Taddle Creek is a buried stream flowing from Wychwood Park to the University of Toronto, into the Harbour. It was buried over a hundred years ago and converted into a sewer, but traces of the creek can still be found in Toronto and in a Literary magazine by the same name.
Conan Tobias, Editor-in-Chief, has taken Taddle Creek across Canada and into the United States to launch the summer Out of Towner Issue, featuring writers outside of Toronto, something unusual in the publications 13 years. The Glass Coin got a chance to chat with Conan about the tour, the magazine and catch a glimpse at the hidden creek.
When I met Conan, I was stuck by the mysterious tickle behind his glasses, like he has a hidden river of secrets buried behind his eyes. I couldn’t resist requesting interview. The Glass Coin is in her second month, most of our writers and definitely her editors are just starting out, but Taddle Creek Magazine has been around for more than a decade. It was my hope that Conan would let us in on some of the publishing world secrets.
GC: What jumpstarted Taddle Creek 13 years ago? Are your motivations the same today as they were then?
TC: I don’t know if anything “jumpstarted” 13 years ago. It’s always been a slow rise. The original motivations were different, I suppose, and not that interesting to anyone but me. Now I’d say the motivation is to publish a literary/arts magazine that’s different from anything else on the newsstands, that speaks to a certain aesthetic, and that has a unique voice.
GC: You have a unique perspective as a literature and poetry editor in that you aren’t a fiction writer like many editors seem to be. How does this perspective affect Taddle Creek?
TC: I think it makes me see things as more of an outsider, which is good. An editor should be knowledgeable of the subject matter, but not too attached. I think I can make some tougher decisions on improvements and changes that fellow authors might go soft on. That said, I don’t have the experience of being a fiction author that’s also important. So I won’t say I’m in a better or worse position.
GC: 2000 was a land mark year for Taddle Creek, expanding from the Annex to “encompass the entire city and increased its frequency to semi-annual”. How else has Taddle Creek evolved over the years?
CT: That’s a long time ago. It’s evolved a lot since then. I don’t like to point out or discuss the certain aspects too much, but I think since 2000 it’s developed a much stronger voice and editorial mix and feel. There are some other things too that are probably obvious to longtime readers.
GC: This summer you are promoting your Out of Towner Issue of Taddle Creek. What led you to look beyond the borders of Toronto for this issue?
CT: We’ve long published one out-of-town piece each issue as a way of including the many great authors outside the city. It just seemed like a good idea to devote an issue to it. It’s been on the planning table for a while. Once we devoted an issue to comics, devoting an issue to the Out-of-Towner section seemed like the next obvious step.
GC: What can readers expect in the December issue of Taddle Creek?
CT: I wish I knew…
Still an enigma or maybe there is no way to dig up a buried creek, when we met I asked him if he had any advice and what he said is like all good secrets – simple and impossible. He told us to trust our instincts, to publish what we like.
As a writer and an editor it’s terrible and wonderful. 13 years doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a slow rise based on a unique voice.
