsung all over the world.

Alex: To be rambunctious and enthusiastic. And to publish things that make our friends wonder whether we’re okay.

Your Body is Not Your Body was born out of frustration to say the least; what was the fire that set off this fuse?

Matt: The last two years have been fucking atrocious for everyone—for me too—but not nearly as bad for me as they have been for many others. I’m blessed to have remained at arm’s length from any major catastrophe befalling my family; my wife and I have been able to thrive creatively; our son is healthy and happy…so like, that in itself is a victory, right?

But still, we all agree: fucking hard, yeah? And on top of all that—specifically this fresh hell in Texas, first with the abortion laws and now with the attacks on trans and gender nonconforming individuals and their families—to feel like you live in a world where entire swaths of people refuse to recognize one’s sense of self, one’s sense of identity…eh, this is gonna sound corny as hell, but fuck it:

I think about the possibility that my child—who’s lived nearly half his life under COVID and nonetheless manages to be a delightful, absurd little ball of charisma and passion—could potentially grow up in a world that might treat him like less than, that might persecute him for his mere existence…and it fills me with the most bloody-eyed rage. Because the kids in Texas, and individuals everywhere: they’re somebody’s children too. This is happening to them.

Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary that humanity is even worth saving, as every tragedy upon tragedy piles up, whenever there’s a new level of depravity that huge swathes of the world’s population descend into…there’s always at least some decency and progression and defiance that arises as a counterbalance to the evil. It doesn’t often feel like it’s winning, but it’s still a loud voice. Someone protests. Someone says, “no”. Someone stands against.

And we have to keep fucking being that. And goddamn is that exhausting! And it doesn’t even directly impact me; I’m safe! And when I think of it in that perspective…maybe it’s not so exhausting after all. Maybe I can do something. And that’s where this was born. That’s what lights our fuse.

I think that was my superhero speech, just with a whole bunch more swearing.

The call was exclusively to trans and gender nonconforming authors; for those who might not “get it,” can you explain why own voices is such an important movement?

Alex: The “own voices” tag and movement in itself has its issues. Not everyone should be forced to represent their own marginalization just because they are marginalized, and we shouldn’t (and don’t intend to) ever force anyone into any position they’re uncomfortable with or unsafe in. But it is nice to sometimes make space for those people who do want to say something that relates to who they are, and how they’re being treated, and how they haven’t been listened to.

I can’t tell you what that means to anyone else, but I can tell you what it means to me—a woman horror editor who isn’t even a native English speaker, who comes from a dirt poor forgotten little country, who has no connections and no access. For all that the world pretends to be more open and inclusive, it’s all just a veneer of charm over the same old tricks. People like me get spoken over, forgotten in public spaces, and passed over even by those “big” horror sweethearts who claim to be advocates and supporters. People like me grow to be tougher and smarter and more resourceful than anyone else, and still have to sit on our hands and watch while others wield privilege and bias, and pretend it’s not.

So, even though our Tenebrous home will always be open to the marginalized in any regular call, for some submission calls, we specifically ask people who are marginalized AND want to talk about that particular experience. And that’s important, because the rest of the world needs to learn to sit on *their* hands and listen a little, too. It sure as shit built our character plenty.

I like the cover for the anthology, what is the significance of the image? Did you have an idea of what you wanted, or did Mx. Morgan G Robles come up with the concept on their own?

Matt: We knew we wanted Morgan for the cover the second we discovered their immaculate art, and we put no restrictions on how they might choose to pursue their vision. They came back with a pair of concepts. We chose to go with the option that held no risk of subtlety or misunderstanding; as I said at our initial submissions call: this project is not being guided by nuance, but by a sledgehammer. A swan is graceful, beautiful, affirming; the situation in Texas is anything but.

Do you have anything planned to celebrate the launch?

Matt: We’ve moved at such a breakneck pace—concept to submissions call took six hours; the call was one week; we read and selected everything over a long weekend, and we’re editing now. Circumstances didn’t really allow us any alternatives. I was pretty determined to act, and act now.

We’re releasing a novella on April 1st that we’ve been busting our collective asses to promote and do right by for months now, and attending Brian Keene’s Scares that Care AuthorCon charity event in Virginia at the same time. I think the celebration will involve collapsing into a gelatinous heap on the floor.

Alex: We are actively looking for anyone willing to support us with an interview, podcast moment, ad space, or anything else they can do to light a match under this project. Sending the money we’ve raised to the creators will totally feel like a little party, because that’s always a satisfying moment, and seeing those preorders roll in will be the icing.

A lot of people think editing an anthology is an easy job; what are some of the common pitfalls people fall into when creating an anthology?

Alex: There are two kinds of people; those who think it’s an easy job, and those who have done it. Especially if you’re doing it while trying to pay everyone a fair rate which can’t come out of your own pocket.

That’s tied to the most common pitfall: forgetting that anthologies are incredibly expensive. If you don’t make sure you have a connection to readers who are willing to pay for it ahead of time, it’s going to be a hard time getting it off the ground. We’ve always funded our anthologies before we published them, and likely always will.

Second most common: expecting that if you put good quality work in it, readers will flock. You do absolutely have to put good quality work in it, but readers will never flock. We have to be the ones to lead every person by the hand and form a relationship with them, so we can give the authors we publish access to those relationships.

Third most common: underestimating the time it takes. I say this currently 900 submissions deep into a thousand submission pile, while sat right next to a war zone, with a dog with a broken leg, and the legal wibbles of setting up a new business: no matter how much time I think I will need, I will always need way more. Every anthology is hundreds of collective hours backstage, and they’re unpaid way more often than not.

And what is the one thing you think that people must do?

Alex: This is only my view and doesn’t in any way represent an absolute objective truth. There are many ways in which many works of literature are meaningful that have nothing to do with this. But for me, as an editor, my job is making sure I actually connect these writers to someone who wants to read them. If I’ve failed to do that, I should not have bothered putting together an anthology. That means both respecting the author’s voice and vision and refraining from over-editing them, because I want readers to connect with them in as authentic a state as they can be. And it means always having one eye on the audience, making sure they’re paying attention and showing up.

What kind of stories were you specifically looking for; do these stories match your ethos of “New Weird Horror,” and what exactly is New Weird Horror?

Matt: Alex summed up what New Weird Horror means to us pretty succinctly, but for a while now it’s just been a gut call between the two of us. At least some aspect of the writing—be that theme, content or formal structure—needs to be unexpected, outside of tradition, unsettling. Simultaneously, we’re in the business of telling stories. Plot is key; just, make it a Weird plot!

Readers will see three novellas from Tenebrous Press in the coming months that are wildly different from one another…other than that they are all story-driven and propulsive. At the end of the day, an Indie Horror publisher is the creative vision of whoever is making the calls. You can see through-lines of identity and uniqueness at any publisher, if you look closely.

I can’t overstate how fortunate I am that Alex and I lucked into this unique hivemind; we don’t agree on a lot of things—we each have our own flavors, and Alex doesn’t like death metal or The Dark Tower, so even she has flaws—but there’s this big wide stretch of road running right down the middle of the superhighway where we get the same Weird creepy feels: our sweet spot. When we solicited novellas, we each had a short list of six or seven that mostly overlapped. We weighed them all over a matter of days, together and separately, arguing and discussing back and forth, and when we reconvened in the end it wasn’t really a surprise that our final decisions were identical.

Story selection for Your Body is Not Your Body progressed in more or less the same way. I think we “devil’s advocate” each other a lot, and the best work always comes out in the end.

Alex: New Weird Horror is very much my lovechild, riffing off the old New Weird that I grew up with; but it is New Weird’s successor in philosophy and goals, not necessarily in theme or aesthetic.

I sort of think of it like the progressive rock scene that’s musically my jam: prog rock in the seventies intended to be groundbreaking; technically complex and weird and wild and a little show-offy. And it was, at the time! But many in the audience ended up being stuck on those specific sounds and orchestrations, rather than on this more profound ethos, and want prog rock today to still use synthesizers and lines from the seventies.

I want prog rock today to be whatever it needs to be: to blend genres and surprise me and be complex and fun and *more*. To be today’s groundbreaking, cocky mess. And that’s what I want from New Weird Horror.

I like to think that the horror genre is one of the most progressive genres, in terms of inclusivity, and acceptance; what’s your view on this?

Matt: Honestly, I feel like the Horror scene is as catty and inclusive and gatekeeping and brilliant and excluding and tempestuous as any other scene. It’s exhausting and exhilarating.

The wonderful thing about Horror is this: there is a niche for you. Do you want tradition? It’s there in fucking bucketloads, both in classic form and from upcoming authors. Do you want new perspectives, underrepresented voices, skewed takes on the genre? It is such a fertile time for Horror, and so easy to indulge in both comfort food and riskier fare—each of which I love—and it’s pretty goddamn easy to find both. We are rich with Indie Horror options of every stripe. It’s lovely.

Alex: Seconded. It absolutely is one of the most progressive genres, and it is also the place where you will see some of the most horrible behavior. Both those realities are true, and neither cancels the other out.

We try to keep our heads down and do our jobs well. It might sound corny, but we genuinely do try to create more of the opportunities and attitudes we want to see in the horror world. Sometimes it’s harder and more painful than we let on, but I do believe people see the hard work and want to contribute and want to help. And the end result is that they’re here, and they helped us raise money to pay the contributors of Your Body is not Your body, and they’re listening.

What can people like myself do to help?

Alex: Every time someone talks about one of our books, shares it, shares a photo of an illustration, shares a link or an interview… every single time means someone who needs us in their life might be able to find us. That is everything to us.

I think it’s the same for every small press: the one thing we need is an open door to connect with more readers and more authors. It’s not like legacy publishing; for us, it’s never too late to share an ad or review of older titles, it’s never too little to just say you loved one author’s story, it’s never pointless to try to just nominate one thing for an award or some recognition. Every little thing matters so much.

This industry revolves around connections and open doors, and things that might not feel like a big deal to an already established author make a world of difference to a tiny press championing about five dozen new voices.

What would you like the readers to take away after reading Your Body is Not Your Body?

Matt: That there are amazing, valuable, Horrifying tales to be told by individuals whose voices are as valuable and worthy as any other. That a homogenized, purified world is fucking boring.
And if they also take away the fact that Governor Greg Abbott and all his likeminded ilk are bigoted, monstrous scum, that’s alright too.

Alex: And that Tenebrous is going to continue showing up in a big way. We’re not perfect, but we’re gonna be a home for so many amazing things.

Your Body is Not Your Body: A New Weird Anthology

This is a preorder item. Book will ship sometime in April...or as soon as we can get it off the presses.

All proceeds from this anthology go to Equality Texas to combat the attempts of the Texas government to criminalize trans/GNC youth and their families.

EXTREME CONDITIONS DEMAND EXTREME RESPONSES.

Twenty-seven writers and eight illustrators from the Trans/Gender Nonconforming communities come together to voice their rage, defiance and fearlessness in the decidedly nontraditional fashion of New Weird Horror that Tenebrous Press excels at!

Final Table of Contents coming soon. Featured writers include Hailey Piper, Joe Koch, LC von Hessen, M. Lopes da Silva, Bitter Karella and many more.

Cover art by Mx. Morgan G. Robles.

Preorder a copy of Your Body is Not Your Body: A New Weird Anthology here