Bruce
Hi. My name is Bruce, and RGQ was my brainchild, brainstorm, or brain fart, depending on how you view it. I originated it in July of 2002. I had a large store of quotes, images, and jokes, so I figured I had enough material to last a while. I’m not sure why I decided to go forward, but I did.
The format evolved as the issues started to accumulate. I first tried writing just humorous opening pieces, but I very quickly found out that while I could do a fair to passable job sharing real-life, funny experiences, I just wasn’t a comedy writer. I had to find a way to continue, and I came across the current format of using news articles to stimulate discussion among readers.
RGQ is a mirror of me. I created it by just imagining what I would like in a zine. I figured there must be others out there like me, people who didn’t like intellectual pablum, who wanted something stimulating and interesting and fun to read. Turns out I was right. There were lots of others.
One of my main goals was to encourage reader participation. I knew that readers had something important to say, and I wanted to provide them with the forum where they could do so. I only asked civility from the contributors.
I didn’t mind disagreements, but I drew the line at personal attacks. One can offer intellectual arguments in favor of or against something someone else said without calling the other person names, and readers learned that was what was expected because I would write back privately to someone who overstepped and ask them to rewrite it before publication.
The other line I drew was on political discussions. There are a bazillion blogs out there where people are free to say whatever they want, but here, I wanted to keep direct political commentary out. In my mind that included things like attacking a specific office holder or party position. It didn’t mean that issues with political elements couldn’t be discussed, such as the death penalty or privacy, but I made sure that it was done on an intellectual basis, and not by attacking Sen. or Gov. or President so and so.
I started out writing five issues a week, and doing all the composition alone. It was a huge job to do, and looking back, I really don’t know how I managed to do it as long as I did. I eventually cut it back to three issues a week to save my sanity and marriage.
I was still doing it all alone when I got an email from Robin, a reader with a thing about internet rumors. I had created a section called Rumors ‘n Myths, but I rarely had time to put anything in it. She asked if she could write the section for me, and so talked herself into a job as my first staff writer. She was brilliant at the task!
Once the idea of staff writers became a reality, I noticed a contributor named Tim, a guy with an amazingly funny way of writing. I wrote to him and asked him if he’d like to write a column, and he became my second writer of his column called Tim’s Tales. An absolute genius he was. I still think he was funnier than Dave Barry, even if he didn’t make any money at what he did.
I should note that Tim passed away last year of cancer, and it was a real shock to the entire RGQ family. I’m still not over it, but he left a wonderful body of work behind.
Faithy came along next and created her Free Downloads section, writing it for many years as Faithy the Freeloader. She was great, and was loved deeply by the readers. When she finally felt she had to give up her spot RGQ lost a little bit of its roots. Who knows? Maybe she’ll come back one day.
Robin got pregnant (something I still haven’t forgiven her for!) and left her post to raise her son, and after a hiatus Myst took over writing the Rumors ‘n Myths column for quite a while until personal issues caused her to leave as well. It was her first writing experience and she did a great job.
Sied, the retired Marine gunnery sergeant came along with his quirky views on technology. He was a real character, and his column, called Imp-Revised News, was something to look forward to, issue after issue. He left for health reasons and we learned later that he too passed away from cancer. His loss was another blow to the crazy, extended family of RGQ and he was and is greatly missed. Kirsten wrote for us for quite a few years. She is a naturally talented writer, and she wrote about things she ran into in her daily life, including her sons and the autism of one of them, and her passion for running. She finally felt it was time to give up writing as she was planning to get married and didn’t have the time to continue. Again, the caliber of the talent here has been amazing, and she was a great contributor.
Patti started writing a really intriguing column which she has turned into a book. She called it Patti’s Parenthetical Past, and it was a this-day-in-history kind of piece, except that it was obscure and interesting events that she chose to highlight. Her work was first class, and she has now evolved into a great lead writer. She also worked behind the scenes for several years to help format the growing segments of RGQ.
Meanwhile, Cliff came aboard to help with the same task. There was far too much for me to do alone, and he stepped up to help put issue after issue together. He later started writing his own column for RGQ, with his own style, a mix of a techno-nerd and just an all around great guy who reflected on the world around him.
And then there was Mike. Mike the poet, who cracked us all up with limericks. I got to the point where I was ready to leave RGQ myself, and I wanted to groom a successor, so I asked for volunteers. Mike and Patti both stepped forward, and I had a hell of a time trying to decide between them. Patti stepped aside, and Mike became my second in command, writing one piece a week while I continued to write two. It took a huge load off of me, and readers became acquainted with him as he started to take over more and more responsibility. Eventually he was writing two a week while I offered only one.
My moment finally came. I had patented the first system to utilize hydrothermal vents for commercial energy production and I had to focus on what I needed to do for myself. I stepped aside, and Mike ably took over the reins. The transition was about as seamless as it could have been.
Mike brought Lucille on board, and she’s done a great job, writing about the foibles of the legal profession with real humor and style. She’s destined to be one of the greats of RGQ.
I stayed away more than a year, but I volunteered to come back as a staff writer, submitting the Monday lead article. Patti was already writing Wednesday’s, so the three of us each wound up offering one piece a week, which I think works out well.
Mike brought BJ in as a writer after recognizing his ability in submissions he sent, and he’s done a bang-up job in the short time since he began. Stay tuned. He’s a keeper!
Ranina was one of the earliest subscribers to RGQ, and someone with whom I had communicated privately for years. I had always admired her writing skill and had asked her several times if she were interested in writing for us here. She politely declined, but after I returned the time seemed right for her and she wanted to know if the offer still stood. I checked with Mike, and she became the latest addition to our staff with Ranina’s Ruminations. She has a natural talent and I know the readers enjoy her work. It’s her first time writing for publication, and she gets better every week.
That’s the history of this crazy zine, and of my involvement with it. It’s going on nine years since it started, and that is incredibly hard for me to imagine. Over 1400 issues have been published as of this writing, and it seems that it’s still going strong.
I feel honored to have created something that has lasted and has had the impact that RGQ has had. I feel honored to have worked with such a creative group of people.
The important thing to remember is that RGQ is really about the readers, first and foremost. There have been some submissions that were so powerful that I will literally never forget them. All the staff writers came from the readership, and it is their welcome participation that makes it quirky and fun. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has had a hand in making this go, and all the readers who make us laugh and cry with them. It’s been a great nine years. I don’t know where it’s going to end, as we all know it must some day, but until that day comes I know that it has had a real impact on a lot of lives, and I’ll always be grateful to everyone who participated.
The format evolved as the issues started to accumulate. I first tried writing just humorous opening pieces, but I very quickly found out that while I could do a fair to passable job sharing real-life, funny experiences, I just wasn’t a comedy writer. I had to find a way to continue, and I came across the current format of using news articles to stimulate discussion among readers.
RGQ is a mirror of me. I created it by just imagining what I would like in a zine. I figured there must be others out there like me, people who didn’t like intellectual pablum, who wanted something stimulating and interesting and fun to read. Turns out I was right. There were lots of others.
One of my main goals was to encourage reader participation. I knew that readers had something important to say, and I wanted to provide them with the forum where they could do so. I only asked civility from the contributors.
I didn’t mind disagreements, but I drew the line at personal attacks. One can offer intellectual arguments in favor of or against something someone else said without calling the other person names, and readers learned that was what was expected because I would write back privately to someone who overstepped and ask them to rewrite it before publication.
The other line I drew was on political discussions. There are a bazillion blogs out there where people are free to say whatever they want, but here, I wanted to keep direct political commentary out. In my mind that included things like attacking a specific office holder or party position. It didn’t mean that issues with political elements couldn’t be discussed, such as the death penalty or privacy, but I made sure that it was done on an intellectual basis, and not by attacking Sen. or Gov. or President so and so.
I started out writing five issues a week, and doing all the composition alone. It was a huge job to do, and looking back, I really don’t know how I managed to do it as long as I did. I eventually cut it back to three issues a week to save my sanity and marriage.
I was still doing it all alone when I got an email from Robin, a reader with a thing about internet rumors. I had created a section called Rumors ‘n Myths, but I rarely had time to put anything in it. She asked if she could write the section for me, and so talked herself into a job as my first staff writer. She was brilliant at the task!
Once the idea of staff writers became a reality, I noticed a contributor named Tim, a guy with an amazingly funny way of writing. I wrote to him and asked him if he’d like to write a column, and he became my second writer of his column called Tim’s Tales. An absolute genius he was. I still think he was funnier than Dave Barry, even if he didn’t make any money at what he did.
I should note that Tim passed away last year of cancer, and it was a real shock to the entire RGQ family. I’m still not over it, but he left a wonderful body of work behind.
Faithy came along next and created her Free Downloads section, writing it for many years as Faithy the Freeloader. She was great, and was loved deeply by the readers. When she finally felt she had to give up her spot RGQ lost a little bit of its roots. Who knows? Maybe she’ll come back one day.
Robin got pregnant (something I still haven’t forgiven her for!) and left her post to raise her son, and after a hiatus Myst took over writing the Rumors ‘n Myths column for quite a while until personal issues caused her to leave as well. It was her first writing experience and she did a great job.
Sied, the retired Marine gunnery sergeant came along with his quirky views on technology. He was a real character, and his column, called Imp-Revised News, was something to look forward to, issue after issue. He left for health reasons and we learned later that he too passed away from cancer. His loss was another blow to the crazy, extended family of RGQ and he was and is greatly missed. Kirsten wrote for us for quite a few years. She is a naturally talented writer, and she wrote about things she ran into in her daily life, including her sons and the autism of one of them, and her passion for running. She finally felt it was time to give up writing as she was planning to get married and didn’t have the time to continue. Again, the caliber of the talent here has been amazing, and she was a great contributor.
Patti started writing a really intriguing column which she has turned into a book. She called it Patti’s Parenthetical Past, and it was a this-day-in-history kind of piece, except that it was obscure and interesting events that she chose to highlight. Her work was first class, and she has now evolved into a great lead writer. She also worked behind the scenes for several years to help format the growing segments of RGQ.
Meanwhile, Cliff came aboard to help with the same task. There was far too much for me to do alone, and he stepped up to help put issue after issue together. He later started writing his own column for RGQ, with his own style, a mix of a techno-nerd and just an all around great guy who reflected on the world around him.
And then there was Mike. Mike the poet, who cracked us all up with limericks. I got to the point where I was ready to leave RGQ myself, and I wanted to groom a successor, so I asked for volunteers. Mike and Patti both stepped forward, and I had a hell of a time trying to decide between them. Patti stepped aside, and Mike became my second in command, writing one piece a week while I continued to write two. It took a huge load off of me, and readers became acquainted with him as he started to take over more and more responsibility. Eventually he was writing two a week while I offered only one.
My moment finally came. I had patented the first system to utilize hydrothermal vents for commercial energy production and I had to focus on what I needed to do for myself. I stepped aside, and Mike ably took over the reins. The transition was about as seamless as it could have been.
Mike brought Lucille on board, and she’s done a great job, writing about the foibles of the legal profession with real humor and style. She’s destined to be one of the greats of RGQ.
I stayed away more than a year, but I volunteered to come back as a staff writer, submitting the Monday lead article. Patti was already writing Wednesday’s, so the three of us each wound up offering one piece a week, which I think works out well.
Mike brought BJ in as a writer after recognizing his ability in submissions he sent, and he’s done a bang-up job in the short time since he began. Stay tuned. He’s a keeper!
Ranina was one of the earliest subscribers to RGQ, and someone with whom I had communicated privately for years. I had always admired her writing skill and had asked her several times if she were interested in writing for us here. She politely declined, but after I returned the time seemed right for her and she wanted to know if the offer still stood. I checked with Mike, and she became the latest addition to our staff with Ranina’s Ruminations. She has a natural talent and I know the readers enjoy her work. It’s her first time writing for publication, and she gets better every week.
That’s the history of this crazy zine, and of my involvement with it. It’s going on nine years since it started, and that is incredibly hard for me to imagine. Over 1400 issues have been published as of this writing, and it seems that it’s still going strong.
I feel honored to have created something that has lasted and has had the impact that RGQ has had. I feel honored to have worked with such a creative group of people.
The important thing to remember is that RGQ is really about the readers, first and foremost. There have been some submissions that were so powerful that I will literally never forget them. All the staff writers came from the readership, and it is their welcome participation that makes it quirky and fun. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has had a hand in making this go, and all the readers who make us laugh and cry with them. It’s been a great nine years. I don’t know where it’s going to end, as we all know it must some day, but until that day comes I know that it has had a real impact on a lot of lives, and I’ll always be grateful to everyone who participated.