Kate Haas: Miranda Zine
New Jersey, Indiana, Massachussets, Maryland, California, Oregon--and three life-changing years of Peace Corps service in Morocco: Kate Haas is a woman who has been around and has a story to tell. Or, rather, many stories to tell about her adventures as a mother, a Peace Corps volunteer, and more. Kate's first offspring was the love child of her writing and reading passions: a zine called Miranda (a favorite name Kate always thought she would use for a fiction character). Now the 41-year-old mother of two boys, Kate has established herself as an editor and a freelance writer of creative non-fiction, with publications in Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers, Mamazine and Mothers Movement Online, among others. Still, eight years after that first issue, she faithfully produces Miranda about twice a year for an eager readership. Mosaic Minds met up with Kate to find out more about her writing and her popular zine.
MM:Tell us about how and why you started Miranda.
KH:I've always thought of myself as a writer, and when I discovered zines, I thought doing one would be a good way to put my writing out there.
MM:What was your intention with a new zine? What were you going to offer that existing zines weren't?
KH:I'd never seen a zine written by a returned Peace Corps volunteer, so that would be new, but you know, I didn't really have an intention, other than producing something of literary quality. Of course, like all writers, I hoped someone would read it! But honestly, I could never have predicted that Miranda would become well-known, that people would buy it in bookstores, that it would take my writing in new directions, or that I would become part of the whole mother/writer community, which has been so enriching for me. I wanted to tell my stories, but I also wanted to fashion them into something that would be interesting and entertaining to other people, as well, and I'm really pleased that I've been able to do that.
MM:What can a reader expect to find in Miranda?
KH:Honest essays about parenthood, tales of Peace Corps Morocco, lots of talk about books, recipes; and those odd little snippets of writing that won't make a longer essay but are still funny and entertaining reads. I've gotten a lot of feedback from readers on my essay in the current issue about my husband's vasectomy and my feelings about being done with having children; that one really seems to have struck a chord.
MM:Do you still produce Miranda by yourself ? How has it changed over the last 8 years?
KH:Except for the drawings, which my husband does (he's the artist in the family), I do it all. Miranda changed dramatically when I had my first child. Suddenly, I had a whole new topic to write about--and a whole new audience, as well.
MM:Do you still write about your Peace Corps experience or has it evolved into a mama-only zine?
KH:I do still write about Morocco. My three years there were some of the most interesting, intense and happy of my life, and I've been forever changed by that experience. Writing about those days gives me a chance to re-live them, and I think there's at least one reference to it in every issue. There is a lot more of a mother focus these days--motherhood and books, actually--but I resist describing Miranda as a mama-only zine. I want to create something that anyone can relate to.
MM:How does being a writer affect your mothering? And how does being a mother affect your writing?
KH:Hmm. Being a writer affects my mothering logistically, in that I need to scheme for time alone to write, or really seize advantage of naptime, when it occurs. But fundamentally, being a writer has been really crucial to me as a mother, because it gives me an identity and a focus apart from motherhood. I don't find parenting terribly easy, and I don't know how well I'd cope if I didn't have the writing as an escape.
As for how being a mother affects my writing, well, it's given me lots and lots of excellent material! It's also sharpened my memory. I'm not always able to write when an idea strikes, but I've found I can write whole paragraphs in my head and transcribe them later, which is convenient, given the chaos of parenting.
MM:Are most of your readers mothers?
KH:These days, I'd say that a lot of them are. Which is pretty interesting, because when I started Miranda, I don't think I had any parent readers. My audience was primarily young, punk-rock, indie zine readers and publishers. (I got a kick out of this, since I consider myself kind of square). But as soon as I started writing about my kids, mothers found my zine.
MM:What are some of your favorite zines these days? How can one find good zines?
KH:My favorite zine is Hausfrau by Nicole Chaison. She's a wonderful writer from Maine who does terrific stories and drawings about her kids, her struggles with motherhood, and other stuff. Definitely check it out.
MamaPhiles 1 and 2 are two compilations of mama-zine writing and a great starting place for anyone wanting to delve into the world of mama zines. The MamaPhiles website has bios of all the women involved and ordering information for their zines.
The Zine Scene forum at Mamaphonic.com is a good place to find out about what the mama zinesters are up to, and for support if you're starting a zine of your own. (Mamaphonic is an online resource and community for mother artists/writers.)
For zines that are not necessarily focused on parenting, there are thoughtful zine reviews at the New Pages Zine Rack and also at Thoughtworm.com.
MM:You are also an editor. Do you have any plans for fiction writing?
KH:Oh, no no no! I can't do fiction at all. I have no talent for that. But I have a really geeky passion for editing. In fact, starting at the end of September, I'm going to be the co-editor of Creative Nonfiction over at Literary Mama, which I'm really excited about.
MM:You have an interesting section called "The Motel of Lost Companions." Has it reunited you with anyone from your past?
KH:The Motel is a real favorite among my readers, I think because we all have people in our lives we've lost touch with, people we think about, wonder about, but know we'll most likely never see again. None of the Motel columns has reunited me with anyone, but after 15 issues, I'm starting to run out of lost companions, so I'm not sure what I'll do then.
MM:Describe Miranda in one word!
KH:Engaging.
Mosaic Minds can only agree. To find out more about Miranda or to order a copy (there are no subscriptions), visit Kate Haas's website Mirandazine.com.