Alumni Q & A:
Rain Taxi Turns 10
By Erin Murphy '90
Eric Lorberer ’86 is editor and publisher of Rain Taxi,
a Minneapolis-based review of books celebrating its tenth anniversary
this year. Winner of Utne Independent Press and Alternative
Press awards, Rain Taxi focuses on works “that push the
boundaries of language, narrative and genre.” Interviewed
by Erin Murphy ’90, Lorberer describes the publication
whose circulation has grown from 1,000 to 18,000, with readers
stretching from Kansas to Korea.
Tell us about the birth of Rain Taxi.
Rain Taxi was imagined in 1995 by two friends of mine in their
attic apartment in Minneapolis. I contributed work to the first
issue and was then recruited to help grow the project into something
larger and self-sustaining. When my original co-Taxistas left
to pursue other dreams, I roped in my partner Kelly Everding
[as art director] to help, and we’ve kept the enterprise
afloat as a duo since—though with the immeasurable contributions
of a dedicated board of directors, some kind-hearted volunteers,
and hundreds of reviewers from around the world.
Why Minneapolis?
I guess part of it was luck—we were all there—but
Minneapolis turns out to be one of the few places we can actually
do this quixotic magazine. There’s a dedicated literary
community here, nurtured by a handful of first-rate small presses,
and there are foundations here that support the arts; combine
that with a relatively low cost of living and the fact that
the Internet made it possible to do such a project from anywhere,
and you’ve got a good place to risk your life savings
on a crazy idea.
I know you once offered a unique benefit to large-gift
donors: For $5,000 or more, they would receive a personal visit
from a man in a tuxedo who would reveal the origin of the name
Rain Taxi. Any takers?
Sadly, no.
So, if we promise not to tell anyone, will you clue
us in?
Oh, you can tell; the cat’s pretty much out of the bag
at this point, and really, it was never meant to be a secret.
There’s a strange and wonderful piece of installation
art by Salvador Dali called Rainy Taxi. We shortened it to Rain
Taxi in homage to another animating spirit, Tom Waits, whose
“Rain Dogs” album is never far from the CD player.
What big-name writers have contributed articles to Rain
Taxi?
I suppose our biggest coup was getting David Foster Wallace
to write a lengthy review in his inimitable style. Samuel R.
Delany, Rikki Ducornet, Rick Moody and many other much-published
authors have also contributed work to our pages. I just ask
them.
Have any WC alumni/ae written for Rain Taxi?
As a matter of fact, yes: Catherine Beck Shoup and Jack Gilden,
both class of ’87. More are welcome!
Could you describe the other programs Rain Taxi sponsors?
We put on readings and events in the Twin Cities, a sort of
live version of our aesthetics—while it’s easy to
find readings by big-name novelists or the flavor du jour in
nonfiction, it’s harder to find the sort of innovative
writers we present in the magazine. So Rain Taxi’s a vehicle
for that also. The biggest gig we do each year is the Twin Cities
Book Festival, which has not only readings but exhibits, panels,
children’s activities and the like. Lastly, we publish
chapbooks of original work by established innovative authors,
which allows us to flex our fine arts muscles. Among the writers
we’ve published in the series are James Tate, Stephen
Dixon, Anne Waldman, Paul Auster and Russell Edson.
What were some of the challenges you faced in the beginning?
I think our biggest challenge at first was being taken seriously.
We had to earn our place at the literary table, and we did that
with hard work: lots of hours spent editing pieces, designing
attractive pages, assembling distribution, stuffing envelopes….
The working model was “if you build it, they will come,”
which is pretty much what happened—we’re never going
to get rich doing this, but enough people saw we had a quality
product and began to support it.
Did anything in your WC experience help you prepare
for your work as a published writer and editor?
Oh, absolutely. There’s obviously all the practical knowledge
gained from working on the College’s various publications,
down to visiting the printer to figure out printing costs when
a small group of us created a one-off literary magazine. (Does
anybody remember The Blue Chesapeake?) Working on the broadsides
sharpened my sense of design, as did peeking over Mike Kaylor’s
shoulder occasionally at the Literary House Press. At The Elm
I learned a lot about working with a staff and writing for an
audience. But just as important was simply being immersed in
a culture that so greatly valued words. I had that also in graduate
school, and missing it in the “real world” became
one of the driving forces behind Rain Taxi.
What advice would you give current students interested
in starting their own publications?
Plan—a lot. Make things so that you know you have the
resources (time, money, personnel) to keep publishing your project
for at least two years. I can’t tell you how many magazines
I’ve seen publish one or two issues and then fold. Also,
develop a distinctive vision—there are thousands of literary
publications out there, so have a reason to throw another one
on the pile. Lastly, put some roots in your local community,
even if you’re aiming for a national audience; host a
reading, have a party, anything. We used to think it was something
extra, but now believe it’s vitally important to get out
from behind the computer occasionally.
What are some of the best compliments you’ve ever
received about Rain Taxi?
Probably the one that recurs the most is the best: when people
say “I always find something in Rain Taxi that I didn’t
know about,” I feel we’re doing a good job. Some
compliments have come from the right place at the right time.
In the early days especially, when we’d be frustrated
and ready to give up, a little note from someone like Robert
Creeley saying “Keep up the good work!” would cure
those blues instantly.
Where would you like your magazine to be ten years from
now?
In the hands of some reader, who’s just spilled coffee
on it, because she’s reaching for a pen to write down
the name of this book she’s never heard of but just has
to check out.
Erin Murphy ’90 is a published poet and a lecturer
in creative writing at Washington College. For more information
on Rain Taxi, visit www.raintaxi.com.
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