After frequenting a lot of
coffee-shop poetry readings, and meeting Mr. Bobby Star
(R.L. Nichols) of X-it Press, Melody Sherosky started a
poetry zine with a friend who was also a well-known local
poet. It was 1992 when the first BMR showed up locally in Erie,
Pennsylvania. It featured mostly local poets and
friends. With the help of Bobby Star, who was very
involved in the "underground" small press at the
time, BMR made a lot of contact during its first
few years.
People appeared and disappeared when it came to the actual
production of the magazine, and through the 1990s Melody
published it herself or with the help of volunteers.
A lot of other zine-sters/small press people helped
BMR grow, most prominently musician
Gregg Yeti, animator David Woodson, Ian Griffin
of Green Bean Press, and D.M. McNamara of
sunnyoutside (and formerly )ISM( ).
In the beginning, BMR was horribly full of clip-art, and the
covers were patched together at the last minute. Since
then, many talented artists have come into the picture.
Our most prominent cover artists include
Ben Dewey, David Woodson, Barry
VanOphuizen, Mark Gardner, and Allison Wire.
In the early part of this century, the other work being
created alongside our main publication warranted the
creation of The Blind Press. Under that title, many artists
and writers have come together to create projects of all
sizes. As a press, the business has also been able to offer
promotional and layout services to those who need them. We
have a small, mostly volunteer staff and many individuals
who contribute to our publishing processes on a regular
basis.
Editor Melody Sherosky works full time as a desktop
publisher, doing both BMR and other print and design
work. BMR is available at many university
libraries, many metropolitan zine libraries, and the
local Troy, MT library. Additionally, it is listed in
The Poet's Market, Light's List, and The Directory of
Small Press/Magazine Editors & Publishers. Our other
publications and work are as diverse as board games,
promotional fliers and postcards for small presses and
galleries, individual poetry and art publications, and
more.
What's up with the
turtles?
Where did the theme of turtles come from? The answer is: no
one knows. The theme started more than eight years ago, and
has worked it into our logo and promotional stuff. One
possible explanation is that Dave Woodson of Syracuse, NY
and his collection of turtles (statues and things, not real
turtles) had a large impact on Editor Melody Sherosky when she visited him throughout the
1990s.
Our back-issues show what artists, including Dave Woodson,
have done with the turtle theme. You will see turtles
playing chess, a turtle attacking a city, and
Mark Gardner's "Whistler's Turtle."
We like turtles. We think they are photogenic, so we'll
probably keep it up. Send in your turtle photos and
drawings and we will post them or use them in the magazine
(see submission guidelines).