THE RAVEN September 1994
Volume 1 issue 8
 |
| Phyllis (Setran) Odegard saved all her issues of The Raven and donated them to us for our archives. This is her copy of Volume 1 Issue 8 of September 1994. |
Herein is an abbreviated introduction to The Raven
THE RAVEN (1994-2018) started out as ‘a zine’ before we ever heard of the term. Chairman Joe (Joe McDonnell) and I had an idea to publish our own artwork and writing, then give it away for free to those in the Wannaska community who may want to read it, while at the same time seriously doubting that anyone actually would. Joe coined its name, 'the raven'.
I started out using a typewriter. Joe had a PC and an ink jet printer. I had some room in my basement and created a workspace where we could assemble our little endeavor. Without any experience putting a multi-page paper together, we literally cut and pasted columns of text and black and white photographs onto two-sided storyboards that I copied, two pages at a time, at the toy factory after-hours.
We spent a lot of time folding each and every issue by hand when we started out. We paid for the postage using subscription fees, public donations, and often our own money, driving the miles necessary for distribution; interviewing people; participating in public venues such as parades and county fair booths, created stories from our lives and those around us; meeting people and situations we would encounter on our trips. We also designed multi-colored post cards that we inserted in each issue, silkscreening them by hand by the hundreds.
After some life-changing publicity from the Roseau Times-Region, in about 1996, we started selling subscriptions in earnest, and began renting a copier from a office supply business in Thief River Falls. In 1999, after a year’s sabbatical, I borrowed some serious money and purchased a large HP color laser printer, two Mac computers loaded with Quark word-processing and Adobe Photoshop photo and design software; a Yale tabloid-size folding machine, a scanner, and an Olympus digital camera, ushering in the age of full color issues and the development of THE RAVEN into a magazine.
THE RAVEN became Northwest Minnesota’s Original Art, History, & Humor Journal, and Palmville Press added “... & Publishing, Inc” to its name, and acquired non-profit status plus a bulk mail mailing permit.
In late 2002, Jacqueline Helms, a former Graphic Artist for The Times newspaper in Thief River Falls joined us and so took THE RAVEN to new heights in layout and production that I could never have done alone.
In 2003, I started applying for art grants through the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council in Warren, Minnesota to expand our circulation, update the software and equipment as necessary, purchase volumes of highest quality paper, printer components and laser toner; and so The Raven went as a notorious “Irregular Time-Frame Publication,” until 2018.
An archival collection of THE RAVEN: Northwest Minnesota’s Original Art, History & Humor Journal can be found in the Roseau Library and the Roseau County Museum in Roseau; as well as in the Minnesota Historical Society collection in St. Paul, Minnesota and possibly 59 other Minnesota libraries across the state.
This is the September 1994 issue, piecemeal as it is. I admit I was lazy and didn't want to retype the whole thing, as until we entered printing in color, digital copies of texts and layouts weren't made.
 |
| Page 2 Summer Vacation of a Glove by Joe McDonnell |
 |
| Page 3 Conclusion of Summer Vacation of a Glove |
 |
| Page 4 The Great Gatzke Bank Robbery by Steve Reynolds |
 |
| Page 5 The Great Gatzke Bank Robbery |
 |
| Page 6 Conclusion of The Great Gatzke Bank Robbery, and Fly Swatter Moon by Joe McDonnell |
 |
| Page 7 A Work of Art by Steve Reynolds |
 |
| Page 8 Conclusion of A Work of Art |
 |
| Page 9 Ads |
 |
| Page 10 Ads |
WW kindly says “we” in discussing the creation of The Raven, but gradually he and Jackie took over 100% of the work.
ReplyDeleteI was a contributing editor. The Raven inspired many adventures and trips up and down the great Midwest, to New England, out on the broad ocean, and even to Ireland one time.
People ask me if we’re still doing “our little paper”. Once WW retired from the Toy Factory and his sanity was more or less assured, he covered the printer and moved on to deerstand construction, though he can still be found here in the Almanac every Thursday.
Thanks for your labors old friend.
I recognize the beginnings of your Squibbs and Sunday blogpost fare, on the bottom of Page 6, as "Thought of The Month." Little did I know, as neither much of our readership, did that pot boileth over every month in your head wildly searching for a place to escape.
DeleteGod bless the memory of The Raven and thank God for the Wannaskan Almanac.
DeleteWhat a team! It was fun to see the Solom Machine Shop ad.
ReplyDelete