Delaine Derry Green is the writer, artist and publisher of My Small Diary and the editor/publisher of Not My Small Diary. Both are highly-noted small press publications. Both MSD and NMSD have been seen in shows at the San Jose Museum of Art and Baltimore Museum of Art, the Mobilivre project (mobilivre.org), and in libraries around the nation. Delaine has been involved in zine and small press publishing for almost two decades and is one of the most pleasant individuals one could hope to meet. Delaine lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with Lee, her husband, and their dog Mac.

What started your interest in zines and small press publishing?

I became interested in zines in the late 80s after seeing the now defunct guide to all things "zine," Factsheet 5. I didn't order my first zine until the early 90s, following my graduation from college with a BFA in graphic design. I couldn't wait to get involved with zines, but I wasn't ready to make my own yet.

I started drawing my autobiographical comics called My Small Diary in 1993 and sent them to be published in a general interest zine called The Brave New Tick.

I started making zine/comic contacts in the world of small press and kept onchurning out my comics. Keep in mind this was all before the internet.... everything was done through our lovely postal service.

In late 1994, I had an overwhelming desire to make a "real" zine. At first I was sure I wanted to do something more than just diary comics, and I thought I needed acollaborator. After a couple months of trying to plan something but not really getting anywhere, I decided to go it alone and print a collection of My Small Diary comics. I felt I had enough interesting strips to make a zine, and I was pleased by the response.

I am still drawing My Small Diary strips today. I admit that I am behind on making a new zine of them, but I do have a stack of pages and a list of more diary events to record.

Were autobio comics as prevalent as they are now? In other words, was this something that you had seen and were interested in or was it something you had not seen much of and wanted to?

I don't remember seeing very many diary comics throughout the years. But I've always liked non-fiction and thought that truth was more exciting and interesting than fiction/fantasy. I always gravitated toward the Perzine (usually non-comic) sections of Factsheet 5. I knew that diary comics would be something I would love to read and I thought why not do it myself? I did notice a few people such as Carrie McNinch and Melissa Brown doing the kind of diary comics I enjoyed in the early 90s. I knew about Harvey Pekar, although only superficially.

Doing autobiographical work is fun and a great way to look back and remember the crazy things you've done during your life. It's also a good and easy way to share who you are with other people. It's like letting people in on a secret.

How did Not My Small Diary happen?

I moved to Birmingham in early 1996 and became friends with a guy named Jean-Paul who had ordered my comic through the mail while I was still in Huntsville. He did zines too! He is partially responsible for inspiring Not My Small Diary... but it was mostly just me thinking, “what if I got other people to draw diary comics? And what if I called it Not My Small Diary?” It was an easy transition.

The idea was well received, and it has been crucial in establishing new contacts, friends, artists, etc. The first 10 issues of Not My Small Diary have no particular theme, just the artists' autobiographical topic of choice. Issue 11 contains childhood stories from age 11 and under. Issue 12 contains tales after midnight.

Any future theme ideas that you can reveal?

Issue 13 is going to have the theme of Lucky/Unlucky stories. I am undecided about #14 & 15. I believe I'll make #16 car/driving related.

Is there anyone out there you would especially like to see in Not My Small Diary?

I would like to have Nicole Georges and Geoff Vasile in NMSD but they are tough nuts to crack. Also, shooting high, I would like to have a couple of artists in there such as Tim Biskup, Gary Baseman, Shag, Gary Panter, Gary Taxali, Jad Fair.... but I know their time is valuable. But I can dream. And what if Harvey Pekar himself appeared in NMSD?

I was pleased that I got Ed Repka (Mars Attacks, Metallica, all of the Vic covers for Megadeth), Andi Watson (Skeleton Key, Slow News Day), Ian Carney (Sugar Buzz, Sugar Kat, Pants Ant), Hilary Barta (Spider-man), John Porcellino (King Cat), Jim Siergey (Time Magazine), and Brian Buniak (Mad Magazine, Cracked) in NMSD. Also, Dave Kiersh is one of my special favorites. I just love everything he does. He recently did something for Tylenol's "Ouch Twins" site.

What do you like to do outside of your small press work?

Besides enjoying the world of small press, I like graphic design and decorating my home. I like dressing up in vintage mod clothes. I love to thrift shop. I love charcoal figure drawing and painting while tipsy, mainly acrylics. I enjoy throwing theme parties, watching movies, collecting Pez, reading (lately about 9/11), finding new music that I like (iPod, baby!), hanging out with my friends, etc. I also like to contribute occasionally to other small press ventures (covers and contributions to Fun Facts, Semi-Bold, Hungover Gourmet, etc). At any given time you might find me involved in a CD swap or tape circle or a Secret Thrift Swap. My favorite companions/partners in crime are my husband and my gay best friend Bobby.

And grilled cheese making, right? I’ve heard you are the “Queen of Grilled Cheese.”

You may also call me the “Empress of Grilled Cheese.” I would like to rule over all cheese, actually. Some of my earliest memories are of my mom bringing cheese home from the deli, wrapped in white paper. I would unwrap each package to find the most delicious thin slices of colby or brick or muenster.

My "secret" for making good grilled cheese is to use lots of melted butter on all four sides of the bread and using at least two different kinds of cheese. Top with a tomato slice for a treat.

I have connections too.... my cousin owns a cheese house in Ohio and sends me care packages regularly. He also sends exotic beers for Lee.

That’s sounds great. Speaking of Lee, what is his connection to The Exorcist?

My husband's father, Alan Green, was the Second Assistant Director on The Exorcist. The Exorcist happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time. When I was twelve I remember watching it with the sound turned down because I was alone. So scary! So good!!

Just friendly concern, but why all the Emo Philips ephemera?

I don't remember how I first heard about Emo Philips, but I assume it was from an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. I bought Emo's debut cassette tape--E=MO2--in 1985 and listened to it on my Walkman everyday at school. Emo performed in my town in 1989 and my boyfriend at the time went with me and made sure we got backstage afterward. Emo called me "Hot Mama" and blew on my neck. I've now seen Emo live three times. I am an eternal fan-- and there's a name for people like me - "Emophiliac.”

What are your thoughts on contemporary zines and zine culture?

I think Zinesters have formed a most wonderful subculture. You don't even have to do your own zine to appreciate zines and zinesters. You just need to have an open mind and appreciate creativity. I would like to see the world of Zines grow larger and become more widely known, even in "smaller" cities like Birmingham. I would also like a bit more organization in zinedom. I miss Factsheet 5 and even Zine Guide because of the sheer quantity of zines reviewed and the regular printing schedule. Zine World takes up the slack, but fails to come out regularly. One is likely to find out about a new issue of a zine months after its release.

I would really like to have a group of zine people to meet with on a regular basis - to talk about ideas, share our latest projects and to contribute to each other's zines. I do this within my SmallDiary egroup and through the mail now, but more face-to-face contact would be nice.

There are actually a number of books focused on zines out there (Zines vol. 1 & 2 by V. Vale; Make a Zine by Bill Brent; Zine Scene by Francesca Lia Block, Hillary Carlip) that would be a great introduction to this underground culture. I would encourage people new to the scene to do some Google searches, and to order and read zines that catch their fancy.

Contact information: you can find a great deal of information about the world of Small Diary publications at www.mysmallwebpage.com. You can also contact Delaine directly at DELANGEL3@hotmail.com

You can order her books through PayPal or online at places such as Quimby's Books, Atomic Books (where NMSD was a recent best-seller) and Parcell Press.