How did this book come about, what gave you the reason to start it?
Back in October of 2014, I published a collection of personal, creative non-fiction short stories title "Collapsing Into The Whatever." Although the writing process took three years, the formatting/publishing process was a lot more simpler that I thought. I discovered that we have a dialed option for both of these services in Tampa (Eli at Crunch Time (formatting) and A and A (printing).
With the positive feedback from "Collapsing...", I thought it would be rad to see/read stories from folks within the BMX scene. What night over coffee, or at the bar, or on a road trip have not availed some of the best stories you've heard...it's just a bonus to see them in print.
Whats your opinion on attention spans these days? Do you think people need to learn to read again?
Ha! Reading isn't for everyone. We've become such a visual society based on action... I get it. But for those who do, here's a nice little companion piece that you can fit into your pocket, take to work to read during lunch, while stuck in gridlock, or on an airplane. I'm pretty confident this should put a smile on your face.
So, to answer your question: Our attention spans have always been short. That's why these are "short stories." Ha!
Was it easy chasing everyone up to contribute? (and choosing who would contribute)
My initial wish list for contributors was much longer, so choosing those involved was the easy part as there are so many talented story tellers amongst our scene. But, in the end, It was whoever, from that list, could meet the deadline. Committing time, and conjuring motivation (for everyone) was the hardest part. Writing is difficult as shit. We all know this, and we all felt it.
Leigh Ramsdell was the best example. He literally submitted his piece at the very last minute. It took two years to find the right time, the right place, and under the right circumstances to belt it out (and his piece is dialed and well worth the wait). I knew it was going to be a process, and I knew it would take roughly two years. Thanks to everyone involved for their patience.
What are the stories about, all BMX, or BMX culture in general?
The connecting thread is BMX. Every contributor was effected by BMX in some way throughout their lives. Some stories are about the actual, philosophical act of trail riding (Yeagle), some are simply about the wild antics that occur while being with friends who ride BMX (Degroot, Crandall, Rich, Ball, Hinkens), while some are inadvertently historic (Towne and Ramsdell). So, both BMX and BMX culture.
