Cutting Corners is my new interview series, and my first guest is Cody Sexton of Anxiety Press. He is the author of: All the Sweet Prettiness of Life, Too Many Things Came to Nothing, American Bullshit: Essays at the Margins, and Too Numb to Cum. Cody also runs the Literary Journal side of the press, A Thin Slice of Anxiety, who published some of my work in 2021. I became Associate Editor in late 2021.
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20316228.Cody_Sexton
Twitter: @slicesofanxiety
Instagram: @AThinSliceofAnxiety
Interviewer
Cody, thank you for speaking to me today.
Cody
Always a pleasure.
Interviewer
So, I wanted to begin by asking you: What was the first book that had a real impact on you?
Cody
There’s been a handful of books over the years, surprisingly not many, that have had a recognizable impact. The first book I can remember having an undeniable impression was The Elements of Moral Philosophy by James Rachels. I acquired the book from a college student who had to take an introductory course in philosophy as part of their degree requirement, and having no further use for it, asked me if I wanted it. I had never before been exposed to any formal philosophy, but as I immersed myself within its pages, I became absolutely on fire with it. It felt like the book contained secrets only meant for me.
Interviewer
Your own work is cemented within injustice (similar to mine). What topics light the fire within you?
Cody
Labor struggles is definitely the biggest. Marxism too—which is probably the one most people know me for. The rise of fascist ideology in America is another. America has always been a deeply fascist country, but there is now a sizeable portion of the population who seem far too eager to embrace it. Firearms have recently become the number one cause of death for children and teens in the United States, surpassing motor vehicle deaths, and those caused by other injuries. And yet, it’s a topic everyone claims to not know how to address; even though the solution is staring them in the face.
Interviewer
You are the EIC of Anxiety Press. Since you began, how do you believe the scene has changed? What positives and negatives do you witness?
Cody
I was too naive when I first got into the business, so there has been a lot of disillusionment that has taken place. Witnessing the nepotism, backstabbing, jockeying for positions, and dealing with the insufferable gatekeepers in the community has been a particular pain in the ass. But then there’s of course the few genuine people you do come across, and not just because they are great writers, but because they are unconcerned with prestige and they value their art above all else. Those are the people you want to prop up and champion, and it’s something I try to do regularly.
Interviewer
What do you think about the idea of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ writing? As an expressive practice, I find it disingenuous, and some ways elitist, to view poetry as anything other than art. What is your take on this?
Cody
In my view, good and bad are both relative terms that don’t really have any objective meaning. Sure, there are things I find good and some bad, but especially as an editor, it’s important to understand my preferences are not everyone’s. And, I think you’re right that anyone who tries to force, whether consciously or otherwise, a particular idea of what constitutes good and bad writing is in danger of either becoming, or in a lot of cases already are, elitist. I’ve got no time for that. Art is art. It’s really no more complicated than that.
Interviewer
As an extension of that, do you also roll your eyes at those who quibble about ‘cliché’ writing?
Cody
All the fucking time. In my experience it’s only ever used as a pejorative, which only serves to highlight the users’ own jealousy and insecurity.
Interviewer
Can you name a poem you carry with you? Why that specific one?
Cody
Refusing Heaven by Jack Gilbert is a poem that’s haunted me ever since I first came across it. I understand so much about what the poem is expressing. For me, it’s about embracing something even though you know it might be self-destructive, but nevertheless, you need it to get through the goddamn day. It’s something I worry about.
Interviewer
I know people say they wish they had written something that already exists…do you subscribe to that idea?
Cody
Not at all. The things I have written are only things I could have created.
Interviewer
Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what are your favourites?
Cody
Not so much anymore. This is only because I have to write when and where I can, due to my schedule, but when I can; I find Max Richter’s On the Nature of Daylight particularly inspiring.
Interviewer
What is your opinion on writing competitions? Do you think they are fair?
Cody
I don’t see how they could be. Even if they were, winning a competition is, again, meaningless. It certainly doesn’t mean the winner is better than the other competitors, only that the winner pleased certain biases the judges subscribe to.
Interviewer
How do you think Literature has impacted the Earth?
Cody
Far less than people want to believe. I enjoy Art and Literature, but while I do think it’s important (and can have major impacts on any given individual), I don’t believe it’s sacrosanct.
Interviewer
When Visual Art and Literature collide, it’s called Ekphrastic writing. Who are your favourite Artists/Photographers?
Cody
My favorite artist would have to be Norman Rockwell. He’s the only artist to ever make me feel nostalgic for a time I never experienced. It’s also a time that never really existed, but the worlds he created are places I want to enter and never leave. I feel safe when looking at a Rockwell painting. HR Giger is another artist I greatly admire. He was unbound by any physical space or reality, and his work is truly mind blowing as a result.
My favorite photographer is Andre Serrano. His subject matter is compelling, and often times disturbing, yet he still manages to tell a story of what it means to be human.
Interviewer
What prompted you to start a Literary Journal?
Cody
I suppose it was self-serving reasons, as it is with anything else. I was tired of being told no, and kept out of certain circles, so I said fuck it, I’ll do it myself. I wanted to create a space for people, like me, who didn’t have any other place to go. Although, another reason, perhaps more salient, is that a lot of the people I look up to and sort of idolize in a way were all editors. Max Perkins is a particular editor I’ve always been fascinated with.
Interviewer
Why do you think certain writers are lauded and others aren’t?
Cody
Political reasons. It’s a tale as old as time; how someone looks, what school they attended, who they know. Very rarely is it ever a result of the quality of the work they produce. Some of the best writing I’ve ever read are from people no one has heard of.
Interviewer
Does where you live impact what you write about?
Cody
Not in the least, or not that I can tell. However, where I’m from has had an outsized impact. You can take the boy out of the hills, but you can’t take the hills out of the boy.
Interviewer
Finally, what are your goals for the future? What are you aiming for?
Cody
To crush the competition completely, and to be the next New Yorker or Paris Review. I’m not competitive enough to achieve that. So, I’ll continue to produce art and writing that is the best I can do, and let the work speak for itself. If you keep your head down and continue to hone your skills, good things can’t help but happen for you. I have to believe in that.
Interviewer
Thank you so much for your time.
Cody
No problem.
Courtenay's Corner 