We’re very excited to have a new face down at the
campfire—Nate Ragolia, who is a writer and publisher based in Denver
Hobo
Nate Ragolia: BONED came about primarily because I felt,
after years of submission, rejection, some publication, that I wanted to help,
enable, and encourage other writers. In a space that’s often sold on its
competitive nature, offering another venue through which authors, poets, and
essayists could see their work validated seemed like a no-brainer way to build
community and, selfishly, enrich my own work by collaborating constantly with
others. The concept, skeletal writings, came from my fascination with horror and
philosophy…Bones are our structure, the things that holds us up, the things
that break in us, the things that form us, and they are probably the easiest
part of anatomy to grasp… no secret machinations of firing electricity, or
life-sustaining muscle with limited power and capacity. Bones seem
straightforward. “Bone” and “Skeleton” also bear multiple meanings. “A bone to
pick,” “Skeletons in my closet,” and colloquially, “We boned last night” and
many more—these words connect with us viscerally, physically, spiritually, and
emotionally. And BONED, as a magazine, has already treated me, and our readers,
to hundreds of poems, stories, screenplays, and essays that delve into the
deepest foundations of humanity. Plus, skeletons are universal. We all have
one, and under the skin, our skeletons are all pretty similar…a kind of
equalizer.
NR: My writing tends to stay close to people, to character,
but beyond that it will vary in genre and theme, setting and structure. I’m
definitely fascinated with science fiction and all speculative fiction because
I think we really do learn more about our present reality when we view it
through the lens of the future. When we consume a future world, we always do so
in comparison to the now, and sometimes that’s the only cause we might have to
really compare or question the now. I’ve always glommed onto crisp morality
play kinds of stories, like you might see on old Twilight Zone episodes, and
I’ll have the most fun writing something like that. But overall, I write for
meaning, for the reader to experience the characters, join them in their lives,
and after that, I write for catharsis. The short answer, then, is I write
sci-fi that I hope is literary, and literary work that I hope provokes
questions about big ideas.
NR: Aside from the work I read for BONED, and the
manuscripts I read and edit for Spaceboy, I have really enjoyed Cory Doctorow’s
novel Walkaway. It’s a kind of
science fiction novel that has everything to do with people and the longterm
side effects and outcomes of advancing technologies… with a side of
socioeconomic theory, all topics that I try to tackle in my novel The Retroactivist. But truly, I spend
most of my time reading for BONED and Spaceboy, and that reading is joyous, and
sustaining. Beyond that, I look forward to reading Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand
Giridharadas. It’s not fiction, but its discussion of the motivations and modes
of philanthropic activity, and how they may actively sustain the existing
imbalanced social structure, is right up my alley.
NR: Oh man, to suggest any recognizable names would feel
like an act of hubris. I’d love to collaborate with Neil Gaiman or Neal
Stephenson. In the non-Neil/Neal category: Margaret Atwood would be my
super-crazy-never-gonna-happen dream team-up. To work with her on science
fiction or literary horror…Oh man. But, as I said, it would be a favor to me
more than anything to work with anyone I admire. As far as projects I’d love to
take on…My co-founder Shaunn and I both really love the comic genre and I’d
relish the opportunity to publish someone’s sci-fi comic concept. And beyond
that, I love works that mash and meld form and structure. Bring me a novel
that’s layered with poetry, ephemeral materials, and a quality story. We’re in
an era where a book, a novel, a collection, can be infinitely more dynamic and
diverse than ever before. I’m also intrigued with audio and doing more complex
audiobook-style work…possibly because I’m an improv/story podcast junkie.
NR: My friend Antoine likes to remind me, “EKT
- Everyone Knows That” when it comes to the kind of exposition that we get caught
up in during the world-building phase of a novel or story. If the characters in
the story all know something, they aren’t going to explain it purely for the
reader’s benefit, and often, they won’t talk about it at all. Exposition is
always necessary, but the art lies in dishing it out in teaspoons that go down
easy.
NR: I’ve been working on a collaborative novel that involves
water on Jupiter’s moon Europa, which has been exciting to play with.
Otherwise, I was featured on the Denver Orbit podcast, sharing a short I wrote
called A Companion Piece about technology, sex, and disposability. You can find
the podcast here: http://www.denverorbit.com/podcast/episode-twenty-five-blurring-the-digital-analog-line
NR: Picking three is insanely tough, but here goes: 1. Rod
Serling, for my admiration of his progressive ideologies, his story writing,
and his pioneering work in television. Plus, Serling always has that confident
smirk that lets you know he’d be an interesting traveling companion, to say the
least. 2. Shirley Jackson, for all of the reasons I attributed to Serling, and
because Jackson Jackson
Nate Ragolia is a writer and publisher in Denver
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